Nintendo has been slow to add media offerings to the Wii, but that may be changing with the Wii U according to AdWeek. They reported that Nintendo met with multiple cable networks and Web video producers at the CES show in Las Vegas a few weeks ago, focusing on sports and music content. Sources noted that the talks are still preliminary, though. The only specific media company mentioned by the sources was Comcast, with the possibility that Nintendo may seek to have the Wii U as a cable box replacement similar to the deal with Microsoft.
Nintendo has been slow to add media content to the Wii compared to the Xbox 360 and the PS3, with the Wii finally adding Hulu this year. While the Wii added Netflix early on, many Wii owners don't even bother to connect their console to the Internet. Nintendo has already announced they are rolling out the Nintendo Network for the Wii U and the 3DS this year, looking to offer a variety of services to consumers similar to the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live.
Surveys have shown that more than 30% of the time spent on the Xbox 360 and the PS3 is on non-gaming activities, such as watching movies. Nintendo may be looking to expand the audience for the Wii U with a variety of content offerings as well as a variety of games. The console giant will have a lot of work to do to catch up with the years of development that both Microsoft and Sony have put into their networks, and some analysts are skeptical. “I don't know if they have the chops to pull it off,” said Michael Pachter, Wedbush Securities analyst.
