BSkyB link with Microsoft on X-Box
Chris Forrester ©RapidTVNews
| 26-05-2009
Rapid TV News understands that the long-awaited link up between BSkyB and Microsoft’s X-Box is at last going to happen. Full details will be announced tomorrow (Friday, May 29). The unveiling "Experience the Vision' press event will explain more.
Some two years ago, in July 2007, BSkyB’s COO Mike Darcey confirmed that the broadcaster was talking to Microsoft about the possibility of using Microsoft’s Windows Media as another route to users. There has been much speculation recently that Microsoft, which already supplies the technology backbone for BT Vision's service. Rapid TV News understands this particular aspect is still some way off.
However, providing some sort of BSkyB functionality for Microsoft X-Box/360 users could potentially deliver millions more users in the UK and Ireland to BSkyB.
Within the past few days Microsoft has also provided updates to its Vista operating system (Service Pack 2) which enables users with Blu-ray Disc drives to burn programming directly to the disc (including HD) using internet Explorer. This move may be wholly unrelated to the upcoming Sky announcement, but indicates the convergence that’s increasingly seen between programming and console devices.
© Rapid TV News 2009
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