Google TV to launch in Europe early next year

Google TV, which allows viewers to mix Web and television content on a TV screen via a browser, was launched in the United States in October but received mixed reviews and was swiftly blocked by three of the top U.S. broadcast networks.

Large parts of the television industry, like the news and telecoms industries, view Google with suspicion and accuse it of stealing their advertising revenues without contributing to the costs of making programmes.

Schmidt sought to allay the fears of Britain’s broadcasting elite in a speech to the Edinburgh television festival, the first time a non-TV executive had been invited to give the keynote MacTaggart lecture at Britain’s premier industry event.

“Some in the US feared we aimed to compete with broadcasters or content creators. Actually our intent is the opposite,” he told an audience who quickly warmed to his friendly style and liberal compliments to the quality of British television.

“We seek to support the content industry by providing an open platform for the next generation of TV to evolve, the same way Android is an open platform for the next generation of mobile,” he said.

“We expect Google TV to launch in Europe early next year, and of course the UK will be among the top priorities.” Google TV has gained little traction so far in the United States, and its set top box provider Logitech International SA slashed prices to $99 in July from an initial price of $299.

Schmidt also included a warning to British television regulators, who he said were far more stringent than their US counterparts and threatened to throttle the development of British television companies in an increasingly global market.

“Stifling the Internet – whether by filtering or blocking or just plain turning the ‘off’ switch – appeals to policy makers the world over,” he said. “Instead, policy makers should work with the grain of the Internet rather than against it.” OPPORTUNISTIC Google has long held ambitions in the television arena, hoping to extend its online advertising business, which made $28 billion for the company last year, to the big screens that still command the lion’s share of global advertising budgets.

“If his ambition was to go there and convince the TV people he wasn’t a big threat, I don’t think he achieved it,” said Keith McMahon, an analyst at research firm Telco 2.0/STL Partners.

“The message I got was that TV is such a big market that Google can’t ignore it. They’re never going to give it up.” So far, Google has had little success breaking into the TV market, despite its ownership of the world’s most popular online video site, YouTube.

Last week, however, Google agreed a deal to buy Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc for $12.5 billion, handing it the world’s leading set top box business which delivers content for many of the top cable TV companies in the United States.

The headline attraction of the deal was Motorola’s huge portfolio of wireless patents but the set top box business could help Google transform its TV project by giving it insights into pay-TV.

Google has not spelled out its plans for the set top box business, and many analysts expect it to divest the unit at the first opportunity, having no experience or previous interest in running a hardware business.

Others believe Google could change tack under CEO Larry Page, Google’s co-founder who took back the reins from Schmidt in April and has already started a social network to compete with Facebook while ditching other projects.

“Google describes itself as an opportunistic company. So while it may not have wanted to buy Motorola’s operations, it may now assess whether retaining these assets can compensate for the risk of owning them,” New York-based Nomura analyst Stuart Jeffrey wrote in a note this week.

Schmidt made no mention of the Motorola acquisition or its implications on Friday, but will hold a question and answer session in Edinburgh on Saturday.

Mireille Enos may join 'Gangster' cast

Mireille Enos, star of the U.S. version of the Danish television drama "The Killing," is up for a role in Ruben Fleischer's mob-themed movie "Gangster Squad."

The Hollywood Reporter said the film is based on Paul Lieberman's seven-part Los Angeles Times article about the anti-organized crime unit run by the Los Angeles Police Department in the 1940s.

Enos would play the wife of Josh Brolin's character, John O'Mara, who was one of the few police officers of the era not working for gangster Mickey Cohen, who is to be played by Sean Penn, the report said.

The cast includes Michael Pena, Anthony Mackie, Giovanni Ribisi and Ryan Gosling.

Emma Stone, Gosling's co-star in the current release "Crazy Stupid Love," is also in talks for a role in "Gangster Squad," the entertainment industry trade newspaper said.

List of Best Football Stadiums in America

In America, football is almost like the second religion for many people and the stadiums where the game is played are like the Duomos (The principal Christian church building of a bishop's diocese). The view of the field is 3D as opposed to the view on television. The experience of watching a football match sitting in the stadium is extra-ordinary because of the excited crowd and their exciting support. The enthusiasm among the fans almost touches the sky filling the stadium with a roar. The cheering and booing of the fans keep boosting the spirit of the players as well as make them feel the pressure of the do or die situation on the field.



Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor

It is the largest and one of the best stadiums in America. The opening day of the stadium was 1st of October, 1927 and the opening game was played between UM and Ohio. Nearly, 21 acres of land was donated to the University by the Detroit native Dexter M. Ferry in 1902. After the donation, the land was united comprising an athletics campus of the Michigan University. In return of the donation the entire complex was renamed as Ferry Field. But, still the stadium could accommodate less fans and the need was felt to do something to accommodate more fans. A new complex was built closer to the site where the Michigan outdoor track lies. Though the new complex was constructed under the same name, Ferry Field was much more different from the older field. The older complex allotted the field for baseball, football and athletics whereas the new Ferry Field had the grass that was exclusively used for football. Michigan had constructed separate practice fields so that Ferry Field was used only on game days.



Memorial Stadium, Nebraska

In the year 1922, funds of around $430,000 were collected to build a new football stadium, by the faculty, students, and well wishers of the Nebraska University. The stadium is located on the campus of the university and has around 83,000 seating capacity. Nebraska is so devoted to Husker football that when full, the stadium holds more people than any other Nebraska city (except Omaha and Lincoln). The name Memorial Stadium is given in the honor of all the Nebraskans who fought in the Civil and Spanish-American wars and 751 Nebraskans who died in the first World War. One interesting thing to know about the stadium is that the stadium is referred to as the "Sea of Red" because of the red apparel of the fans.

List of Best Football Stadiums in America

In America, football is almost like the second religion for many people and the stadiums where the game is played are like the Duomos (The principal Christian church building of a bishop's diocese). The view of the field is 3D as opposed to the view on television. The experience of watching a football match sitting in the stadium is extra-ordinary because of the excited crowd and their exciting support. The enthusiasm among the fans almost touches the sky filling the stadium with a roar. The cheering and booing of the fans keep boosting the spirit of the players as well as make them feel the pressure of the do or die situation on the field.



Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor

It is the largest and one of the best stadiums in America. The opening day of the stadium was 1st of October, 1927 and the opening game was played between UM and Ohio. Nearly, 21 acres of land was donated to the University by the Detroit native Dexter M. Ferry in 1902. After the donation, the land was united comprising an athletics campus of the Michigan University. In return of the donation the entire complex was renamed as Ferry Field. But, still the stadium could accommodate less fans and the need was felt to do something to accommodate more fans. A new complex was built closer to the site where the Michigan outdoor track lies. Though the new complex was constructed under the same name, Ferry Field was much more different from the older field. The older complex allotted the field for baseball, football and athletics whereas the new Ferry Field had the grass that was exclusively used for football. Michigan had constructed separate practice fields so that Ferry Field was used only on game days.



Memorial Stadium, Nebraska

In the year 1922, funds of around $430,000 were collected to build a new football stadium, by the faculty, students, and well wishers of the Nebraska University. The stadium is located on the campus of the university and has around 83,000 seating capacity. Nebraska is so devoted to Husker football that when full, the stadium holds more people than any other Nebraska city (except Omaha and Lincoln). The name Memorial Stadium is given in the honor of all the Nebraskans who fought in the Civil and Spanish-American wars and 751 Nebraskans who died in the first World War. One interesting thing to know about the stadium is that the stadium is referred to as the "Sea of Red" because of the red apparel of the fans.