Microsoft scales back commitment to video site Soapbox

Microsoft will significantly scale back its commitment to its own online video portal Soapbox in the coming months. The service, which was launched in 2006 as a potential "You-Tube killer", relies mainly on user-generated content, similar to the Google site. As Microsoft Vice President Erick Jorgensen confirmed in a recent interview, according to the Cnet report, operating the video-sharing platform has simply become too expensive in the current difficult economic environment. "But we definitely still see Soapbox as something that makes an important contribution to our holistic video strategy," Jorgensen is quoted as saying on Pressetext.ch.