Remember when I hinted network TV might be a dying entity? Well, add another shot of cyanide into this brand. Xbox sure is.
According to TV producer and executive Nancy Tellem, Xbox will have their own TV shows sometime in the first half of 2014. These shows will revolve around the popular video game Halo. These shows will be available to all 48 million Xbox subscribers, whether they have Xbox 360 or Xbox One. In the meantime, meetings continue between Tellem, Hollywood execs and Microsoft about how to reach the video game audience with this show. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Tellum agree more people are embracing what’s called the ‘TV Everywhere’ model. This is a good way for Xbox to jump on board.
Indeed more people are. Trends in Netflix and You Tube are proving that. But Xbox needs to be careful not to duplicate Netflix, You Tube, or any other non-traditional TV aspects. I don’t think they will. But will a show about Halo be successful? It is one of the most popular video game franchises of our times. But I’m old enough to remember when they made a Saturday morning cartoon of Sonic the Hedgehog, off the success of Sega Genesis. It did only moderately well. I also remember this cartoon called Captain N The Game Master, which tried to eat off of Nintendo’s late 1980s success. The cartoon flopped. So Xbox needs to be careful and creative in making this Halo show a good one. Don’t just depend on their game success and think you’re going to have an instant hit. Will Xbox TV shows work?