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MTV Closing URGE Music Subscription Service

by Tim Stevens on August 21, 2007 at 11:01 AM

MTV Killing URGE, Chooses RealNetworks Over Microsoft

Reports are emerging this morning that MTV is on the brink of abandoning URGE, the company's iTunes-challenging service that was launched in partnership with Microsoft just over a year ago. Turns out Microsoft betrayed that partnership a few months later with the release of the Zune Marketplace, an online store optimized to work with Microsoft's iPod-wannabe, the Zune. MTV, playing the part of lover scorned, is running to the arms of RealNetworks and its Rhapsody online music service to turn it into a proper iTunes challenger.

This new partnership between MTV and RealNetworks is said be a bit of a love triangle with Verizon Wireless coming into the fold to provide wireless distribution of content straight to mobile phones. It remains to be seen whether Verizon will include this service in its VCAST network of mobile content or start offering some new, separate music-based service.

What we do know is this: With MTV ditching URGE and Microsoft focusing on the Zune, it's likely that URGE's days are numbered. Sorry subscribers.

From AOL Money & Finance

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Tags: itunes, Microsoft, MTV, URGE, zune

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