Shanda to Snatch Sitting Rooms.

(From SinoCast China IT Watch)

SHANGHAI, March 22, SinoCast -- Shanda Interactive Entertainment Ltd. (Nasdaq: SNDA), an upstart Chinese company which has reaped a lot from the cyber games market, has unveiled an ambitious plan to snatch living rooms of Chinese households.

At the heart of the plan is to integrate the Internet, TV and games, namely IPTV (Internet Protocol Television).

On March 9, Chen Tianqiao, chairman at Shanda, first confirmed that his company was in negotiations with Microsoft Corporation on a possible partnership in the set-top box field.

The previous purchase of a 19.5% stake in Sina Corporation, the top-ranking portal …