23 June 2010 | Author: D. Warburton Search Copywriter

Bing to launch entertainment portal for music, TV and games

Microsoft is poised to launch an all-encompassing entertainment page to its Bing search engine, to provide a single hub for users to watch TV shows, play online games and listen to music.

The company issued a statement yesterday in which Yusuf Mehdi, senior vice president of Microsoft's online audience business, revealed that a survey of Bing users found that 76 per cent desired a central destination for online entertainment services - something that Bing will aim to provide as Microsoft's 'decision engine' continues to gain ground against Google.

"As the content on the Web has exploded, it has become difficult to navigate and find what you are looking for," Medhi explained.

"So we see a great opportunity to help customers make important entertainment decisions."

BusinessWeek reports that Microsoft's statement also invited the press to the official announcement of the updates, to be held in West Hollywood, California. One of the most prominent features will be Bing's incorporation of the Zune music service - Microsoft's answer to Apple's iTunes, which allows users to stream or download music, as well as watch TV shows hosted on sites such as Hulu and YouTube.

But Bing will also go a step further, in providing users with reviews and schedules for TV programmes and the ability to invite friends on Facebook, Twitter and other social networks to watch shows together.

As for video games, Bing is expected to host 100 casual games that can all be played within the search results page, and these will also include multiplayer options within the user's social network.

Microsoft's shares may be slipping - falling by 18 cents to $25.77 at the close of trading yesterday on the Nasdaq Stock Market - but with continuing innovation, the future still looks bright for Bing.