Of all of the news I heard at the MS press conference, this is the biggest news of all in my opinion. Frankly people who say that next generation is HDDVD or Bluray are likely wrong. Next generation video distribution will be downloaded or streamed.
While Sony scooped Disney for BluRay, MS has scooped the true next generation by picking up Disney for the Xbox Live Marketplace. This is huge news and combined with the information about how well the video marketplace is doing shows that this is the true future of video distribution. Congrats to MS on this pickup. Remember, many Disney videos are available NOW on Xbox Live Marketplace.
~~
New partnership brings growing catalogue of current blockbuster and classic library
titles to Xbox LIVE Marketplace.
LOS ANGELES - July 10, 2007 - Whether you want to find adventure in a blockbuster
game or lose yourself in a magical movie moment, you can get the ultimate in
entertainment in your living room with Xbox 360® and Xbox LIVE(tm). Today at the E3
Media & Business Summit, Microsoft Corp. and Disney-ABC Domestic Television
announced an agreement to bring feature films from The Walt Disney Studios to U.S.
members of Xbox LIVE, the online games and entertainment network on Xbox 360.
Beginning today, consumers of all ages will have access to a growing catalog of new
and classic movies from The Walt Disney Studios including titles from Walt Disney
Pictures, Touchstone Pictures, Hollywood Pictures and Miramax Films, on Xbox LIVE
Marketplace, the leading high-definition-video download service. Xbox 360 owners
will be able to rent popular Disney films on demand as they become available, such
as "Bridge to Terabithia," Miramax Film's "The Queen" and Touchstone Pictures' "Déjà
Vu."
"We're always looking for more ways to let people experience our films," said Dan
Cohen, executive vice president of pay television and interactive media for
Disney-ABC Domestic Television. "With the millions of Xbox 360 consoles in living
rooms today with a direct, high-speed Internet connection, Xbox LIVE really has
become a terrific device for the delivery of digital entertainment content."
As a result of this partnership between Microsoft and Disney-ABC Domestic
Television, an array of current and library titles will be available this July, with
more to come in both standard and high definition. Currently offering more than
2,350 hours of premium entertainment content from 15 partners, Xbox LIVE Marketplace
is the only online service offering downloadable movies and TV shows in high
definition. In a little more than seven months since video content was launched on
Xbox LIVE Marketplace, there have been nearly 10 million downloads of entertainment
content.
"Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE Marketplace truly offer something for everyone of all ages,
gender or personal taste," said Peter Moore, corporate vice president of the
Interactive Entertainment Business in the Entertainment and Devices Division at
Microsoft. "With this partnership, we are able to feature blockbuster new releases
as they become available, as well as an incredible array of classic family films
that made Disney the icon it is today."
Xbox LIVE Marketplace content is available to all Xbox 360 owners. High-definition
new-release movie rentals are 480 Microsoft® Points each, and standard-definition
new-release movie rentals are 320 Microsoft Points each. Classic feature films in
high definition are 360 Microsoft Points each, and classic feature films in standard
definition are 240 Microsoft Points. More information is available online at
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live/marke...tv/?WT.svl=nav.
About Xbox LIVE
Xbox LIVE is the first and most comprehensive unified online entertainment network
seamlessly integrated throughout the entire console experience, making it easy for
people to find the friends, games and entertainment they want from the moment they
power on their Xbox 360 system. Xbox LIVE connects millions of members across 25
countries to enjoy hundreds of multiplayer games, downloadable games via Xbox LIVE
Arcade, free and premium playable game demos, music videos, TV shows and movies in
the United States as well as new game levels, characters and vehicles for all their
favorite retail games. More information can be found online at
http://www.xbox.com/en-us/live.
About Disney-ABC Domestic Television Disney-ABC Domestic Television's pay television
and interactive media division is a leading distributor of movies in the
video-on-demand arena. DADT distributes movies domestically from The Walt Disney
Studios, including titles from Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone Pictures, Hollywood
Pictures, and Miramax Films. It currently licenses movies through a wide range of
distributors and platforms including cable MSOs, satellite companies, internet
distributors, telcos, mobile operators, and via other emerging technologies.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software,
services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
Linear Mode
