Conviva: Streaming Growth Surges in Asia and Latin America

Streaming analytics firm Conviva reports that the global streaming market grew 14 percent in Q2 2022 as compared to the same period last year. Asia and Latin America drove the growth, vaulting 90 percent and 70 percent, respectively. The quarterly Conviva State of Streaming Report noted that North America, the most mature streaming market in the world, grew a modest 5 percent year over year. “As the global streaming industry matures, streaming success is getting more complicated,” Conviva reports, citing as factors device fragmentation and heightened quality expectations in an increasingly ad-supported streaming world. Continue reading Conviva: Streaming Growth Surges in Asia and Latin America

E3 Predictions for Sony, Microsoft: More Hardware, Games, VR

At E3 2016 next week, Sony will come to the show having sold over 40 million PlayStation 4 consoles, outselling Microsoft’s Xbox One, by two-to-one. The company plans to debut a more powerful console, a virtual reality headset, and numerous first-party games. Microsoft, meanwhile, plans to launch a wide range of new Xbox hardware this year, beginning with, rumors have it, a slimmer, smaller version of the current Xbox One. In addition to new consoles, Microsoft will show off HoloLens and debut new games. Continue reading E3 Predictions for Sony, Microsoft: More Hardware, Games, VR

Microsoft Finally Shuts Down MSN TV, Shifts Focus to Xbox One

Microsoft officially pulled the plug on its MSN TV service this week. Founded by Steve Perlman, the Internet TV pioneer launched in 1996 under the name WebTV. It was later acquired by Microsoft and rebranded. Despite hardware upgrades and new features added to MSN TV 2, Microsoft has since shifted its focus to the Xbox game console. The company is ramping up its Xbox TV programming as it preps the new Xbox One console for the upcoming holiday season. Continue reading Microsoft Finally Shuts Down MSN TV, Shifts Focus to Xbox One

Microsoft to Shut Down Interactive MSN TV Service this Year

Microsoft announced this week that it will shutter its MSN TV (formerly WebTV) service on September 30. The pioneering interactive TV service began in 1996 as one of the first set-top boxes to offer Internet access. WebTV was acquired by Microsoft for $425 million in 1997. According to Brad Hill, WebTV’s former national media spokesperson leading up to the product’s launch, “it isn’t modern Web-connected TVs that finally killed WebTV (MSN TV) — it’s the mobile revolution that did it.” Continue reading Microsoft to Shut Down Interactive MSN TV Service this Year

Xbox TV to Launch: Microsoft Wants to Change the Way People Watch TV

  • Microsoft confirmed it will launch Xbox TV this holiday season. CNNMoney reports that the service will be similar to services offered in other countries which allow Xbox users to stream Sky TV in the UK, Canal Plus in France, and FoxTel in Australia.
  • At Microsoft’s recent financial analyst meeting in Anaheim, CEO Steve Balmer confirmed the company is working with “dozens or hundreds of additional content suppliers.”
  • Xbox TV will use Bing to search for content and use Kinect for voice or motion commands. Microsoft will also seek to create a social experience for TV shows and movies around its 35 million Xbox Live community.
  • In related news, Comcast and Verizon are reportedly in talks with Microsoft to enable cable subscriptions through the Xbox 360. “The tech giant’s gaming console, which already streams content from sources like Netflix, Hulu Plus and others, could in effect become a cable box if Microsoft manages to strike a deal ahead of its upcoming release of Xbox TV,” suggests ReadWriteWeb.