AllThingsD » Nancy Tellem

Microsoft Will Unveil New Xbox May 21

Eric Johnson — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 19:08:03 +0000

Microsoft will show off its next-generation Xbox videogame console at its Redmond, Wash., campus on May 21, according to invitations sent to reporters today. The Verge previously reported that the new Xbox, code-named Durango, will interact with owners’ cable boxes. Microsoft’s Nancy Tellem and Yusuf Mehdi shared numbers about its current living room fixture, the seven-year-old Xbox 360, at D: Dive Into Media in February.

Okay, Microsoft -- What's Your Next Game Machine Going to Look Like?

Peter Kafka — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 15:50:45 +0000

Sony showed off its next-generation gaming machine last night — except it didn’t.

So what does Microsoft plan to do when it replaces its own gaming console? We asked Xbox head Yusuf Mehdi when he stopped by the D: Dive Into Media conference last week, along with Nancy Tellem, the former CBS executive hired to build up Xbox’s video business.

You can see what they had to say below, in the full-length version of their interview. Warning: Neither Mehdi or Tellem wanted to spill much (then again, they didn’t promise a “launch” event, so you can’t blame them).

But you can read between the lines and get a sense of where they’re headed: While lots of people are interested in lightweight casual games and low-cost machines that can play them, Microsoft seems committed to the idea of a heavy-duty machine with lots of proprietary bells and whistles. So you shouldn’t expect an Apple TV-sized box, for instance.

Tellem, who is building a full-fledged studio in L.A. to create shows, series and events for Xbox, is noncommittal as well (likely because she is still figuring it out). But she is talking about the same kinds of ideas: Video that isn’t just proprietary to Xbox, but that takes advantage of the device’s hardware and processing power. Assume that once she gets going, for instance, she’ll create stuff that takes advantage of Microsoft’s Kinect motion sensors.

One big difference between Sony and Microsoft is the way the two companies are positioning their machines: While Sony’s customers spend plenty of time streaming video on the PS3 (they log more Netflix hours than Xbox users), Microsoft is much more explicit about using the Xbox as an entertainment device, period.

Which is why it’s interesting that Microsoft has decided, at least for now, not to go ahead and simply become a pay-TV provider, like Intel says it will do this year.

[ See post to watch video ]

Day One at D: Dive Into Media 2013, in Pictures and Tweets

Eric Johnson — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 11:30:34 +0000

Greetings from Dana Point, Calif., where D: Dive Into Media 2013 is in full swing. We’ve been tweeting, Facebooking, Instagramming and Vining, and so have our wonderful attendees. Here’s what we (and they) saw at Day One of #DMedia:

