$ cat ./records/microsoft-acquires-webtv-networks-to-put-the-internet-on-televisi-1997.txt
Microsoft acquires WebTV Networks to put the internet on television
[RECORD.TXT] · cat --full
In 1997 Microsoft acquired WebTV Networks for about $425 million ($190 million cash and $235 million in stock), betting that consumers would browse the internet through their televisions using set-top boxes and remote controls. Folded into Microsoft and later rebranded MSN TV, the product never achieved mass adoption as PCs and, later, smartphones became the dominant gateways to the web. The deal was an early sign of Bill Gates's eagerness to put Microsoft into every screen in the home.
Source: https://news.microsoft.com/source/1997/08/01/microsoft-completes-acquisition-of-webtv-networks/
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