Microsoft Messenger TV Touts Social Video

Microsoft's Messenger TV will enable users to watch the same video and chat about it in real time...but it's not available in the United States.

Microsoft has launched a new social video service dubbed Messenger TV that enables users to simultaneously watch and chat about video content via Windows Live Messenger. The idea is to turn watching online videos into a social experience by enabling friends to chat about the content in real time. However, while Microsoft is launching the service in 20 countries—including the UK, France, Australia, Singapore, Brazil, Canada, and Mexico—it’s not available in the United States.

Initially, the service will offer video clips from MTV and Sony BMG; initial advertising partners for the service include Pepsi and 20th Century Fox. Other content may vary by market; for instance, deals with EMI and the UK’s Channel 4 will make music videos and selected television programming clips available via the service. The clips will include pre-roll advertisements and banner ads that run at the bottom of the video. The service operates as a flash-based video player within the Windows Live Messenger application, and lets users select videos by genre.

Microsoft sees Messenger TV as a way to turn its online video offerings into a more social experience that will appear to younger Internet users. And, of course, if the service proves popular, it’s also a way for the Redmond giant to boost its online advertising revenue. Although Microsoft has thrown considerable effort into upgrading its MSN Video offerings, the services are still far, far under the radar when compared to the 800-pound gorilla of the online video marketplace, YouTube.