Microsoft Integrates IPTV Software Platform With Xbox 360

January, 2007 - At the 2007 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Microsoft Corp. announced a new solution that will bring together two of its entertainment products, the Xbox 360™ gaming console and the Microsoft® TV IPTV Edition software platform.

IPTV on Xbox 360™ is expected to be available to consumers by holiday season 2007 and will be offered by providers that are deploying TV services over broadband networks based on the IPTV Edition software platform. The solution was unveiled during Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates’ CES keynote address on the January 7.

The integration of a video gaming console with Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) services is intended to deliver a first-of-its-kind entertainment experience, where consumers are given all the advantages of an advanced TV service along with the benefits of next-generation gaming, as well as capabilities that the integrated solution brings. Xbox Live® will provide consumers with features such as voice chat, sending and receiving text and voice messages, and accessing Xbox Live Marketplace, all while watching TV.

“Both Xbox 360 and Microsoft TV IPTV Edition by themselves deliver unique and exciting entertainment experiences today, but IPTV on Xbox 360 is truly a solution that is greater than the sum of its parts and will enable even more exciting experiences to delight consumers, service providers, content providers and game developers alike,” said Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices Division. ”By integrating these industry-leading solutions, we are delivering on our promise to drive innovation and enable new connected entertainment experiences for consumers in a way that only Microsoft can.”

Some of the world’s largest telecommunications service providers have chosen Microsoft TV’s IPTV Edition as their IPTV software solution, with scale commercial deployments currently under way with AT&T in the United States, BT Group PLC in the United Kingdom, Deutsche Telekom in Germany, T-Online in France and Swisscom in Switzerland.