FollowMSN has announced that it will be shutting down its Web TV service, MSN TV on 30th September. The service had began during the 1990s and at that time it was a very innovative service that allowed people to access web through their television sets.
WebTV was founded by Steve Perlman in the year 1996 and it was taken over by Microsoft in 1997 for $425 million. By using a wireless keyboard, users were able to access their emails and browse on the web on their television sets. In 2001, the service was renamed by Microsoft as MSN TV. It was advertised as an MSN service just like other services like MSN Hotmail and MSN Messenger. Users were also able to access radio and view photos through it.
At its beginning, MSN TV was quite popular but soon competition from other brands like AOL TV and in the recently by Apple TV and Google TV has completely put the MSN TV out of track. Later on, Microsoft had released MSN TV 2 which came out with new features. Since then, internet has evolved at a fast pace and now there are many ways to get access to the web.
On Microsoft’s website, the announcement on discontinuation of MSN TV service can be seen for MSN TV subscribers and it also offers instructions on how to move content SkyDrive. As time went by, the number of subscribers started dwindling and the team that was working for WebTV was split. The best of the engineers were asked to join the Xbox unit. Even Steve Perlan left the company and started working for Rearden, a cloud gaming firm till 2012.
Since the Xbox has become so versatile, there is no requirement for a service like MSN TV. The Xbox has now become a complete family entertainer. It is not just a gaming device but it can be hooked up with your television to browse the web. The Xbox One is expected to hit the stands by November for $500. The Xbox One allows you to access streaming music.
Microsoft has already sent an email about the discontinuation of MSN TV service. The email states the date on which the service will be discontinued. All the users of MSN TV are required to upgrade to Outlook.com. Scrapbook photos and favorites are required to be transferred to SkyDrive.
Page Builders are also required to be archived. Microsoft has created MSN TV Closure FAQ page which provides all the details on how to safely transfer any data from your MSN TV service to SkyDrive. Here is the link to the page: http://www.msntv.com/msntv/ClosureFAQ.asp . The dedicated customer support number is 800-469-3288 which can be reached between 6am and 8pm PST.
