Xbox 360 to replace the satellite dish
By John Lister
Xbox 360 owners in the United Kingdom and Ireland will soon be able to view satellite television through the console – without needing a dish or a set-top box. It’s billed as the first time that live TV broadcasts will be available through a games console.
The programming will be delivered through the console’s broadband connection. It will include around 20 live channels plus on-demand broadcasts. The pricing has not yet been announced, but it will involve a variety of subscription levels to cover the different types of channel (including premium sport and movie channels) plus some pay-per-view programming. There will also be some interactive features such as the ability to discuss sports events with other viewers during the game.
It’s an interesting move as the programming comes from BSkyB which is also the main satellite provider in the region. While it might seem counterintuitive to deter people from getting dishes, BSkyB already licenses its programming to cable rivals. The Xbox deal will allow it to sell programming to viewers who live in areas which have broadband but where it’s not always possible to install either cable or a dish, such as apartment blocks.
The natural drawback to viewing in this manner is that it will take a mighty chunk out of any monthly download limits on broadband subscriptions. That could work to BSkyB’s advantage however as it also runs a broadband service. Though it hasn’t made any mention of the idea, it would certainly make sense to say the firm’s broadband subscribers could watch unlimited programming through their Xbox without it affecting either download limits or ‘fair use’ policies.
Playstation 3 and Wii owners in the UK already have access to programming from the BBC, the main network broadcasters. However, this programming is entirely on-demand with no live broadcasts, and most sports events and movies are removed from the line-up for licensing reasons.
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