ActiveWin.com - The Most Activated Windows Resource

Microsoft IPTV: At Long Last, Progress

Time: 00:15 EST/05:15 GMT | News Source: Business Week Online | Posted By: Kenneth van Surksum

For nearly a decade, Microsoft has tried to shake up the market for Internet TV, attempting to build a family of products that would give phone companies a big push forward in their battle with cable and satellite TV providers. But as is the case in other non-PC markets, such as smartphones and music players, Microsoft's progress in TV has been painfully slow.

Despite massive investments and headline-grabbing contracts with many of the world's largest phone companies, only about 500,000 homes now get TV from phone companies using Microsoft software and technology. In a market where dozens of small companies have developed an expertise in key niches, from video servers to set-top boxes, Microsoft has tried to cover all the bases of delivering TV programming via Internet technology—an approach that for many carriers has proved harder and more expensive than expected to carry out on a large scale.