Google is working with Dish Network to develop a television-programming search service, The Wall Street Journal reports (subscription required).
The details are fraught with speculation at the moment, but there's word that the product will be a set-top box that allows users to find television shows and videos on sites like YouTube. The searches can be conducted via keyboard, and customers will be able to compile a personal lineup of programs.
The service is also seen as an avenue for Google's targeted ads. Ads will be aimed at certain households based on trends in searching and viewing.
This is not the first idea of its kind, and previous attempts to merge television with the internet have fallen flat. The big obstacle was getting customers to purchase additional hardware. By working with the hardware that Dish Network provides its customers, Google will have immediate access to a broad audience.
There are reports that Google is courting other television providers as well. Specifically, Google is asking providers to adopt Android, an operating system that supports a number of Google's functions.
