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Microsoft Launches L.A. Studio for Original Xbox Video Content

Microsoft has announced plans to create original programming specifically for the Xbox gaming console.

February 12, 2013
Xbox

Now that digital platforms like YouTube, Netflix, and Amazon have solidified their relationships with audiences, a new race has started to become producers of high quality, original video content native to these new channels. So it should come as no surprise that Microsoft has now decided to join the original video content race with a new L.A.-based studio called Xbox Entertainment Studios.

The 125-person production studio will be led by former CBS television president Nancy Tellem, who joined Microsoft late last year to serve as the company's president of entertainment and digital media. During an interview at the AllThingsD media conference this week, Tellum described a slate of original, interactive programming that will be on the same level as cable and network television in terms of production quality. That includes scripted productions as well as reality shows and live events.

But rather than simply offering a new menu of original content, the studio's mission is to pioneer a new brand of interactive content that facilitates everything from remote group experiences with friends and family, as-you-watch e-commerce (i.e. buy what you see onscreen), in-show character and plot information, social media sharing, and other, as yet unexplored interactive options.

"When I worked in traditional TV, we would find ourselves saying things like 'Wouldn't it be cool if we could add an interactive aspect directly into the show and engage directly with the viewers?' With Xbox, that is possible today," Tellum said.

Also on hand was Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft's vice president of interactive entertainment business. Mehdi revealed that the company has sold 76 million Xbox 360 consoles worldwide and 24 million Kinect sensors since the product's original launch. Mehdi also claimed that Xbox users are now spending more time consuming other forms of entertainment on the Xbox than on gaming.

"Yes, we started with video games, but we have been on a journey to make Xbox the center of every household's entertainment," Mehdi said. "We believe that Xbox is being used by more people in the household, during more hours in the day and for more forms of entertainment."

The two executives would not reveal how or if the new content offerings would affect the current Xbox Live monthly pricing structure, and no firm release dates or show titles were announced.

Yesterday, meanwhile, there were reports that the next-gen Xbox will ship with a vastly improved Kinect motion sensor that "will always be watching you," according to Kotaku. In fact, the so-called Xbox 720 won't work unless the next-gen Kinect is plugged in, the blog said.

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