This is my second media juggernaut story, so I'm going to turn it into a series. Why not? Hardly a week goes by without some other news of another deal for one of Microsoft's media technologies; deals that in toto are resulting in a media technology fortress that will be difficult for any and all competitors -- Apple (Quicktime), RealNetworks (RealPlayer), Adobe (Flash), etc. -- to penetrate once they realize what's been erected. I began coverage of the phenomenon in January of this year, started the juggernaut theme in May and threw gas on the fire last week (though it wasn't a juggernaut story, per se). This week, while flying below the radar of the Apple/Intel news the juggernaut's momentum got a serious shot in the arm when Microsoft and TiVo jointly announced that TiVo's TiVoToGo portable video service would be available on mobile devices and phones running Microsoft's software. The move is yet another in a string of deals that partners Microsoft with the most important players to the future global digital media infrastructure, nearly to the exclusion of all other competitors. To date, Apple has clearly achieved the most notable success in portable digital media. But, notwithstanding it's recent deal with Intel, it's lack of partnerships with important media partners raises the question of whether Microsoft and it's licensees are now strategically positioned to do to Apple with the Windows Media Platform what was done to Palm's marketshare with PocketPC.
