Google unveiled the channel lineup for its much-anticipated Google Fiber high-speed service which is launching in Kansas City, Mo., and will compete with cable and satellite TV there.
Among the channels being offered by Google Fiber are Showtime, Comedy Central, Discovery, Lifetime, USA, Encore and CNBC.
However, the service is missing some big networks in Time Warner's HBO, TNT and CNN, Walt Disney Co.'s ESPN and Disney Channel and News Corp.'s Fox News and FX.
That doesn't mean those channels are saying no to Google, just that deals have not been reached yet. HBO expects to be on the service shortly and an ESPN spokesman said the two are having "productive discussions."
Getting Google Fiber isn't cheap. There is a $300 fee for Google to wire a subscriber's house with fiber. The monthly fee for TV and Internet is $120. However, that may not include all the premium cable channels.
Local TV stations that carry programming from CBS, NBC and ABC are also part of the package.
For now, though, those hoping Google would offer some sort of a la carte service that would free subscribers from buying channels they don't watch are out of luck.
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