Microsoft Reveals Xbox TV Providers; Holiday Release

Microsoft has revealed a huge lineup of content providers for its Xbox 360 TV service launching this holiday season.

Wednesday Microsoft officially revealed its plans to turn the Xbox 360 console into an unofficial cable box this holiday season.

According to the company, more than fifty TV and entertainment providers have signed on to offer their content directly to Xbox 360 owners including Bravo, Comcast, HBO GO, Verizon FiOS, and Syfy here in the States. Internationally, the console will see the likes of BBC in the U.K., Telefónica in Spain, Rogers On Demand in Canada, Televisa in Mexico, ZDF in Germany, and MediaSet in Italy. Microsoft said it will begin to roll out its TV service this holiday season in more than 20 countries.

Microsoft originally set out to create a central multimedia hub with the launch of the original Xbox back in 2001, but the console didn't meet those expectations and instead was used as a platform to solidify the foundation of the current Xbox Live service. With the release of the next-generation console, and with the necessary faster broadband speeds reaching into homes worldwide, Microsoft was able to meet its Media Center vision by providing not only games, but movies, television episodes, streaming music and streaming video from Netflix and Hulu.

Now, come this holiday season, Microsoft will edge even closer to the Media Center vision it had from the beginning with the addition of live television channels. But let's face it: Microsoft's slim lineup in not an indication that consumers will finally have a reason to toss out their current cable boxes and DVRs in exchange for the new service. Still, it's a start, and eventually other providers may jump on the Xbox bandwagon like Time Warner's TWCable TV service currently seen on the Apple iPad tablet.

"Today’s announcement is a major step toward realizing our vision to bring you all the entertainment you want, shared with the people you care about, made easy," said Don Mattrick, president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. "Combining the world’s leading TV and entertainment providers with the power of Kinect for Xbox 360 and the intelligence of Bing voice search will make TV and entertainment more personal, social and effortless."

So far, actual availability is unknown, but as we've seen in prior reports and demonstrations, this new service will be rolled out along with a cleaner, streamlined dashboard update. It will also take advantage of the Kinect motion sensor which will reportedly enable users to search for content using voice commands, or to sift through channels and listings using hand simple movements.

Here's the actual lineup that will be available this holiday season which includes both existing and new content partners:

• ABC iView – Australia
• AlloCiné – France, Germany, Spain, U.K.
• Antena 3 – Spain
• Astral Media’s Disney XD – Canada
• AT&T** – U.S.
• BBC – U.K.
• blinkbox – U.K.
• Bravo – U.S.
• BSkyB** - U.K.
• Canal+* - France, Spain
• Channel 4 – U.K.
• Channel 5 – U.K.
• CinemaNow (Best Buy) – U.S.
• Comcast – U.S.
• Crackle – Australia, Canada, U.K., U.S.
• Dailymotion – Available in 32 markets
• EPIX – U.S.
• ESPN** – U.S.
• Facebook** – Available in all 35 Xbox LIVE markets
• FOXTEL** – Australia
• GolTV – Spain
• HBO GO – U.S.
• Hulu – Japan
• Hulu +**– U.S.
• iHeartRadio (Clear Channel) – U.S.
• Last.fm**– U.K., U.S.
• LOVEFiLM – Germany, U.K.
• Manga Entertainment – U.S.
• Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment/Real Sports – Canada
• MediaSet – Italy
• MSN with MSNBC.com – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, U.K.
• MUZU.TV – France, Germany, Italy, Spain, U.K.
• Netflix**– Canada, U.S.
• Rogers On Demand Online (RODO) – Canada
• RTVE – Spain
• SBS On Demand – Australia
• Syfy – U.S.
• Telefonica – Spain
• Televisa – Mexico
• “The Today Show” – U.S.
• TELUS** – Canada
• TMZ – U.S.
• Twitter** – Available in all 35 Xbox LIVE markets
• UFC – Canada, U.S.
• Verizon – U.S.
• VEVO – Canada, U.K., U.S.
• VimpelCom** – Russia
• Vodafone Portugal** – Portugal
• YouTube – Available in 22 markets
• ZDF – Germany
• Zune**– Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, U.K., U.S.

Also note that Verizon FiOS will offer 26 channels of its own including MTV, Spike, Food Network, Comedy Central, HBO, CNN and Nickelodeon with more to come. Comcast is bringing Xfinity On Demand which will grant access to over 10,000 episodes of "catch-up TV."

*Xbox LIVE Gold membership and/or other subscriptions/fees required. Kinect functionality varies by feature, provider and region.

**Denotes existing partners on Xbox LIVE available today.