Microsoft Announces TV and Movies for Xbox Live 86
PreacherTom writes "In the latest of several recent upgrades to their online service, Microsoft has announced that their Xbox Live service will begin offering movies and television on demand starting on November 22nd. All subscribers (including those using the free service) will have access to movies from Paramount and Warner Bros. along with TV shows from CBS and MTV. Prices haven't been officially released as of yet, but MS has stated that they are attempting to be competitive with similar services from iTunes and cable companies." There is lots of commentary out there on this one, so Read More to reference the many other sites discussing this story. Besides commentary on the announcement itself, Eurogamer has Sony's snarky commentary on this move by Microsoft.
Unfortunately... (Score:2, Interesting)
I've heard some European countries are able to get some content, however not the same as is being made available to the US. We'll have to see how this plays out but whilst Europe is left behind by the media and entertainment companies with the later releases of the Wii and PS3 and so forth it's really no surprise that Europe has a noticeably smaller console market than Asia/US.
I really do think Europe is just crying out for goodies like this and the first company to offer something in full, and not at greedy profiteering higher price than the rest of the world that company is going to be onto an absolute winner. If Microsoft really isn't to give Europe the same movies and TV shows as the US here then they're really only letting themselves down however of course, that's not to say it's necessarily Microsoft's fault, I'm sure the movie industry has a lot to do with this having historically left Europe 6months or so behind in terms of film releases alongside charging it more even without taxes taken into account.
Now if only I was in a position to setup a company which could offer films and TV shows to Europeans at the same time and for the same price as the US, if no one else wants to rack up fortunes from the extremely strong Euro and British pound then I'll gladly take the money!
Re:Haha (Score:5, Interesting)
Before I am labeled simply "pro-MS", let me say that I own a PS@ (and had a PS1) and will probably purchase other next-gen consoles as well. I am not a fan of a particular vendor, I am a fan of consoles, gadgets, and games.
I am actually hoping for Sony to launch a centralized portal for their systems. Nintendo (while not a Game Cube fan, I do have a DS) as well. I look forward to more options, (hopefully) competitive pricing structures (to keep prices down), and competition to keep content fresh and attractive.
Well (Score:3, Interesting)