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A new report indicates that Comcast, Verizon and HBO are all on board to begin streaming to XBox consoles starting this “holiday season.”
Not a lot of details are specifically known about the expected deals- pricing has not been disclosed, and Microsoft has yet to confirm which providers have signed on to provide content to device users when the service launches. Bloomberg cites “people with knowledge of the situation” who are not “authorized to speak publicly” that confirm XBox streaming could be announced as early as next week. More than twenty providers are reportedly in talks with Microsoft to provide music, sports and other entertainment for users.
Earlier this month at a developer’s conference, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer spoke about new features being added to XBox by the end of the year, and said:
“We all know the frustrations of using guides and menus and controllers, and we think a better way to do all of this is simply to bring Bing and voice to Xbox… You say it, Xbox finds it.”
But it appears Bloomberg had difficulty getting anyone to confirm the announcement on the record:
Wayne Hickey, a spokesman for Microsoft, declined to comment, as did Bobbi Henson, a spokeswoman for Verizon, and Jennifer Khoury of Comcast, which controls NBC. Greg Belloni, a Sony spokesman, had no immediate comment. Dorothy Jean, a spokeswoman for Lovefilm, declined to comment. An HBO spokesperson declined to comment.
While pricing isn’t confirmed, it is thought users will have to provide proof of paid cable service to stream to their XBoxes.
