Lots of additional sports and other content are coming to Xbox Live later this year, Microsoft announced today. Declaring its intent to be “the home for sports fans everywhere,” the company listed several licensing agreements that make popular games and coverage available via Xbox Live.
Two which received particularly enthusiastic applause at Microsoft’s E3 press conference involve the NBA and the NHL.
Basketball fans will be offered NBA Game Time with NBA.com League Pass Broadband (in the U.S.) and NBA League Pass (outside of the U.S.). Subscribers will have access to hundreds of out of market live games, although blackout restrictions apply in the U.S. and some international markets. Game highlights and current player statistics are also part of the package.
Hockey fans will be offered NHL GameCenter Live, unless they live in Denmark, Finland, Norway or Sweden. Live games, in-game interactivity, and on-demand replays and highlights are part of the subscription, although there will be out-of-market and blackout restrictions.
A more wide-ranging agreement brings ESPN to Xbox in the U.S. It includes 24/7 live programming through WatchESPN from ESPN Networks (ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN 3 and ESPN U). Among the shows subscribers will get live on Xbox are SportsCenter, SportsNation, The Mike and Mike Show, and ESPN’s coverage of the NFL, MLB and the NBA.
Xbox is adding more than just sports, though. Nickelodeon will be available in the U.S., as will Univision’s Spanish- and English-language upcoming digital network UVideos.
Other entertainment partnerships for the Xbox include:
- Absolute Radio – U.K.
- Ameba TV – Canada, U.S.
- BreakMedia – Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, Singapore, South Africa, U.K., U.S.
- Comedy Central Stand Up – U.S.
- Comoyo – Denmark, Norway, Sweden
- Corus Entertainment’s Franklin the Turtle – Canada
- GameSpot TV – Australia, Canada, U.K., U.S.
- Headweb – Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden
- Indie Flix – U.S.
- Machinima – All Xbox LIVE markets
- Napster – Germany, U.K.
- Paramount Movies – U.S.
- Picturebox – U.K.
- Quickflix – Australia, New Zealand
- Rakuten ShowTime – Japan
- Revision3 – Canada, U.K., U.S.
- Rhapsody – U.S.
- RTL XL – Netherlands
- Slacker Radio – Canada, U.S.
- SnagFilms – U.S.
- Terra (Sunday TV) – Brazil,Chile,Colombia,Mexico
- The AOL On Network – Australia, Canada, Netherlands, U.K., U.S.
- The Weather Channel – U.S.
- The Whistle – U.S.
- TOU.TV – Canada
- TV3 – Spain
- Twitch TV – U.S.
- Univision – U.S.
- Wuaki – Spain
- Youzee – Spain
Cant wait!