Xbox Live to focus on family, says Microsoft

Xbox Live is becoming Microsoft’s secret weapon in its battle with Sony to secure lucrative family audiences, the platform holder has told MCV.

Paramount Pictures recently signed up to provide movie content to Live’s download-to-rent Video Store on Monday – an extension of a successful collaboration between the two firms in the US over the past 15 months.

New and library movies such as Transformers, 1409 and Orange County can now be ‘borrowed’ by 360 owners, joining the expanding library of films already provided by Warner Bros.

And Xbox Live marketing manager for the UK Robin Burrowes believes that Video Store – and additional yet-to-be-announced innovations – will draw the mainstream audience to 360 this year.

The next phase of Xbox Live is all about continuing to extend content opportunities through the right partners and driving the right content that recognises the bulk of our audience is consuming its content in the living room,” he told MCV. In the future, we’ll see a more connected, less individual audience – particularly family groups.”

The advent of Video Store is a competitive advantage from a PR standpoint, alongside the range of games on our platform. In the last two months, since the launch of Video Store in the UK, our audience figures have grown dramatically.”

Paramount has thrown its full weight behind Microsoft’s push to reach out to the family consumer. General manager of worldwide distribution at Paramount Digital Alex Carloss added: As Xbox 360’s demographic broadens to include the casual, mainstream audience there’s no reason why our content can’t match its appeal. There might be slightly different titles that appeal to that demographic, but we can provide that. We’re very bullish about our content on Xbox 360 and Microsoft’s position in the marketplace.”