With Web video becoming an increasingly popular medium, it was only a matter of time before it came to an instant messaging service, with Microsoft taking the lead.
Messenger TV is a service available to all users of Windows Live Messenger, and allows them to share videos on MSN Video with all of their IM contacts.
New Deals
To coincide with the release of Messenger TV, Microsoft has done deals with EMI and Channel 4 to provide content via MSN Video.
According to VNUnet, Peter Bale, executive producer at MSN UK said:
“Up to now online video has been something that people have tended to watch alone, but Messenger TV changes all that,”
“With this innovation we are creating a truly social experience, integrating the connected online community with the more traditional shared experience of viewing TV, allowing our users to share videos with friends.”
Web Video Everywhere
Windows Live Messenger users don’t have to do anything to enable the service, as it will automatically show up as an option under the activities window in a chat session.
While this service doesn’t really add anything new to the business of Web video, what it does do is further prove how Internet based video is encroaching on every part of our online experiences.
