Google announced yesterday that they would be acquiring the digital media solutions and DRM firm Widevine, which could have some very positive benefits for both YouTube and Google TV. One of the biggest concerns (according to them at least) of the major networks regarding their decision to block Google TV is over piracy, and that Google isn’t doing enough to prevent it on YouTube and Google TV. This move is a positive step towards appeasing the networks, and hopefully giving Google some muscle when going into future talks.

Mario Queiroz, VP of Product Management, made the following announcement on the official Google blog about the acquisition:

“…we’re pleased to announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Widevine. The Widevine team has worked to provide a better video delivery experience for businesses of all kinds: from the studios that create your favorite shows and movies, to the cable systems and channels that broadcast them online and on TV, to the hardware manufacturers that let you watch that content on a variety of devices. By forging partnerships across the entire ecosystem, Widevine has made on demand services more efficient and secure for media companies, and ultimately more available and convenient for users.”

Widevine is no stranger to Hollywood, having notably provided DRM solutions for the likes of Netflix. Having the company under their belt could really open some doors for Google to help put all of this network stuff behind them.  Also, the company already has their own adaptive streaming technology, which is something that Google has been seeking for quite some time.

Widevine also has as established relationship with a number of electronics manufacturers, including Nintendo, Panasonic, Philips, Samsung and Toshiba to name a few. Samsung and Toshiba have already announced plans to introduce a Google TV product or products sometime in 2011, but the more manufacturers Google can get behind the project at this point the better.

Now there is a flip side to all of this, in that the exact opposite of what I’ve described above may occur. The networks and industry players may decide to abandon Widevine and continue their embargo of Google TV. Everything is very up in the air at this point, and it will be very interesting to see how all of this plays out. This could be a big part of Google TV’s saving grace, so stay tuned.

[via AppMarket.tv, GigaOM]