Xbox Live

French Xbox Users Get Canal Plus TV, Movies, Soccer

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 29, 2009 - 11:04am.
London - Microsoft (NASD: MSFT) has partnered with French pay-TV company Canal Plus to offer movies, TV and soccer on demand through its Xbox 360 video game console, Reuters reported. The deal will give French Xbox Live members access to some 3,000 programs, as well as French Ligue 1 soccer matches. Microsoft signed an Xbox Live programming carriage deal last month with BSkyB.

BSkyB to Offer Programming on Xbox Live in U.K., Ireland

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 29, 2009 - 11:39am.
London - Microsoft (NASD: MSFT) has partnered with News Corp.'s (NYSE: NWS) BSkyB broadcasting company in the U.K. to make content including movies and Premier League soccer available through the Xbox Live online service for the Xbox 360 console, Reuters reported. The deal includes 20 live channels and thousands of on-demand programs, to be made available both a la carte and as part of a number of subscription packages starting in the fall.

tags: Games | TV | Microsoft | Movies | Xbox Live | BSkyB |

Microsoft: 30M Xbox 360s Sold; 20M Xbox Live Members

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 28, 2009 - 11:15am.
Redmond, Wash. - Microsoft (NASD: MSFT) announced on Thursday that worldwide sales of its Xbox 360 video game console have now topped 30 million units, up 28% from the same point last year.

Microsoft to Release Zune HD Player in the Fall

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 27, 2009 - 10:23am.
Redmond, Wash. - Microsoft (NASD: MSFT) announced on Wednesday that it plans to release a new Zune HD portable media player in the fall, and will extend its Zune video service to the Xbox Live online game service for its Xbox 360 video game console. The Zune HD will feature a built-in HD Radio receiver, support for HD video output, an OLED touch-screen, Wi-Fi and an Internet browser.

Amazon.com Introduces Online Store for Microsoft Xbox 360

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 8, 2009 - 11:45am.
Seattle - Amazon.com (NASD: AMZN) on Wednesday launched a beta of its own online store compatible with Microsoft's (NASD: MSFT) Xbox 360 online game service, Xbox Live. The Amazon Xbox LIVE Store will let consumers purchase and gift select Xbox Live online games, subscription cards and Microsoft Points cards. "PC gamers have enjoyed the convenience of digital downloads on Amazon.com for some time," said Greg Hart, vice president of video games and software for Amazon. "Now Amazon.com and Microsoft are bringing that same level of convenience to platform gamers by expanding the reach of the Xbox LIVE digital platform to millions of Amazon customers."

Microsoft: 1 Million Xbox Live Users Streaming Netflix Content

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 5, 2009 - 7:02am.

Redmond, Wash. - Microsoft (NASD: MSFT) said on Thursday that a million of its Xbox Live Gold online game service subscribers have now downloaded and activated an application that lets them stream movies and TV shows from online DVD rental service Netflix (NASD: NFLX).

Microsoft Debuts "New Xbox Experience"; Netflix Streaming

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 19, 2008 - 10:28am.

Redmond, Wash. - Microsoft (NASD: MSFT) on Wednesday launched its "New Xbox Experience" initiative, which will expand the range of HD and other content available via its broadband-connected Xbox 360 video game console.

Microsoft: 3.8M Songs Sold Monthly via Xbox for Music Games

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 20, 2008 - 1:01pm.

London - Microsoft (NASD: MSFT) is selling 3.8 million downloadable songs a month for the Xbox 360 versions of music video games "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band," GamesIndustry.biz reports. In a statement, the company said that Xbox Live has "delivered more than 80% of the downloadable songs for music games."

PBS Adds Downloadable TV Shows to Xbox Live

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 7, 2008 - 12:00pm.

Arlington, Va. - PBS said on Tuesday that it will make several of its television shows available for download on Xbox LIVE, the online games and entertainment network of the Microsoft Xbox 360 game console. Available shows will include Wired Science, Carrier, Scientific American Frontiers, Nova, and Ken Burns' Jazz, America and American Lives.

Report: Web-Connected Game Consoles to Generate $8B in 2013

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 5, 2008 - 7:28am.
Los Angeles - Sony (NYSE: SNE), Microsoft (NASD: MSFT) and Nintendo are expected to generate over $8 billion in global revenue from online content and services for their Internet-connected game consoles, according to a report from market research firm Parks Associates.

Warner Music to Sell Videos, Songs on Xbox Live, We7

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 18, 2008 - 9:50am.

