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Monday, November 16, 2009, 08:05 am
Microsoft looks to combat Apple globally with Zune content
Microsoft will launch its media brand outside of the U.S. for the first time this week, with the debut of the Zune content purchasing service for the Xbox 360.Microsoft will introduce the Zune brand on its Xbox 360 game console in 18 markets Tuesday, including the U.S., U.K., France, Germany and Australia, according to the Financial Times. The new service will include instant streaming of high definition movie purchases. The digital movie service will come under the Zune name, representing the first time it has been used by Microsoft overseas.
There is no indication, however, that Microsoft intends to take the Zune hardware -- namely, the relatively well received Zune HD -- on a global scale. The brand introduction is for licensed content only.
That the service is available on the Xbox 360 makes it more of a competitor to the iTunes and Apple TV pairing than Apple's market-dominating iPod lineup. The acquisition of licensing agreements has slowed expansion of Apple iTunes movie sales into other territories overseas.
Microsoft has reportedly acquired the rights to the "most popular films" from major studios MGM, Paramount and Universal. The Redmond, Wash., software giant has sold more than 10 million Xbox 360s in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Christine Heckart, general manager for TV, video and music marketing at Microsoft, told the Financial Times that the company intends to employ a "three screens" approach for the Zune service, expanding its content to the TV and PC, as well as portable screens like the Zune and mobile phones.
In 2008, Apple went global with iTunes Store movies, delivering them for the first time to the U.K. and Canada. This April, Apple launched the iTunes movie store in Germany, with over 500 Hollywood and German films. Movie rentals can be watched directly on a computer, or streamed to the living room via the Apple TV hardware.
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Previous Comments View All
Interesting move from M$. But we'll have to see if it is not too little, too late.
Time for Apple to bring the attention to the next big thing!
The problem in Canada, is there a french province (Québec) and here all the Blu-Ray got a french version of the film. On iTunes, all the film are English only. Even if the film was a french film made by a quebecer. Go see, "polythecnic", a true story of a massacre in a Montreal shcool in the 90's. Go see the comment of the user in iTunes under that film, everybody are obset.
I know Quebec is a small market, but all our music artist are on iTunes, why there is no french film yet? iT's too long. I can't rent film from Apple TV because of that. I know it's coming but it's way too long. I know Alliance vivafilm already got an agreement with Apple for french content but I think they concentrate there effort for the european market.
\
Have you ever seen a Zune in the wild? Neither have I.
What is this Zune I keep hearing about?
The one thing Apple lacks in it's strategy... content. Sony realised this in the 80's, as does Microsoft today. Content is king as they say.
You can have the best device in the world, but if you don't have content, it's useless.
Apple beware. Perhaps time to spend some dollar.
What is this Zune I keep hearing about?
It's for keeping doors open and stopping paper from blowing away, I think.
I'm glad to see this happening. Whether or not the Zune is "out in the wild" is pretty irrelevant to this story. The story is that the Zune Service is on the XBOX 360. The 360 is a very good console (not without problems) and is in a lot of hands now. The bottom line is they will sell some content.
This should be considered a good thing by Apple/iTunes users (including me) because it forces Apple to keep working on making iTunes better and the devices more advanced.
The problem in Canada, is there a french province (Québec) and here all the Blu-Ray got a french version of the film. On iTunes, all the film are English only. Even if the film was a french film made by a quebecer. Go see, "polythecnic", a true story of a massacre in a Montreal shcool in the 90's. Go see the comment of the user in iTunes under that film, everybody are obset.
I know Quebec is a small market, but all our music artist are on iTunes, why there is no french film yet? iT's too long. I can't rent film from Apple TV because of that. I know it's coming but it's way too long. I know Alliance vivafilm already got an agreement with Apple for french content but I think they concentrate there effort for the european market.
\Gigi, it's not just that! True, it's frustrating, I'm with on that one, but think of your monthly bandwidth of 30GB with Videotron, download 8 HD movies and you've busted your limit! That's another thing that has to change, those pesky limits! Even the fastest plan at 50Mbits only has 100GB! You can bust it in less than 4.5hrs at full speed!
This should be considered a good thing by Apple/iTunes users (including me) because it forces Apple to keep working on making iTunes better and the devices more advanced.
Yeah cos Apple have a habit of letting their foot off the gas. Slackers
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I'm down with buying an Apple TV after a new refresh, and a subscription service.
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We'll see.