XBOX - XBOX GAME CONSOLE TO SHOW HDTV TRAILERS

Owners of Microsoft's game console Xbox 360 will be able to download trailers of Paramount's Mission: Impossible III and Nacho Libre and watch them on high-definition home theater systems. Gerry Rich, Paramount's president of worldwide marketing, told today's (Tuesday) Los Angeles Times that the move "hits the audience in a big way -- the 12- to 34-year-old audience. That's the sweet spot of frequent moviegoers." Moreover, Michael Pachter, Wedbush Morgan Securities' interactive entertainment industry analyst, told the Times that by using the Xbox, Paramount will be able "to get the high-definition monitor owners drooling. ... It's clever marketing. It's a good, solid, high-income, early adopter niche." The newspaper reported that about 2 million Xbox owners now connect to its online service, Xbox Live.

11/04/2006