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"Though it is not the most popular feature of the Xbox 360 platform, the Xbox Live service - where shoppers can find television and feature film downloads, among other items - does get some attention from the potpourri of console owners out in the world. Microsoft think the level of interest is enough to invest in a content production relationship with \u201Cveteran Hollywood producer and talent manager\u201D Peter Safran, according to a story by Michael Cieply in The New York Times. The company hopes to see this arrangement as \u201Cthe first of many,\u201D said Scott Nocas, global marketing manager for programming for Xbox Live entertainment.\nWhat can Xbox owners see emerge this new partnership down the line? A myriad of things, really. Short films, perhaps. Comedies could be in the works. Maybe even content of the FunnyOrDie type, some of which has featured actor Will Ferrell in a number of instances. One absolute is that Microsoft will secure exclusive rights to original content, which it of course presumably hopes to garner considerable attention for. Certainly more so than its \u201Cill-fated foray more than 10 years ago in which it poured about $100 million into Internet shows,\u201D most of which were quickly canceled.\nWhether it succeeds in luring a lucrative audience to any such produced material depends on its effectiveness in driving gamers to view and purchase video downloads from its online storefront, which presently is seen by many as nothing more than a token addition to the console\u2019s software lineup. Mind you, most market competitors, like the Apple TV and Amazon\u2019s arrangement with TiVo, have not yet thoroughly popularized such entertainment options, either.\nAlso important to note is that prospective viewers should not look for any big-name celebrities to make appearances in any of Safran\u2019s original Xbox productions. Both he and Jake Zim, the COO of the Safran Digital Group, don\u2019t plan to recruit major movie stars. \u201CEstablished filmmakers,\u201D however, will be sought."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2008/03/30/xbox-peter-safran/>