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

AI's Handicap Isn't Chips, It's the Power Grid

We know artificial intelligence consumes huge amounts of energy. The power grid is now a major concern in enterprise technology strategy, and it's reshaping decisions that used to belong entirely to the CIO. For three decades, capacity planning meant negotiating with a cloud provider or a colocation vendor. Today it increasingly means understanding utility interconnection queues, local zoning battles, and the willingness of hyperscale operators to build faster than the grid can comfortably absorb. New research from Synergy Research Group puts deep market data behind a trend every large enterprise buyer has already felt: the constraints are real, but the AI  infrastructure build-out is not slowing down. Electric Power Grid Market Development Synergy's tracking shows that total U.S. data center capacity is on pace to double within the next three years, even as power availability and local opposition create genuine friction for new projects. It's a striking signal that demand ...