Nintendo has recently released a bit more information about their plans to join Microsoft and Sony and bring video on demand to connected Wii owners.

Microsoft’s xbox 360 console now has Netflix up and running, and Sony’s PS3 is slated to get Play TV later this year.  Last month, Nintendo started leaking bits and pieces around the interwebs via their selected ad company Dentsu announcing that they plan to create specific programs for the Wii.  While Microsoft’s Netflix deal allows users to ‘rent’ downloadable content, and Sony’s system will provide a similar service, Nintendo, staying true to wii form, is going off in their own microtransaction-based direction.

Unlike the big M and S, don’t be on the look out for any movie style entertainment from Nintendo – which makes sense, as they’ve not bothered with the deal cutting that both Microsoft and Sony have trudged through.

Nintendo’s new path will happen via ad agency Dentsu, who also have deals with Fuji Television and Nippon Television.  Similar to wii’s weather forecaster, wii vote, and wii channels, Dentsu will create video on demand centered around family-oriented cartoons, brain teaser quiz games, culinary delights, educational, and other assorted lifestyle programming.  Given the delivery vehicle that Nintendo has chosen, I’m going to go out on a limb here and suspect that the channel will also be chock full o’ advertising.  Combine that with the extremely wide demographic that the wii console appeals to, we might be looking at a shotgun approach to the ads – one might see a game ad for a 4-12 age range title back to back with an ad for the superbowl.

Currently named Wiinoma, the service is expected to connect to the 18 million of the estimated 40-million wii consoles connected to the internet around the globe.

While some content is slated to be free, other not yet specified content will be available via microtransactions.  Japan is expected to get a first view of a live Wiinoma this spring, with a global rollout following shortly there after.

Tags: dentsu, Fuji, fuji television, Microsoft, microtransactions, Netflix, Nippon, nippon television, play tv, ps3, Wii, xbox 360

This entry was posted on Monday, January 5th, 2009 at 12:43 pm and is filed under industry news. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.