International. Competition for traditional television continues to grow. To the announcement of Youtube of its 12 channels for 2012, Microsoft now joins that will begin to offer the live and on-demand television service through its Xbox video game console.
This service, which will be available from December, required the company to partner with 40 content providers and operators from 20 countries, such as HBO, Antena 3, Televisa, ESPN, BBC, Comcast, Verizon FiOS, among many others.
In order to access TV content via Xbox in the "new era of TV," as the company called it, users will need to be subscribed to the Xbox Live Gold console's online network.
Don Mattrick, president of Microsoft's interactive entertainment, said, "The combination of the world's leading providers of television and entertainment content with the potential of Kinect for Xbox 360 and the intelligence of Bing voice search makes it possible to deliver a more personal, social and simple TV and entertainment experience."
Microsoft thus increases the entertainment options, as the television service adds to the social networks offered by the Xbox Live Gold platform since last year.
