BBC AND LOVEFILM HEAD TO XBL
Microsoft has announced a strong line-up of media partners for Xbox Live with the BBC, LOVEFiLM, Channel 4 and Channel 5 all coming to UK gamers, with HBO and Bravo heading to the US.
The new deal includes nearly 40 partners worldwide, bringing paid and free services to markets including Europe, Australia, Japan and Mexico. Here's the full list (includes new and existing services):
ABC iView - Australia
AlloCiné - France, Germany, Spain, U.K.
Antena 3 - Spain
Astral Media's Disney XD - Canada
AT&T - U.S.
BBC - U.K.
blinkbox - U.K.
Bravo - U.S.
BSkyB - U.K.
Canal - France, Spain
Channel 4 - U.K.
Channel 5 - U.K.
CinemaNow (Best Buy) - U.S.
Comcast - U.S.
Crackle - Australia, Canada, U.K., U.S.
Dailymotion - Available in 32 markets
EPIX - U.S.
ESPN - U.S.
Facebook - Available in all 35 Xbox LIVE markets
FOXTEL - Australia
GolTV - Spain
HBO GO - U.S.
Hulu - Japan
Hulu - U.S.
iHeartRadio (Clear Channel) - U.S.
Last.fm - U.K., U.S.
LOVEFiLM - Germany, U.K.
Manga Entertainment - U.S.
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment/Real Sports - Canada
MediaSet - Italy
MSN with MSNBC.com - Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, U.K.
MUZU.TV - France, Germany, Italy, Spain, U.K.
Netflix - Canada, U.S.
Rogers On Demand Online (RODO) - Canada
RTVE - Spain
SBS On Demand - Australia
Syfy - U.S.
Telefonica - Spain
Televisa - Mexico
"The Today Show" - U.S.
TELUS - Canada
TMZ - U.S.
Twitter - Available in all 35 Xbox LIVE markets
UFC - Canada, U.S.
Verizon - U.S.
VEVO - Canada, U.K., U.S.
VimpelCom** - Russia
Vodafone Portugal - Portugal
YouTube - Available in 22 markets
ZDF - Germany
Zune - Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain
Editor's Opinion
The addition of the BBC, Channel 4 and LOVEFiLM makes XBL a very enticing option now, but we still don't know if it will be in the form of iPlayer and 4OD. Watch this space.
- Chella Ramanan
Microsoft, Xbox 360, Chella Ramanan