Microsoft plans UK video streaming on MSN

A free video streaming service will be launched next week in the UK by software giant Microsoft.

The service will be paid for by advertising and there will be around three hundred hours of content to start off with.

Content will be made available in both Windows Media Video (WMV) and flash formats.

It will also be compatible with both PC and Mac based computers.

According to Ashley Highfield from Microsoft, around twenty three per cent of UK broadband users already watch online video content.

The service will deliver the content free from digital rights management (DRM) copy protection, but will only be available to users with a UK internet address.

With Hulu launching a similar advertising based video service early next year, Microsoft had to get this out before then.