View the story "Day One at #DMedia, in Pictures and Tweets" on StorifyDay One at #DMedia, in Pictures and TweetsStorified by Eric Scott Johnson· Mon, Feb 11 2013 20:10:08@pkafka’s #dmedia in 5… 4 … http://pic.twitter.com/oNYnD1vlJohn PaczkowskiRoom with a view. #DMediaBrooke HammerlingBehind the scenes, Team ATD gets ready for #dmedia @ The Ritz-Carlton, Dana Point http://instagr.am/p/VmtTJ9ENaD/Eric Scott JohnsonHappening now at #dmedia: check-ins, the welcome reception, and (most importantly) schwag bag pick-up. http://vine.co/v/bvpKibU2hDEAll Things DHighlight of my day: peeping @pkafka getting his makeup did #dmediaJason Del Rey"They plucked my eyebrows" – a grimacing @pkafka prior to taking stage #dmediaJason Del ReyBackstage at #dmedia and @waltmossberg and @karaswisher are very nervous!pkafkaXbox by the Numbers: 76M Devices, and They’re Not All Used by DudesThough it may be seven years old, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 still sells millions per year. The Xbox install base is now 76 million, up from 70…Microsoft’s Nancy Tellem and Yusuf Mehdi talk the future of Xbox and original content at #dmedia.All Things DMicrosoft Fancies Itself a Content Producer, AgainMicrosoft is once again looking at being a content creator. It’s a path that the company has trotted down in the past several times, usua…#dmedia @pkafka not letting Microsoft off the hook on these questionsbernyauMicrosoft Talks Up Xbox 360 While Staying Mum on its SuccessorMicrosoft is no doubt cooking up the next Xbox in Redmond, but the company isn’t yet ready to share details. "All I’ll say about our curr…Brian Haberlin from Anomaly Productions demos his augmented-reality graphic novel at #dmedia.All Things DAnomaly Productions Brings Interactive Twist to Graphic NovelsA well-written book can make the characters come to life in the mind of a reader. But one media company is also using technology to help …Anomaly showing a book that interacts with an app #dmedia http://vine.co/v/bvDAEiOudKdDanny SullivanThe book is dead, long live the book (with the companion ipad app that turns it into a virtual universe!) #dmediaAmit PaunikarSetting Up Shop in the Valley and NYC, Samsung Aims to Boost Its Software SideOver the past year, Samsung’s quiet Silicon Valley presence has grown from a whisper to a shout as the consumer electronics behemoth turn…Samsung’s David Eun talks with @karaswisher about the company’s push into startup entrepreneurship. #dmediaAll Things D.@samsung products are connected to the Internet but not connected to each other. Strong brand may have a brand problem. #dmediaScott KaneDavid Eun On Samsung’s Silicon Valley InvasionDavid Eun once led Google and YouTube’s partnerships with media companies, turning their sometimes adversarial relationships into licensi…Samsung’s Eun: "I think the outside is more obsessed with our relationship with Apple than we actually are." http://dthin.gs/XsSs7XJohn PaczkowskiOh yes, he did: Samsung’s EVP David Eun just used the word "frenemy"to describe Google. #dmediaKatie Boehret@kabster728 That term has officially jumped the shark.Michael D. RubinBehind the scenes, our #dmedia team is working hard, liveblogging. @lizgannes @inafried @JohnPaczkowski @HeyHeyESJ http://pic.twitter.com/O91JzKGwKatie BoehretNot bad at all: Check out the view from our #dmedia press room. http://pic.twitter.com/vH9lzuZOKatie BoehretDish’s Charlie Ergen Says He Doesn’t Want to Kill Ads, For RealThe new version of Dish’s Hopper lets customers watch any show they’ve paid to see, on any device they want, when and where they want to …Dish’s Ergen: "I don’t want to kill ads. I think advertising is great. I also don’t wnat to put my head in the sand. The world is changing:Ina FriedCharlie ergen is not against advertising, just for more targeted advertising #DmediaMichael GlantzDish Network co-founder (and former CEO) Charlie Ergen talks the Hopper, pay TV and time-shifting at #dmedia.All Things DWhat’s the best way to avoid conversation? Sit at a table with 5 guys blogging: #dmedia http://pic.twitter.com/uigmVAKCDiegoDish Chairman: "I Think People Are Cutting the Cord"Dish Chairman Charlie Ergen rejected the mainstream position of TV companies that a significant number of people are skipping cable or sa…"People will steal it if you don’t make it easy to buy it" says Charlie Ergen at #dmedia $DISHJulia BoorstinCharlie Ergen – "I think people are cutting the cord!" – #dmedia He is really talking about "cord-nevers" – NOT "cord-cutters!".Bernard GershonDish’s Charlie Ergen: When the kids want to watch a football game they come to my house. When I go to theirs, all I get is Netflix. #dmediaAlex PhamCharlie Ergen on Dish’s Company Culture: It’s Not That We’re Mean, It’s That We’re Like an Indiana Jones MovieDish chairman and co-founder Charlie Ergen is well-known for being combative both inside and outside the office. Ergen specifically addre…Ergun is like that uncle you love whom you suspect may have once served time. Hard time. #dmediaAmy Dickinsonergen’s gonna be a tough act to follow. yow. #dmediaJohn Paczkowski

But he will be followed, and in force — Tuesday’s guests include Hearst Magazines’ David Carey, Intel’s Erik Huggers, Google’s Nikesh Arora, Will Arnett, and Interscope Geffen’s Jimmy Iovine. So stay tuned!

Microsoft Talks Up Xbox 360 While Staying Mum on Its Successor

Ina Fried — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 00:35:49 +0000

Microsoft is no doubt cooking up the next Xbox in Redmond, but the company isn’t yet ready to share details.

