This week at E3 (the annual games convention in LA), Microsoft put on its usual oversized glitzy keynote, part of which involved the announcement that is would launch "live television" on Xbox Live this fall (it also announced it will be adding support for YouTube on the Xbox platform).
According The Hollywood Reporter, Marc Whitten, Corporate VP at Xbox Live, said "We are forging new partnerships to bring live television to Xbox Live in the United States and around the world, adding to our current partnerships with Sky TV in the U.K., Canal Plus in France, and Foxtel in Australia." The article also noted that the presentation "featured Xbox Live graphics that had ABC TV shows available on Xbox Live."
What is Microsoft actually going to launch this fall (if it is indeed launched at that time)? Of course, from the little it had to say at E3, it's difficult to know. There have been abundant rumors in the press on Microsoft efforts to bring more TV to the Xbox; some of which go as far as to suggest that Microsoft will launch a full multichannel subscription service, essentially a straight-to-the-face competitor to incumbent MVPDs.
Since Whitten noted existing deals with overseas operators, it could well be that these new Xbox "live television" offerings will be in partnership with selected U.S. operators. The Xbox / Sky TV partnership provides one model for how this might work. U.K. Xbox owners are able to access the Sky Player, which offers both on-demand and live TV content. The Sky Player can also be used on PCs, Macs, and some connected TVs. And while the Sky Player does have live linear TV, it's currently a 32-channel subset of the full Sky service offering ("more channels coming soon"). The Sky Player is offered either free to Sky TV subscribers or under a standalone subscription (although it seems unlikely that U.S. operators would consider a standalone option, at least in the near term).
As to what Microsoft will actually do and when with regards to Xbox and live TV, the best that can be said is "wait and see."
ShareThis