Darksaviour69
August 11th, 2007, 22:51
via 360-gamer (http://www.360-gamer.com/news.asp?id=1347 )
British Telecom, in partnership with Microsoft, could announce a deal that brings IPTV to Xbox 360 owners in the UK.
According to our sources, only subscribers to BT in the UK will be able access Xbox 360 IPTV services. Microsoft currently powers BT’s Vision initiative through its Merdiaroom middleware solution.
While BT is unable to confirm exclusivity - and Microsoft has contacted 360 Gamer to deny that any such deal is in initially in the offering - currently no other broadcaster or internet service provider is confirmed to be working on Xbox 360 IPTV with Microsoft in the UK, with BT's closest competitor VIrgin, not due to launch IPTV until mid-2008. And, with BT Vision currently served via Microsoft Mediaroom (a software solution to deliver broadcasts) the agreement between the two companies solidifies an already close relationship.
Speaking exclusively to 360 Gamer, a British Telecom spokesperson stated: “Online gaming is a market we have targeted heavily for our BT Total Broadband service, with many tens of thousands of gamers already enjoying the UK's best performing ADSL broadband service."
He continued by saying that, “for many families, videogames consoles happily share space in the living room. The hardware is not the issue - what is the issue is the service, and delivering the all-important choice, convenience and control that consumers want.”
In offering IPTV through a partnership with Microsoft, any telecommunications giant would be in a position to buy Xbox 360s direct from Microsoft, and offer a console fully equipped to watch and record free-to-air, paid and on-demand television content to customers, without the need to pay for a set-top-box.
British Telecom, in partnership with Microsoft, could announce a deal that brings IPTV to Xbox 360 owners in the UK.
According to our sources, only subscribers to BT in the UK will be able access Xbox 360 IPTV services. Microsoft currently powers BT’s Vision initiative through its Merdiaroom middleware solution.
While BT is unable to confirm exclusivity - and Microsoft has contacted 360 Gamer to deny that any such deal is in initially in the offering - currently no other broadcaster or internet service provider is confirmed to be working on Xbox 360 IPTV with Microsoft in the UK, with BT's closest competitor VIrgin, not due to launch IPTV until mid-2008. And, with BT Vision currently served via Microsoft Mediaroom (a software solution to deliver broadcasts) the agreement between the two companies solidifies an already close relationship.
Speaking exclusively to 360 Gamer, a British Telecom spokesperson stated: “Online gaming is a market we have targeted heavily for our BT Total Broadband service, with many tens of thousands of gamers already enjoying the UK's best performing ADSL broadband service."
He continued by saying that, “for many families, videogames consoles happily share space in the living room. The hardware is not the issue - what is the issue is the service, and delivering the all-important choice, convenience and control that consumers want.”
In offering IPTV through a partnership with Microsoft, any telecommunications giant would be in a position to buy Xbox 360s direct from Microsoft, and offer a console fully equipped to watch and record free-to-air, paid and on-demand television content to customers, without the need to pay for a set-top-box.