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

The Billions Bet on Tentative AI Demand

Gartner's latest worldwide IT spending forecast exposes a trend every CIO has already felt in budget negotiations. Total spending will climb 14.2 percent in 2026, reaching $6.37 trillion. It seems that the IT infrastructure market is simply having a strong year. However, the more useful insight is how unevenly that growth is distributed. The Headline Number vs. The Real Story Data center systems and infrastructure as a service (IaaS) are absorbing capital at a pace several multiples faster than devices, communications services, and traditional IT services. This is not incremental growth spread across a healthy portfolio. It is a wholesale reallocation of enterprise technology budgets toward AI infrastructure, made on the expectation that demand for AI workloads will justify the outlay before that demand has been fully proven. Where the Money is Going Data center systems are forecast to grow 62.5 percent in 2026, that's up from 51.6 percent growth in 2025, reaching $822 billion....