The Microsoft/NBC deal for online Olympic coverage is not getting publicity as favourable as planned. The International Herald Tribune has criticised the way viewers are forced to install the Silverlight software to use the service.

The newspaper, which is the international edition of the New York Times, has highlighted the likely anti-trust questions which could follow if Microsoft seems to be exercising an unfair advantage over Adobe.

Silverlight is a system used to display interactive multimedia content through a web browser. That makes it a natural rival to Adobe’s Flash system. The two companies have already done battle over using their respective technologies on internet-enabled phones and other devices. And Flash is being used for official online video Olympics coverage in several other countries.

While Microsoft’s Olympics tie-in sounds restrictive, the reality of international websites and YouTube means NBC’s stranglehold has already proven ineffective. Instead the real concern over Silverlight comes from the way Microsoft refuses to allow outside firms to produce software for developing Silverlight content. The firm also insists that any digital rights management imposed on such content is run through Microsoft servers.

That’s a sharp contrast to Adobe, which recently announced plans to make Flash much closer to open-source software.

The Olympics controversy simply highlights existing concerns. Last year seven states went to court to seek an extension to existing anti-trust restrictions on Microsoft’s behaviour. They argued that Microsoft shouldn’t be allowed to give any advantages to Silverlight in the next edition of Windows.

While the NBC deal makes for a topical tie-in, the Silverlight-Flash ‘war’ is more about content producers than internet users. After all, Flash is already so widespread that any growth in the number of machines with Silverlight installed is unlikely to hurt Adobe. And whether Microsoft promotes Silverlight take-up by fair means or foul, it’s unlikely to be a serious threat to Flash until independent developers can produce Silverlight content.

Related:

Silverlight gets sleeker, more co-operative

Microsoft a winner in March Madness

Windows Vista on Lenovo PCs to support 2008 Olympics

Is Silverlight Microsoft’s gateway to web-based Office?

Microsoft takes on Google Street View with GeoSynth

Entry was posted on Monday, August 11th, 2008 at 9:36 am under Microsoft, Silverlight.  Print This Post

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