Google will reportedly get rid of the television set-top business that’s part of Motorola Mobility, even before the company closes on the $12.5 billion purchase, reports the New York Post.

Once the main vehicle for TV viewing, the set-top box is increasingly viewed as a stumbling block for newer technologies that merge television and the Internet, the story points out. Google, for instance, offers its own Web-connected TV system, called Google TV.

Google has hired Qatalyst Partners and Barclays Capital to look for buyers for the set-top business, which Motorola had unsuccessfully tried to sell in 2009 for $4.5 billion, the piece adds. Some private equity firms may be interested in the unit, the story notes.