American Idol Creator Simon Fuller to Join Google in TV Venture

Authored by Scott Goldberg on November 11, 2007 - 4:32pm.

The creator of American Idol, Simon Fuller, has reportedly been holding secret conversations with Google (NSDQ: GOOG) over the past year about a TV-over-the-internet joint venture, The Guardian reports. The partnership likely means that Google and Fuller will create original content, and directly compete with major broadcasters in the TV market.

Fuller, who also created the Spice Girls and manages soccer star David Beckham, did not comment, though a source close to him offered ambitious expectations: “It's a big idea on a global scale. It will change television in much the way iTunes changed the way music is disseminated.”

Broadband connections and high speed internet access have made online TV a more viable platform for content, and Google, who bought YouTube last year for $1.65 billion, is clearly a believer. As The Guardian points out in its report as well, computers and televisions will increasingly merge in the near future, making internet TV content a crucial piece in the entertainment puzzle.

News of Fuller’s talks with Google arrives at an interesting time, as the Writers Guild of America is currently on strike. The WGA’s key position is that it wants a piece of the revenue generated by content distributed online, for which they currently don’t have a piece. A sticking point for studios is that they have yet to determine the value of online content. Google and Fuller may help to add some clarity to the picture.