“All I’ll say about our current and future investment is [that it is] about doing things that are big and premium,” said Yusuf Mehdi, head of Microsoft’s interactive entertainment business, speaking at D: Dive Into Media. “Other people will try some lower-end things; what we will do is things that are big and beautiful.”

The goal, Mehdi said, is to have premium content, voice control, and to be able to do things you have never done before.

On the premium content front, Microsoft is once again dabbling in producing original material. Former CBS executive Nancy Tellem talked about the 125-person production studio Microsoft has opened in Santa Monica with a goal of having its first fruits land in the living room later this year.

On the distribution front, Mehdi said that the company isn’t looking to compete with cable TV and satellite, but instead intends to be a good partner with those companies. (Microsoft does have a separate TV software business that powers services such as AT&T’s U-verse.)

Mehdi also rattled off a series of new statistics on how well the current console — which has been on the market since 2006 — continues to do.

As for any details on the rumored Xbox 720, Mehdi refused to budge. “I’ll politely decline any comment.”

[ See post to watch video ]

Microsoft Fancies Itself a Content Producer Again

Ina Fried — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 00:23:06 +0000

Microsoft is once again looking at being a content creator.

It’s a path the company has trotted down several times in the past — in its MSN business, for instance — usually to eventually retreat.

Microsoft now has a 125-person studio in Santa Monica devoted to making content for the Xbox.

“We’re certainly looking at a very robust production schedule,” Microsoft entertainment and digital media president Nancy Tellem said in an interview at D: Dive Into Media. Tellem declined to outline a budget for the effort she is overseeing at Microsoft, but said the company is looking at a range of scripted interactive content.

Pressed by interviewer Peter Kafka on why Microsoft needs to make content versus just partnering with studios, Tellem — formerly president of the CBS Network Television Entertainment Group — said that Microsoft has a unique opportunity to make content that is interactive rather than linear.

“Particularly when you are looking at the younger demographic,” Tellem said, “interactivity is a natural extension of what they do.”

The content could be 10 minutes or an hour and a half, Tellem said.

Microsoft-created content is likely to be part of the company’s existing paid Xbox Live subscription service.

So, when are we going to see this content?, Kafka asked.

“It’s a good question,” Tellem said.

This year?

“I’m hoping,” she said.

Game On! Xbox Bosses Mehdi, Tellem Come to Dive Into Media.

Peter Kafka — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 13:41:39 +0000

You can spend lots of time speculating about what happens when the TV and the Web finally converge. But if you want to speed things up, just ask Microsoft, which is already watching it happen.

Redmond is facing all sorts of challenges, but its Xbox is a clear success, not only as a gaming console, but as an Internet-connected entertainment device, which gives users access to video services like Netflx and HBO Go, and, increasingly, cable programming from the likes of ESPN. Microsoft says Xbox users now spend more time consuming media than playing games.

Which is why we’re very excited to bring two key Xbox executives onstage next month at D: Dive into Media: Yusuf Mehdi, senior vice president of Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business, and Nancy Tellem, the former CBS executive who is building a new production studio for the device.

Mehdi is the man running marketing, strategy and corporate development for Xbox, and he’s the guy who links the console up with all the studios, networks and publishers who are creating content for the device. Prior to this job, he oversaw Microsoft’s media presence on the Web.

Tellem, a veteran TV executive, is the former CBS president now tasked with creating new programming for the device. She’s building out a Hollywood presence for Steve Ballmer, and her hire last fall was Microsoft’s most aggressive move into the content business so far.

They’re joining a stellar lineup of speakers Feb. 11 and 12 at the Ritz-Carlton in Laguna Niguel, Calif. Here’s who we’ve told you about so far: Sony Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton, Hearst Magazines president David Carey, Google chief business officer Nikesh Arora, Facebook partnership vice president Dan Rose, HBO co-president Eric Kessler, Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino, CollegeHumor co-founder Ricky Van Veen, Vice Media co-founder Shane Smith, Intel media head Erik Huggers and Samsung media head David Eun, Netflix content chief Ted Sarandos (and guest), New Republic owner Chris Hughes, USA Today publisher Larry Kramer, and Dish Network founder Charlie Ergen.

And, yes, we’ll have yet more names to announce in the coming weeks. But if you want to see these folks in person, register now, and we’ll see you soon.