Microsoft, which is struggling to get traction behind its Zune portable music player, is cozying up to content companies in hopes of getting some hot content on its device so as to attract more users.
Besides the recent deal with NBC Universal and a bunch of others for popular TV shows, Microsoft also seems to be toying with the idea of putting filters into Zune to block pirated videos from playing on the device.
The New York Times blog reported that in its discussions with NBC, Microsoft was willing to explore developing a copyright “cop” or filtering mechanism for the Zune that would prevent pirated content from playing on the device.
After the NYT blog post caused some ripples in the blogosphere, Microsoft put out a statement that it has “no plans or commitments to implement any new type of content filtering in the Zune devices as part of our content distribution deal with NBC. We think some folks in the industry were expressing hopes for how the entire industry, not just Microsoft, would come to look at content distribution, and some speculation has ensued.”
While Microsoft’s zeal to work closely with content owners like NBC is understandable, any attempt to place filters on the Zunes could backfire with consumers. It’s a hard balancing act for Microsoft.