New York - Warner Music Group (NYSE: WMG) announced that it has signed new agreements with Microsoft's Xbox Live Marketplace and U.K. digital retailer We7, to sell music videos and DRM-free MP3 downloads, respectively. Videos from WMG artists will be available to the 12 million worldwide Xbox Live members for download and viewing on their televisions via the game console. The ad-supported We7 service, which also offers tracks for purchase and download, will offer WMG tracks beginning in October; the company has a similar deal with Sony BMG.

Comedy Shorts from Horror Directors Coming to Xbox Live

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 23, 2008 - 12:33pm.

San Diego - Microsoft (NASD: MSFT) said on Wednesday that it has partnered with Safran Digital Group to produce a series of exclusive short comedy films from noted horror directors for distribution on its Xbox Live service in the fall. Free comedy shorts will be offered by horror genre directors including James Wan ("Saw"), James Gunn ("Dawn of the Dead"), David Slade ("30 Days of Night"), Lucky McKee ("The Woods"), Andrew Douglas ("The Amityville Horror") and Marcus Nispel ("Friday the 13th").

Motley Crue to Release New Single in "Rock Band" Game

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 15, 2008 - 12:31pm.

Los Angeles - Rock band Motley Crue said on Tuesday that it is the first group to release a new single, "Saints of Los Angeles," for sale through the video game "Rock Band." The song will be made available for purchase as an add-on to the game for 99 cents through both Microsoft's Xbox Live Marketplace and Sony's PlayStation Store.

BET Adds Downloadable TV Shows to Xbox Live

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 15, 2008 - 12:25pm.

New York - Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) BET Networks on Tuesday announced a deal with Microsoft to offer a selection of full-length BET television shows for download to the Xbox 360 via the Xbox Live online service. Shows offered will include "College Hill 4," "American Gangster," "Comic View" and "Iron Ring." Currently, the Xbox Live Marketplace features more than 4,200 hours of premium entertainment content from more than 40 studios and networks.

Microsoft to Debut Original Shows for Xbox Live This Summer

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 31, 2008 - 1:06pm.

Los Angeles - Microsoft (NASD: MSFT) will launch its first original programming for the Xbox 360 this summer, when it debuts six series produced by Safran Digital that can be downloaded to the game console via the online Xbox Live service, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Safran Digital CEO Peter Safran would not comment for THR on the titles or subject matter of the programs. "We had a very specific idea that we knew worked for a core audience. Xbox clearly has this exact same demographic," Safran told THR.

Microsoft to Open Xbox 360 Game Development Tools to All

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 21, 2008 - 12:34pm.

San Francisco - Microsoft (NASD: MSFT) has announced that it will make games for its Xbox 360 console developed by aspiring creators available for download via its Xbox Live service. The service will require that developers use Microsoft's XNA Game Studio software, available for a $99 annual subscription, or be a member of its XNA Creators Club. The game creation software will be made available to users beginning in the spring. Submissions will then be vetted by members of the amateur game creator community, and Microsoft will begin releasing the first user-created games in the fall.

Microsoft: 4.3 Million Xbox 360s Sold in Fourth Quarter

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 4, 2008 - 11:44am.

San Francisco - Microsoft (NASD: MSFT) sold 4.3 million Xbox 360 video game consoles during the fourth quarter of 2007, and has now sold a total of 17.7 million worldwide since the device's release in 2005, Reuters reported.

Microsoft: Xbox Live Hits 8 Million Users; Full Games Due Dec. 4

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 14, 2007 - 1:52pm.

Redmond, Wash. - Microsoft (NASD: MSFT) said on Wednesday that its Xbox Live online games and entertainment service for the Xbox 360 now counts more than 8 million members in 26 countries, adding that a free system update set for release on Dec. 4 will for the first time allow for the download of full games. The announcement comes on the eve of the fifth anniversary of the debut of Xbox Live. Titles in line for digital distribution on Xbox Live include "Halo," "Psychonauts," "Fable" and "Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge."

ESPN Adds NCAA Games, TV Shows to Xbox Live

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 5, 2007 - 1:55pm.

Redmond, Wash. - Microsoft (NASD: MSFT) on Monday announced an agreement with Disney's (NYSE: DIS) ESPN, to add HD and standard-definition games, TV shows and video game programming to the Xbox Live online games and entertainment network for the Xbox 360. Included in the deal will be full-length NCAA college football and basketball games, Summer X Games 13 coverage, and episodes of ESPN series such as "World Series of Poker," "The Contender" and "Madden Nation."

tags: Games | Sports | Video | TV | HD | Microsoft | ESPN | Xbox Live |

Microsoft Debuts $279 "Family-Friendly" Xbox 360

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 23, 2007 - 11:37am.

Redmond, Wash. - Microsoft on Tuesday introduced a new family-friendly Xbox 360 bundle, while will retail for $279 and come with five family-friendly game titles.