Service
Sky Player on Xbox
Owners
BSkyB and Microsoft
What's happened?
Sky Player has launched
With consumers expecting digital devices to fulfil a multitude of entertainment roles, it is vital that games consoles now offer more than just games.
Xbox obviously takes this very seriously, because it offers movies and music downloads, games on demand, social networking and now access to a library of on-demand and live TV content via the Sky Player.
Commercially, the Sky Player deal is great news for Xbox, especially as we head into the crucial Christmas sales period, when the majority of consoles are sold. With Xbox's rivals already offering the BBC iPlayer service, Xbox simply had to get into TV and it is now the first to stream live TV.
The content is first class, so many Xbox owners will have no reason to leave their bedroom ever again.
There is no doubt existing Sky subscribers will welcome the opportunity to watch their favourite Sky TV content in a second room and non-Sky customers will enjoy watching Sky TV without a dish, Sky box or long-term contract.
Having said that, I am not entirely convinced the addition of Sky Player alone will drive huge numbers of new customers. But it's the Xbox's breadth of features gained via the Sky deal - rather like the iPhone - that customers will find irresistible.
What's good?
The service is easy to navigate and is very well integrated into the Xbox 360 user interface.
What could be better?
I'd like access to the full range of Sky channels.
Would I book my clients into this?
Absolutely yes.
Keith Welling, Broadcast account director, UM