Ballmer: All Media Delivery IP in a Decade

Doug Mohney — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 12:03:21 -0400

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer predicts we'll be getting all of our media through the Internet within 10 years, give or take a couple of years on either end. Plus, he prefers to get "Lost" for free rather than pay iTunes; should we be surprised?

Ballmer's remarks were made at the Washington Post, a legacy media outlet that has tended to toss softball questions at Ballmer and Bill Gates over the years.

He believes that all media, including newspapers, magazines, and TV, will be delivered over an IP network sometime between eight to 14 years from now, an opinion that should have sent Posties running to call up the NAB and cable companies for reaction. Ballmer seemed to be subtly plugging the social media features of Microsoft Mediaroom announced at NAB when he talked about how his son could play Xbox Live with friends "around the world" while he couldn't have the same kind of interaction with his buds while watching his favorite basketball or golf game.

There are also going to be far more producers of content available a decade down the road, says Steve, an interesting viewpoint given Mark Cuban's gloom-and-doom predictions that independent video producers are going to have trouble making a buck due to the current cost of distributing video.

Finally, would you expect the CEO of Microsoft to admit he has bought any Apple product? Would you expect a GM CEO to drive a Mercedes Benz? Ballmer says he gets his "Lost" fix for free by watching it over the Internet and is annoyed by the four 20-second ads like everyone else.

For more:
- The Washington Post's happy report on Ballmer's visit to their newsroom.

Related articles:
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Microsoft releases Mediaroom Presentation Framework
Cuban: Bow to Google, gittle guys

MySpaceTV goes international and traditional

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 06:59:54 -0400

MySpaceTV has struck a deal to distribute its web video shows to media outlets around the globe. Shine Group, Elizabeth Murdoch's production company, will shop web shows around for TV syndication. (Dad Rupert happens owns News Corp., which owns MySpace, The Wall Street Journal, and Fox, among other properties).

Web properties such as "Quarterlife" or "Roommates" could show up on traditional broadcast television or DVDs outside of the U.S. Another option would be to create localized versions of the shows. MySpace will keep U.S. and worldwide Internet rights to the content.

"Quarterlife" was the first Internet series picked up by a TV network, but it was canceled after one episode. However, skeptics shouldn't sell the new effort short yet. There's a lot of, shall we say, old and bad TV content airing around the globe, so a U.S.-flavored web production could see a (financially) successful life as a broadcast property in an overseas market.

Further, it costs a lot of money to make a broadcast TV pilot in the U.S., so web productions could end up as the "farm team" for new broadcast shows.

For more:
- MySpace TV To Try Shopping Web Shows Abroad

Related articles:
Can MySpace become a music mogul?

Media Outlets

Ballmer: All Media Delivery IP in a Decade

MySpaceTV goes international and traditional