Game on at Microsoft

Gaming continues to drive broadband adoption and usage as On Broadband Networks, a joint venture between Showtime Networks and game publisher Broadband Libraries, and Microsoft said today from the 2007 National Association of Broadcasters conference that they will collaborate on building a new game service platform to be ready later this year.

Microsoft will provide software solutions and consulting services for On Broadband Networks’ turnkey, private-label game download service. Showtime Networks will handle the marketing and promotional programming.

Peter von Schlossberg, executive vice president and general manager of On Broadband Networks, said Microsoft has helped his company move their game delivery concept forward much faster. The service provides a client-based application that allows the user to access a wide collection of full-feature games. It will have a library of older, niche and new games, which users can get on the day of their release. Gamers can buy the games or use a subscription model.

On Broadband Networks will target cable and DSL broadband providers with its private label service. Gabriele Di Piazza, managing director for Media and Entertainment in the Communications Sector at Microsoft said the service is another example of the convergence of the media and entertainment world with cable and telecom companies.

Microsoft Consulting Services built the initial technology architecture using its Commerce Server 2007, BizTalk Server 2006, SQL Server 2005, the Microsoft Live Communications Server, Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Windows Live Service Agents. It also provided software quality assurance and software development for the project.
Microsoft also made a separate announcement today introducing Microsoft Silverlight and Microsoft Interactive Media Manager. The products will be used to manage and create content. Also introduced was a new VC-1 Encoder software developer kit and the expansion of the Microsoft TV Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) partner ecosystem, including new collaborations with Ascent Media Group, McCann Worldgroup, Showtime Networks, Starz Entertainment, SyncCast and TV Guide.

Microsoft Silverlight is a cross-browser, cross-platform plug-in for delivering the next generation of media experiences and rich interactive applications for the Web. It integrates with existing Web technologies and assets to provide higher-quality experiences with lower costs for media delivery. Early supporters of the new platform include Akamai Technologies, Brightcove, Eyeblaster, Limelight Networks, Major League Baseball, NaviSite, Netflix, Skinkers, Sonic Solutions, Tarari, Telestream and Winnov.

Microsoft’s Interactive Media Manager is a server-based solution that enables organizations to better manage the process of content creation, management and distribution. It is an extension of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and is designed for organizations in the media and entertainment industry, including film, television and postproduction studios; broadcasters; game developers; publishers; and advertising and marketing agencies.