Microsoft Anticipates Improved Multi-screen Functionality with Mediaroom Upgrade

| Jan 8, 2010 | Digital Media Infrastructure

| Analyst: Yoav Schreiber

Current Perspective: Slightly Positive
Vendor Importance: High
Market Impact: Very High

Event Summary

January 6, 2010 -- Microsoft announced the 2.0 release of its Mediaroom IPTV platform, which will enable service operators to reach more subscribers and deliver more content to more screens. The cloud-based architecture of Mediaroom 2.0 will power services such as DVR, on demand, interactivity, and Internet TV, which can be accessed on TVs, PCs and Macs, Xbox 360 consoles, and eventually smartphones. The platform is scheduled to be available for operators to start testing in February.

Analytical Summary

• Current Perspective: Slightly positive on Microsoft’s CES announcement of the forthcoming 2.0 release of its Mediaroom IPTV platform, as it furthers Microsoft’s positioning at the industry forefront in terms of enabling service operators to deliver compelling consumer multimedia experiences. In particular, Mediaroom 2.0 will deliver enhancements that support functionality for delivering content across any broadband IP network, fulfilling the multi-screen promise of IP-delivered video services, such as IPTV. However, with the new platform release only scheduled for testing in February 2010, evaluating the anticipated momentum and adoption for Mediaroom 2.0 is premature at this point, and there is a window of opportunity for rivals to position and develop their own equal or superior offerings.

• Vendor Importance: High to Microsoft, because the announcement demonstrates how the company can continue to leverage its multiple portfolio assets to uniquely enable service providers to deliver differentiated consumer multimedia experiences. For instance, Mediaroom 2.0 takes advantage of Microsoft clients such as Windows Media Center and Xbox 360 for extending IPTV service delivery to additional screens (bolstered by AT&T’s announcement that it will support U-verse on Xbox 360). Mediaroom 2.0 also integrates Microsoft IIS Smooth Streaming, Silverlight, and PlayReady technology to support on-demand content delivery over broadband IP networks.

• Market Impact: Very high on the digital media infrastructure (DMI) market, including the IPTV middleware segment, because Microsoft’s leading IPTV platform vendor market position and incumbency, along with a significant roster of top-tier service providers, virtually ensures that customers will pay attention to the announcement, sign-up for trials, and dedicate resources to enhance their Mediaroom deployments with this new release. The timing of Mediaroom 2.0’s availability for testing offers rivals (especially Cisco, Ericsson, and Nokia Siemens Networks, but also Alcatel-Lucent, Huawei, Minerva, Thomson, ZTE, and others) a window of opportunity to articulate their competitive propositions that leverage their own middleware platforms, multi-format processing, and multi-screen delivery capabilities.

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