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To: fut_trade who wrote (2520)	11/6/1997 7:48:00 PM
From: emichael	Respond to of 27307

With MSFT & SEEK working together the following article should be a real plus for SEEK. Microsoft wants WebTV everywhere By Maria Seminerio November 6, 1997 11:53 AM PST ZDNN Microsoft wants to operate a high-speed cable TV/Internet access service not out of an ambition to get into the Internet service providing business, but from its conviction that only though such a venture will it become the dominant provider of the operating system that allows TV-based Web surfing, analysts said. While none of the companies allegedly involved will comment on reports that Microsoft is in discussions with cable giants Time Warner Inc. and US West Inc. about creating the service, the Redmond, Wash., software maker's interest in the cable business is nothing new. In June, the company invested $1 billion in Comcast Corp., and it is rumored to be close to making a similar investment in TCI. What will all this mean for consumers? A protracted period of confusing sales pitches from the large cable providers vying for dominance in the emerging Internet delivery space, according to observers. While Microsoft's Windows CE operating system will certainly be one of the first available for cable Internet set-top boxes, analysts expect other software makers to enter the fray. "The number of options coming to consumers will be breathtaking and confusing," said Tim Sloane, an analyst with IT consultancy The Aberdeen Group. The cable operators will offer multiple-pricing packages and content options in an effort to determine the most likely ways for consumers to adapt their Internet usage habits to the new TV/PC model -- something that is far from obvious right now, he said. The variety of options will ultimately mean a TV-based Internet surfing experience that delivers more truly useful information and services to consumers, said Bruce Leichtman, a cable industry analyst at The Yankee Group. "Who cares that I can watch a TV show and then go directly to the show's Web site?" Leichtman said. "Just throwing the Internet onto the TV is not going to solve any of the consumer's problems." But giving consumers something that would be much more difficult to obtain elsewhere -- such as the ability to search databases of sports trivia in real time during games -- will be a breakthrough that will help the market mature, he said. This is the kind of service that Microsoft has proven itself adept at offering in other ventures, such as its Sidewalk online local-events listings, analysts said. Regardless of which companies end up being the major players, the potential market for Internet access via cable is huge.