Microsoft PlayReady for Shared Content Comes to AT&T

Microsoft has added AT&T to the companies leveraging its PlayReady technology designed to streamline the delivery of digital entertainment content. According to the Redmond company, AT&T will use PlayReady in order to facilitate content access and protection for the next-generation entertainment services it is cooking across TV, PC and mobile devices.

“We’re committed to offering compelling entertainment experiences across a wide variety of platforms and devices,” revealed Brian Shay, senior vice president of Converged Services, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “PlayReady will help us give customers broader access to compelling content.”

Microsoft indicated that with PlayReady coming to AT&T mobile and in-home offerings, the technology would also be supported with its Mediaroom IPTV platform. In this regard, in addition to AT&T’s broadband and wireless services, PlayReady-based content would also be served via the company's U-verse TV set-top boxes. “AT&T’s vision of converged entertainment services is something we share, and our collaboration on the use of PlayReady technology for content access and protection represents a significant milestone toward the future of integrated entertainment across multiple screens,” added Enrique Rodriguez, corporate vice president of the TV, Video and Music Business Group at Microsoft.

Microsoft first introduced PlayReady back in February 2007 at the 3GSM World Congress. The technology is focused on streamlining the process associated with building digital entertainment services capable of spanning across device and software applications. Since the get go, the technology was tailored specifically to mobile operators with companies such as Nokia also adopting PlayReady. Microsoft applauded the technology for its ability to adapt to a variety of business models as well as digital content formats. “Through the power of software such as PlayReady and Mediaroom, AT&T will bring its customers an exciting new range of services and content,” Rodriguez said.