Cable companies are looking to put their services on multiple platforms to keep customers happy (and around) and Xbox Live is looking to boost entertainment offerings to compete against console rivals like Sony’s PlayStation 3, so this makes sense. If true, Comcast’s Xfinity TV and Verizon’s FiOS could be accessed by subscribers to the pay TV services on Microsoft’s premium Xbox 360 platform, which costs $60 a year. Microsoft also is talking with HBO, Sony’s Crackle streaming service, Bravo and Syfy and Lovefilm UK among others about content deals and could announce expanded offerings next week, the Bloomberg report says. Xbox Live already offers access to entertainment offerings via Netflix, Hulu and AT&T’s U-verse. It’s all part of the bigger fight to become the ultimate Web-connected console — one that users can use to navigate between playing video games and watching DVDs and TV while surfing the Internet — that pits devices like Xbox 360 not only against PS3s but also set-top boxes like DVRs, TiVo, Roku and Apple TV.


Sounds interesting especially considering the new Verizon Fios onscreen guide is a hideous waste of time. But I’m not going to get excited until we can subscribe to channels ala carte.
What I’d really like to see is the ability to use this to drop my current cable provider but keep their Internet, instead streaming television from a provider not available in the area. It would be nice to separate the data provider from the content, could open the door to actual competition instead of only one choice in a lot of areas.
That isn’t going to happen though for obvious reasons.
Yeah wake me when it offers Amazon OnDemand.
Actually you rarely have to pay the full price for one year of Xbox Live Gold. They often have amazing deals on the dashboard where you can get a year for less than 40 dollars.
Why would Sony put Crackle on a competitor’s platform before making a Crackle app for the PS3?