Microsoft is looking to spice up its Xbox Live online entertainment service with original video programming. According to reports in The New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, and elsewhere, Microsoft has inked a deal with Hollywood’s Safran Co. to form a new company, Safran Digital, to produce short form, original scripted programming that will appear on the Xbox Live service. Microsoft sees this deal as “the first of many,” with the first shows to debut this summer.
The first spate of shows will be scripted, short form pieces that will probably run under 10 minutes apiece. The initial programming wil cater to Xbox Live’s predominantly young, male demographic, with offerings likely to focus on comedy, horror, and extreme sports. Safran COO Jake Zim has apparently described the on-screen talent as “significant” but declined to reveal any casting deals. Initially, the shows will be exclusively available on the Xbox 360 network, but may eventually appear in other venues. Neither company has disclosed the financial terms of the deal.
Safran Co. was founded by Peter Safran and Jake Zim after leaving Brillstein-Grey Management. Peter Safran recently produced Meet the Spartans for Fox and New Line Cinema’s Over Her Dead Body; Zim helped launch online video site Hulu and has worked in digital promotion of horror films.
Instagram is making its way to yet another screen, and this time, Apple TV is getting a taste of the Reels rabbit hole. The company has launched a dedicated Instagram app for Apple TV, bringing Reels, longer videos, and live shows to the big screen. So, if watching one quick clip on a phone somehow turns into an hour of scrolling, there's now a much larger screen for that.
Instagram brings Reels and more to Apple TV
Audio-Technica, a brand well known for making some of the best studio and professional headphones on the market, has just come out with the ATH-AWX7000, which the company itself claims to be its "finest headphones ever." The new flagship closed-back headphone has debuted at an eye-watering price of $3,799. It combines hand-finished Japanese woodwork with a newly developed 58mm driver.
The earcups are made from Kiso cypress, a prized wood historically used for Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Each housing is finished by hand with traditional Echizen lacquer, which brings out the grain and is expected to darken over time. The frame and sliders are finished in a deep navy kachi-iro shade traditionally associated with samurai.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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