Hollywood producer Peter Safran is expected to produce original content for Microsoft's Xbox Live video service, according to this New York Times story today. With such film credits as "Jiminy Glick in LaLaWood" and "Scary Movie," Safran might seem a perfect match for the Xbox 360, with its core demographic of teenage boys and young men. The Times says Safran will focus first on shows of less than 10 minutes, in genres "that appeal to the Xbox 360 audience," such as comedy and horror.
But it's worth remembering that one of Microsoft's big goals with the Xbox 360 was to broaden the audience beyond that core demographic, with more content to appeal to women, children and families. In that context, the choice of Safran as a marquee Xbox Live video partner would seem somewhat inconsistent with the company's broader efforts.
Then there's the issue of quality. No one would suggest that Xbox 360 owners are film snobs, as a general rule, but Safran's latest, "Meet the Spartans," earned this review from Slate's Josh Levin: "This was the worst movie I've ever seen, so bad that I hesitate to label it a 'movie' and thus reflect shame upon the entire medium of film."
The company does suggest, in the Times story, that it expects to make additional deals with others for original video content. On a separate front, Microsoft last year announced plans to work with Peter Jackson, of "Lord of the Rings" fame, on video-game related projects.
Responding to my inquiry today, a Microsoft representative said there were no further details available yet about the type or price of shows that Safran will produce. For whatever it's worth, the company's official statement doesn't exactly trumpet the arrangement: "Microsoft is in talks with Safran Digital Group to distribute original entertainment content via Xbox LIVE on Xbox 360," it said.
In the meantime, there are more bad reviews to be had. Reacting to today's news, for example, tech blog Gizmodo summed up its thoughts with this headline: "Microsoft Gets Worst-Movies-Ever Producer to Create Exclusive Xbox Live Shows.""
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