Microsoft is all About Premium Content on the Xbox Live

Felicia Day spoke earlier this week and played the role of emcee at the Microsoft Advertising Digital Showcase, one of the first events to kick off the first annual Digital Content NewFronts in New York City. To the disappointment of online video enthusiasts everywhere, Day (whose multi-Streamy Award-winning and internet-beloved web series The Guild is distributed by Microsoft by way of MSN.com and Xbox Live) didn’t announce any new seasons of her hit online original series, nor any other upcoming digitial programming. That’s because the Microsoft Advertising Digital Showcase was more about the platforms and premium partners and less about original content.

Xbox Live, with its reach of nearly 40 million active members worldwide (including the Gold-level members, who spend an average of 84 hours a month on the platform) and the recent announcement of its accompanying Xbox 360 experience, was the star of the event. Microsoft executives touted its “TV experience with the accountability and interactive of the web,” and announced the following content partnerships with big name, established, new and traditional media partners for the property’s Run of TV apps:

• AlloCine. Get all your movie news directly on your Xbox 360 with AlloCine. Check out the latest trailers, read the latest reviews, share hot trivia with your friends and find a movie close to home.

• Crackle. Crackle is home to on-demand Hollywood movies and TV series. Watch thousands of full-length movies and TV episodes included with your Xbox LIVE Gold membership at no additional cost.

• ESPN. Thousands of live sporting events, highlights and replays in HD.

• GameSpot TV. (Coming Soon!) A free, ad-supported video streaming application that brings popular GameSpot video content to Xbox LIVE. Content includes weekly shows, game reviews, live shows, eSports coverage, daily shows, event coverage and official game trailers.

• Halo Waypoint. Halo Waypoint is the central hub for all things Halo. Check your stats, interact with friends and explore the Halo universe in a feature-filled destination for your favorite game world.

• Last.fm. Discover music with Last.fm on Xbox LIVE. Listen to radio based on your favorite music and tune Last.fm to your musical taste each time you love, skip or ban a track. You can even control your experience with voice commands and gestures via Kinect for Xbox360. With more than 13 million tracks, you’re guaranteed to discover music you’ll love.

• Manga Entertainment. (Coming Soon!) Manga Entertainment on Xbox LIVE enables fans to watch full-length episodes, movies and clips of their favorite anime from the Manga Entertainment catalog included with their Xbox LIVE Gold membership at no additional cost.

• MSN and MSNBC.com. Bringing you the best news, sports and entertainment video from across the Web, 24/7, 365 days a year.

• MUZU.TV. Love music, love video. Eighty-thousand music videos at your command. Brand new releases from the world’s biggest artists, Top 40, great music videos from every decade, up-and-coming bands, and the latest music news and interviews.

• TMZ. Get an all-access pass to the latest entertainment stories and videos everyone is talking about, from fully produced stories to the raw and uncut videos of your favorite celebrities with TMZ.

• TODAY. NBC News’ TODAY, America’s No. 1 morning news program, provides the latest news, entertainment and lifestyle stories.

• UFC. Get access to live pre-event videos, a catalog of videos on demand, an Interactive Fight Card and pay-per-view events in stunning HD — all together in one place.

Not a bad programming slate to watch when you’re not playing Modern Warfare 3.

Check out the Tubefilter Calendar for a complete schedule of the Digital Content NewFronts, and be sure to consult Tubefilter’s Complete Guide to DCNF 2012 for all the latest news.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

• Disney Interactive Media Group NewFront
• Digitas NewFronts