Microsoft"s million-member online gaming service reaches membership milestone in less time than HBO, America Online and TiVo.
Microsoft Corp. today announced that more than 1 million people are now members of the worldwide Xbox Live online video gaming service. With peak usage time for Xbox Live between 7:30 and 9 p.m. PT, this thrill-seeking throng is showing that they prefer to play TV. As evidence of online gameplay"s mass appeal and growing importance in the digital entertainment landscape, Xbox Live reached the million-member mark three times faster than other subscriber-based entertainment services such as Home Box Office Inc., America Online Inc. and TiVo Inc. Microsoft, which introduced the first broadly adapted online gaming service in November 2002 with the launch of Xbox Live, continues to expand the appeal and adoption of broadband. New Xbox Live feature introductions like video chat, content downloads, voice messages and alerts, coupled with highly anticipated games, have fueled rapid uptake and catapulted online gaming into mainstream entertainment.