Microsoft’s Soho Productions hires Channel 5 exec to bolster original content for Xbox

Former Channel 5 executive Kate Barnes has been snapped up by Microsoft and joined the company’s production wing, Soho Productions.

According to Broadcast this is part of a move where Microsoft is bolstering its team to move into original TV programming for consumption via the Xbox and Kinect.

This appears to be the latest in a line of TV industry hires for Microsoft. At the recent ‘D: Dive into Media’ conference, the hopes to roll out new and original video content via the Xbox Entertainment Studios in the US were outlined by former CBS executive Nancy Tellem and Yusuf Mehdi.

The Verge reported that Microsoft’s take on original content will not just be video, but interactive material that will make use of Xbox technology in the living room.

News of Soho Productions interactive entertainment studios setting up in London arrived last summer. The studios sit in the heart of the capital’s movie and media hub. The company has already created interactive Xbox programming for National Geographic TV and Sesame Street TV.

The days of the traditional TV viewer appear to be numbered. Along with moves to create more interactive content for gaming consoles, companies like Rightster are also cherry picking from mainstream media outfits like ITV to furnish their management teams.

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