Skip to main content

BSkyB and Microsoft in Video Pact

Forbes reports, reminiscent of politicians clambering for the center ground, certain tech and media corporations are looking for that lucrative synthesis between the passive consumption of video, and the interactive computer.

After buddying-up with software giant Microsoft, satellite provider British Sky Broadcasting Group (BSkyB) is set to launch a video-on-demand service for PCs. The launch next week, which is part of Chief Executive James Murdoch's push into broadband, will reportedly give its 8 million British subscribers a chance to see highlights from film and sports--from the comfort of their computer screen.

Sounds like a head-to-head clash with Google, we hear you say? Indeed: Murdoch is joining forces with Gates in what is already a wider bout with that firm. The Internet search behemoth also has reportedly similar plans to allow users to search for and buy videos through its site, having apparently signed up with content partners like CBS and the National Basketball Association.

BSkyB subscribers who own a PC with Microsoft's Media Center software will from this Tuesday be able to access the feature through the "Sky By Broadband" service. Unlike Google's video offering, the service will offer premium content for a price.

Popular posts from this blog

Product Design AI to Reach $4.3 Billion by 2035

Artificial intelligence tools for product design have largely been sold to engineering leaders as a productivity story: faster renders, quicker iterations, fewer manual CAD operations. According to the latest market study by ABI Research, the market for artificial intelligence in product design is set to grow from $628 million in 2025 to $4.3 billion by 2035; that's a 21.3 percent compound annual growth rate. The trajectory reflects a market moving past assistive tools and into a phase where AI becomes structurally embedded in how products get engineered, simulated, and validated. For executives overseeing engineering, product development, and R&D organizations, this is no longer a tooling decision. It is a competitive positioning decision, and the window to shape it is narrower than most roadmaps assume. The Ten-Year Growth Outlook Mechanical product design and simulation is the AI beachhead within manufacturing. A full 62 percent of manufacturers are already running AI projec...