Xbox 360 Invigorated by Blue Sky Thinking

Sky Player confirmed for Xbox Live will allow avatars to watch football together.

Microsoft has confirmed that Sky television will be available through Xbox Live in less than two weeks’ time as Sky Player goes live on 27 October.

Perhaps the most exciting point about the announcement is that users will not need to be existing Sky subscribers in order to benefit from the Xbox’s Sky Player. All programmes will be delivered on demand through the internet, so having a Sky satellite dish or top-box isn’t a pre-requisite either.

Customers will have to pay a monthly fee to gain access to Sky Player which has not been disclosed yet, but once access has been granted users will be able to watch Sky movies, sport and other highly demanded services through their Xbox 360 console.

Not only will Xbox Live users have access to Sky content, Microsoft have integrated their Avatar Party feature, which works as an online communal area for Xbox gamers to gather, to allow users Avatars to watch content together.

This will open up the possibilities of a virtual get-together to watch Premiership football with your mates or enjoy watching a movie together without having to be physically in the same room.

The Sky deal is the latest advancement that Microsoft has been pushing in order to make Xbox the go-to place for entertainment. With the imminent additions of Facebook, Twitter and music streaming from Last.fm, Xbox will become a one-stop shop for entertainment.

Microsoft’s senior vice president John Schappert told The Daily Telegraph: “By bringing Facebook, Last.fm and Twitter to Xbox 360, we’re not only extending the walls of your living room beyond your home to your friends in different corners of the world. We’re creating the definitive social network.”

By Carla Windsor posted October 15, 2009 4:57 AM