Google Tablet to Launch in U.K. Without Content Deals (Report)

LONDON - Internet giant Google will launch its Nexus 7 tablet computer in the U.K without music, magazine or TV show content, the Guardian reported on Thursday.

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It said the company has so far failed to strike rights deals with media companies for the U.K. market.

Due to international rights issues, technology companies must generally reach content deals for their devices for each country, in which they launch.

Amazon.com last year also failed to reach content rights deals in the U.K. and wasn't able to launch its Kindle Fire here.

The Nexus 7, the first Google-branded tablet, will go on sale here on July 19 for £169 ($212).

"We want to bring different types of content to as many places as we can, but we don't have anything more to share on timing," a Google spokesman told the Guardian about U.K. content plans for the Nexus device. "We plan to continue expanding the movies and TV shows category to more countries in the coming months."

Apple, which has the biggest tablet market share in the world, offers a big library of music, films and TV shows for its iPad, which is more expensive than the Nexus.

Email: Georg.Szalai@thr.com
Twitter: @georgszalai