Google had the best idea. Just search for the show you want to watch, don't worry about the source. Unfortunately, big media companies – in their infinite shortsightedness – decided to torpedo the project.
By contrast, the app solution would be totally voluntary on the part of the content owners, but less elegant.
It would also mean that your access to content would be even more subject to corporate whims than they are now. Say a bug was introduced into the ESPN app. Now suddenly you've missed a quarter of the season because ESPNs app programmers couldn't post a patch fast enough. Or the PBS app gets taken down due to a patent infringement case and you miss the airing of the Prohibition documentary.
I'm not sure that's true. There are two types of video content right now:
1) Ad supported
2) Pay per episode or subscription
Unless Google tries to block the ads or take an outsized cut of the episode or subscription fee, the content providers are no worse off than with Apple's current or proposed solution.
Edit: Outside of YouTube, the ads shown before videos online are one of the few places Google does not seem to have a near monopoly online. In my experience, most of the ads seem to be for cars and insurance companies and controlled by the website owner themselves (Hulu, Comedy Central, NBC, ESPN3).
By contrast, the app solution would be totally voluntary on the part of the content owners, but less elegant.
It would also mean that your access to content would be even more subject to corporate whims than they are now. Say a bug was introduced into the ESPN app. Now suddenly you've missed a quarter of the season because ESPNs app programmers couldn't post a patch fast enough. Or the PBS app gets taken down due to a patent infringement case and you miss the airing of the Prohibition documentary.