Microsoft Corporation (MSFT): Xbox an Avenue for Low-Budget Indie Films?

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has been at the forefront of the battle for the living room and the entertainment center in U.S. households for years, keyed by the development of its Xbox game console. But now with the dramatic evolution of streaming video over recent years, and the major players in that segment becoming Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) and Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) with its Prime Instant Video service. And with both of those companies introducing their own original series or first-run content to go along with existing content, Microsoft could lose some of its living-room influence.

The living room has been the focal point of many tech companies, as they continue to build out concepts that customers want and need to be entertained at home. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) was at the forefront of console gaming the last few years, but now it has needed to expand – and it it working to develop better and more streaming video options through its Xbox console. and with Xbox, Netflix and Amazon rime all battling for content opportunities – and exclusive ones at that, in the right situations – could this present an opportunity for some low-budget independent movies to find their wy into distribution through a streaming service? One British movie in particular seems to be hoping for that.

With the cost of DVD distribution sometimes too high even for some of the more low-budget filmmakers, the video-streaming option seems to be a viable one for some indies. It wasn’t long ago that many movies were made straight-to-video or straight-to-DVD because it was a cheaper alternative to being on a big screen – and lower risk for returns if the film lacks star power where it may not fill theater seats. Now that concept is evolving to straight-to-stream as an even cheaper method of distribution.

So what movie is the latest to go this new 21st-century distribution route?

The independent British low-budget comedy film “Pulp” is slated to go straight-to-streaming through the Xbox Live service, as Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) secured the exclusive rights to the movie starting this week. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) Xbox Live subscribers can access the standard-definition film for $15 and the high-definition version for $18.

What do you think about this step by Microsoft Corporation 9NASDAQ:MSFT)? Do you think Redmond can succeed in the straight-to-stream distribution model for its Xbox console? Can it get into the market and compete favorably with Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) and Amazon.com inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)? We’d like your thoughts in the comments section below.

DISCLOSURE: I own no positions in any stock mentioned.

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