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It looks as though Microsoft will be betting big on its Xbox division to hopefully take over the living room of millions around the world as the company announced it will be selling its Mediaroom IPTV business to Ericsson.

Microsoft called the acquisition of its Mediaroom IPTV business to Ericsson as “mutually beneficial and strategically aligned for both parties”. The purchase will make Ericsson the leading provider of IPTV as the service is said to power 22 million set-top-boxes within 11 million subscriber households. The deal also allows Microsoft to fully focus on its consumer TV strategy with its Xbox division. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Hotaru Bathtub From Japan Comes With Built-In LED Lights, Samsung Opening ‘Experience’ Shops Within Best Buy Starting April 8,

Microsoft announced today via its blog that it will be selling its Mediaroom properties to Ericsson, in a deal that will see Ericsson become the dominant IPTV player in the industry with over 25 percent market share. Mediaroom operates as a pretty much separate company from Microsoft, with its own HQ in Mountain View and around 400 employees, and powers TV offerings like AT&T U-verse, as well as services from Deutsche Telekom, Telefonica and Telus. The deal clears the deck for Microsoft fo go all-in on Xbox as the focal point of its own TV efforts.

At Ericsson, Mediaroom will continue to operate essentially as per usual, with that company investing in growing the business, while at Microsoft, the sale allows Microsoft to dedicate “all TV resources to Xbox in a continued mission to make it the premium entertainment service that delivers all the games and entertainment consumers want,” Microsoft said in its blog post. The company also intends to partners with studios, labels, networks and operators to help accomplish that mission, and says it hopes to help usher in a future where TV becomes “more simple, tailored and intelligent.”

Microsoft built Mediaroom into the industry leader in IPTV after its introduction as Microsoft TV, which evolved into the Mediaroom platform in 2007. It’s the middleware that powers set-top boxes from a variety of manufacturers, and also has a home in the Xbox 360, which uses it to act as a set-top box for service from some IPTV operators, including AT&T and Telus.

Mediaroom is very much a behind-the-scenes tech, however, and doesn’t carry the power or branding of Xbox. Refocusing efforts on making that the central facet of their television strategy, instead of being distracted by middleware that arguably helps competitors position their own devices at the center of a living room TV experience makes sense at this stage for Microsoft.

This move also suggests we’ll see something exciting from Microsoft on the integrated TV front with the upcoming Xbox 360 successor, which is reportedly on track for a sneak preview towards the end of May. PlayStation may be doubling down on games and the gamer, but that means there’s even more opportunity for Microsoft to make an impression as the destination for all of a user’s entertainment needs.

U-verse subscribers often have some bandwidth to spare; it’s only fair that they make the most of it with some streaming sports. Appropriately, AT&T and ESPN have just flicked the switch on WatchESPN support for those who subscribe to U-verse TV service. As always, viewers can tune into live and on-demand content from a computer, an Xbox 360 (with an Xbox Live Gold subscription) or their Android and iOS devices while on the road. The sports partnership is also just the start: AT&T notes that all flavors of Watch Disney should be coming “soon,” giving the little ones something to stream in between football matches.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, AT&T

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Source: WatchESPN

Time Warner Cable has already brought live TV streaming to iOS, Android and PCs, and now it’s finally released its TWC TV service on a device for your TV. Now available on newer Roku players (and, we presume, whatever hardware is coming next), it brings up to 300 channels to subscriber’s set-top boxes via the internet. Hit the link below to add the channel to your box — assuming you have Time Warner cable + internet and your Roku is located in the house where you have service, of course. We’ve seen demos of the software on Samsung and Panasonic connected TV platforms before, and the Xbox 360 features similar access from a number of providers, so take that into account when guessing which one may be next up.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

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Source: Roku blog, Roku Channel Store

Intel’s aim to have a web-based TV platform blending on-demand and cable content launched early in the new year may be scuppered by longer-than-expected media negotiations, potentially pushing the debut back until Q4 2013. Initially planned for late 2012, but delayed after content owners supposedly put up more of a licensing challenge than Intel first predicted, sources tell the WSJ that the new launch window is anything from mid-2013 to the end of the year.

According to the more pessimistic tipster, “delays in reaching content-licensing agreements with entertainment companies that own major TV channels” remain the primary headache. That’s not exactly a new refrain; it’s stubbornness among the traditional media to bend to the unbundling whims of entertainment upstarts like Google and Apple which is believed to have prevented previous attempts to challenge the cable market.

Intel was apparently on track to demonstrate an early version of the unnamed web TV set-top box and service at CES 2013 next week, with previous leaks indicating a small-scale trial could begin in March. However, new whispers suggest TV has been taken off the menu, with only regular desktop and mobile processors to be discussed.

Unsurprisingly, it’s not hardware that has prompted the delays, with the rumored STB said to include social networking functionality to better join together viewers watching the same program in different locations.

Currently, a source close to the ongoing negotiations claims, Intel has inked a single deal with a content partner, though there’s no word on which that partner is. Owners of channels are traditionally reluctant to offer individual channels separately, preferring more expensive bundles where cable operators must license not only the high-profile they want, but a number of less widely-known channels as well.

Another TV company executive said his firm and Intel “were far from reaching an agreement on financial terms,” with the content owners demanding “far higher fees” than existing cable operators pay.

Intel web TV scheme may miss CES 2013 after licensing headaches is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
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