• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, July 16, 2013

Ready to take its Web TV offering to new heights, Google has reportedly engaged a number of media companies about licensing their “traditional” TV programming for easy online streaming.

Although no plans have been finalized, Google has reached out to a number of programmers in recent months, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing sources.

Any such service would go head-to-head with Apple, which has also been in talks with TV networks about rebroadcasting their content online.

Intel is also planning to begin selling a set-top box offering Internet-based television service. This year it is confident it can obtain programming. An executive at the company recently said it hopes to build a customer base on par with a satellite service like DirecTV.

Google is taking a very different approach to Web TV than Aereo, which digitally redistributes TV content with programmers’ permission. Broadcasters have sued Aereo in an effort to shut down the service, but the startup has so far won two court rulings. The case could ultimately go to the Supreme Court.

Among other efforts, Google already offers Google Fiber -- an alternative to traditional cable -- in select domestic markets. The search giant also markets Google TV, which subscribers can access through their cable TV services, and its Google Play Store, which sells digital versions of movies and TV shows.