Microsoft Interactive TV Pilot says snags over
Yahoo | at | by Mike
The Portuguese cable TV company that launched the first interactive TV service using Microsoft Corp. software last year said on Tuesday it has overcome technical hitches which have prevented hoped-for mass marketing. Launched with a fanfare in June 2001, interactive TV is part of a move to make Microsoft less dependent on cyclical personal computer sales by expanding into software for other devices. To underline the point, Microsoft's Chief Executive Steve Balmer flew over to Lisbon for the commercial start-up of interactive TV software on TV Cabo. Initial forecasts were that 100,000 clients would sign up for interactive TV by the end of 2001, yet by November barely 2,500 had done so and TV Cabo officials declined to say exactly how many clients they have currently.