Directors of funny cat videos now have one less outlet to air their work. Microsoft is shutting down Soapbox, the online video site the company started to compete with YouTube.

The company started the video-sharing site as part of MSN Video in 2006, hoping to attract users and advertising. Here is the story we did when Microsoft launched it.

The site will shut down on Aug. 31, and users’ videos will no longer be available after that date. If you want to keep any video you uploaded, make sure you download the video before Aug. 31.

The company referredto thebad economy in a statement it released today:

"We remain committed to delivering amazing experiences for consumers while keeping a keen eye on our business objectives during this tough economic climate."

seattletimes

you win some you lose some…I think if they had unlimited uploads instead of the 100mb cutoff people would be using it to make a challenge to youtube…I know I would use it…