Bach to Oversee Entertainment Strategy

Entertainment and Devices head Robbie Bach will gain control over Microsoft’s online music and video services and the company’s relationships with major content providers, as well as the Windows gaming experience. The reorganization could help Microsoft apply assets from the Xbox business, such as hardware design and manufacturing experience, relationships with retailers, and the success of the Xbox Live online service, to other areas—particularly digital audio and video.

(For an overview of the organizational changes, see the illustration “Dec. 2005 Entertainment and Devices Reorganization“.)

Bach’s New Role

The latest changes, announced internally in Dec. 2005 and leaked to several press outlets, follow a companywide reorganization in October in which Bach was appointed president of the new Entertainment and Devices (E&D) Division. At that time, he began to oversee Microsoft’s mobile and embedded device business, while continuing to lead other consumer businesses, such as Xbox, consumer hardware and software, and Microsoft TV. (The Oct. 2005 reorganization was covered in “Allchin’s Retirement Sparks Reorganization” on page 43 of the Nov. 2005 Update.)