News: Xbox Eyes Broadcasting Service

Microsoft is working hard to shift perceptions of its Xbox 360 as simply a gaming console to the more inclusive and potentially lucrative ‘media centre,’ with the New York Times reporting that the company is in talks with the Walt Disney Company re: a programming deal with ESPN.

The idea is to use high-speed internet links to stream video over Microsoft’s Xbox Live service, which already boasts 20 million members. The move would see the Xbox become more akin to a cable channel than a simple gaming machine. With an estimated 39 million consoles sold worldwide, the service’s potential is massive.

Providing content appears to be The Next Big Thing for console manufacturers, with Nintendo last week announcing a deal to stream movies with online film distributor, NetFlix, and Sony’s PS3 capable of watching the BBC.