Your Xbox 360 is about to become a media hub. Say hello to the content providers who are making that possible.
If you read our detailed preview of the December 6 Xbox 360 Dashboard Update, you likely already know that a number of big names from the world of film and television are joining forces with Microsoft to turn the Xbox 360 into some kind of freaky, futuristic video machine. While not all of the providers will be serving up content on day one, Microsoft has just dropped a comprehensive list of when you’ll be seeing your preferred media conglomerate’s shows streaming through its console.
Via the official, inconveniently formatted press release:
Dec. 6:
EPIX. United States
ESPN on Xbox LIVE (ESPN). United States
Hulu. Japan
Hulu Plus. United States
LOVEFiLM. United Kingdom
Netflix. Canada, United States
Premium Play by (MediaSet). Italy
Sky Go (SkyDE). Germany
Telefónica España – Movistar Imagenio. Spain
TODAY (MSNBC). United StatesLater in December:
4 on Demand (C4). United Kingdom
ABC iView (Australian Broadcasting Corp.). Australia
AlloCiné. France (AlloCiné), Germany (Filmstarts), Spain (Sensacine), United Kingdom (Screenrush)
Astral Media’s Disney XD (Astral Media). Canada
blinkbox (Blinkbox). United Kingdom
Crackle (Sony Pictures). Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, United States
Dailymotion. Available in 32 countries globally
Demand 5 (Five). United Kingdom
DIGI+ (CANAL+). Spain
GolTV (Mediapro). Spain
iHeartRadio (Clear Channel). United States
Mediathek/ZDF (ZDF). Germany
MSN. Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, United Kingdom
MSNBC.com. United States
MUZU.TV. Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom
ninemsn. Australia
Real Sports (Maple Leaf Sports). Canada
Rogers On Demand Online (Rogers Media). Canada
SBS ON DEMAND.Australia
Sky Go (SkyDE). Austria
TMZ (Warner Bros.). Canada, United States
TVE (RTVE.es). Spain
UFC on Xbox LIVE (UFC). Canada, United States
Verizon FiOS TV. United States
VEVO. Canada, Ireland, United Kingdom, United States
Vudu (Wal-Mart). United States
YouTube. Available in 24 countries globallyEarly 2012:
Antena 3 (Antena 3 de Televisión). Spain
BBC (BBC). United Kingdom
CinemaNow (Best Buy). United States
HBO GO (HBO). United States
MLB.TV (MLB Advanced Media). Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Columbia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States
Telenovelas/Sports (Televisa). Brazil, Chile, Colombia, France, Italy, Mexico, Spain, United Kingdom
Xfinity On Demand (Comcast). United States
You’ll notice that most of those entries are followed by the names of countries. Yes, that does indicate that not all providers will be seen globally. As per usual, the United States is getting the lion’s share of media content, but other major countries like Japan and all those folk clustered together in the European pseudo-continent will also receive a pretty fair complement of moving picture content.
Canada, on the other hand, seems a bit screwed by this deal. Granted, our icy friends are being given a solid selection of hockey-based content — hockey : Canadians :: narwhals : the Icelandic — but otherwise America’s northern pal seems to be getting a lot of hand-me-downs from its Southern neighbor.
Given that The Escapist has a worldwide audience, what do you all think? Is your region being shafted by ethereal copyright restrictions? Do you wish you had a convenient way to watch UFC fights in Portugal? Why can’t America have AlloCiné?
(It’s because we think all French women are Audrey Tautou. Americans are just terrible, you guys.)
