Google is not just a search engine. This statement is confirmed on almost a daily (hourly?) basis with purchases like YouTube and JotSpot dominating Internet news outlets. But before they jumped on the social network bandwagon, Google was also considered a marketing entity, and judging by their 3rd quarter revenue report, they one of the most powerful.

And thanks to a BrandRepublic article, it looks like their position as a devastatingly effective marketing machine is only solidifying, even in the United Kingdom. BrandRepublic reveals Google’s ad revenue is expected to surpass Channel 4‘s, one of the UK’s primary television stations (I was lucky enough to live in England when Channel 4 first launched. Imagine our surprise when the UK actually expanded to 4 channels. Now UK has a cable service, so Channel 4’s significance may not be what it once was, but I was there when a fourth channel actually meant something…).

According to the report, Channel 4 is expected to make £800 million while Google UK is expected to make £900 million. Many feel these numbers further serve as a reminder that the threat online marketing has over the more traditional outlets is quite real. Channel 4 CEO Andy Duncan relayed his thoughts to the Financial Times:

“People need to wake up and realise that this is not just a cyclical issue. There is a deep structural change taking place. If we want to protect the fantastic legacy of UK broadcasting, we need to wake up to this sooner rather than later.“

Granted, news of Google UK making more money than a UK television channel may not be such a big topic in the US. However, imagine the reaction if this was CBS or NBC instead of Channel 4. If/when Google surpasses one of US broadcasting’s big three (four if you include Fox), the fallout would be all over the Internet as well as any other medium news is covered.

Chris Richardson
Staff Writer | Murdok Blog