Microsoft and Internet Television
Ashley Highfield claims the television industry has three years to act before it faces an “iTunes moment” with Apple running the online video show.
Is this correct or is the Microsoft executive who also launched the BBC iPlayer merely showing his anti-Apple bias?
Ashley Highfield
Ashley Highfield is a man who knows what he’s talking about when it comes to consumer technology and online video. He formerly oversaw the launch of the BBC iPlayer service, initially only on Windows, and was the CEO of Project Kangaroo, the joint venture between the BBC, ITV, and Channel 4.
He is now the UK Managing Director of Microsoft (Consumer & Online) and looks after Windows, Bing, Messenger, Hotmail, and more besides. He also oversaw the launch of the MSN Video Player recently, which brings archive television shows to the Web.

The Xbox 360 is winning the fight for consoles to become important cogs in the online video sector. And a set of new Netflix features rolled out on the Xbox 360 have coincided with a promise that Netflix will not be coming to PS3 or Wii any time soon.
It was only announced last week but the MSN Video Player has now gone live. Is it worth watching? How does it compare to the BBC iPlayer and Hulu? Read on for a full review of Microsoft’s online video streaming service.
YouTube has seen off another contender to its throne, with Microsoft preparing to kill off Soapbox, or at least substantially shutter the user-generated portion of the site. If even Microsoft cannot hope to compete, is YouTube too dominant for the health of the online video sector?
Microsoft’s showing at E3 2009 was dominated by its new motion-sensing device. But the company also announced some innovation in the online video market, including the unveiling of a new Zune video marketplace capable of streaming 1080p full-HD quality content for the Xbox 360 console.
Bing, Microsoft’s latest attempt at changing Internet search, has already caused controversy thanks to its live video thumbnails search results. Not only is porn accessible on the site, but being able to play videos without ever visiting the source raises possible fair use concerns.