The PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii are currently engaged in a three-way war for control of the home console market. All are installed in million of homes, and all offer different services. Online video is now becoming an important one of those.
Video games consoles seem to be in a unique position as a possible driver for online video. The cutting-edge devices are installed in millions of homes around the world, are connected to televisions, and usually connected to the Internet. That’s all the necessary ingredients right there.
We All Need Partners
Except, of course, for content. Without partners willing to make their content available for streaming or downloading through the home consoles’ Internet services, nothing can happen in this field. Luckily, partners are coming on board, realizing the potential there.
In the United States, Microsoft has partnered with Netflix (who hasn’t?) and enabled all Xbox 360 owners to stream the 12,000 ‘Watch Now’ movies through their consoles. Last month saw Europe get an added selection of content when Universal Movies joined Paramount, Warner Bros., and MGM in offering movies and television episodes.
NBC Universal On PS3
Sony is now definitely playing catch-up with the Playstation 3, but it could finally be making some progress. Last month saw MTV programs added the Playstation Network’s video store, and now comes a new deal with NBC Universal which adds movies and television shows from the network to the service.
There are now more than 1,400 movies and 4,500 TV episodes available for download through PSN. New movies include Scarface, The Big Lebowski, Wanted, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, The Incredible Hulk, and Burn After Reading. TV shows include The Office, Heroes, Battlestar Galactica and 30 Rock.
Which Leaves The Wii
This really only leaves Nintendo and its Wii console trailing behind in the sector. But maybe not for long, at least if Curt Marvis, president of digital media for Lionsgate is to be believed. In a recent interview with Variety, he not only suggested the Wii would soon be a player, but confirmed that consoles are indeed an important driver for online video.
He said:
“The thing that is clearly a force in digital are the game devices. I think when we see the Wii come into the market with the ability to stream movies, which I think is maybe going to happen as soon as this year, I think that’s going to be a big marketplace for digital distribution.”
The Wii would have a couple of huge disadvantages over its competitors – not outputting in high-definition, and having no hard drive for storing downloaded content on. However, it would be a perfect vehicle for streaming SD content to the mainstream.
Conclusions
Between them, the three current-gen home consoles are installed in 100 million homes worldwide. That’s too good a consumer base to ignore. In fact, if the online video services of all three consoles were improved and expanded, it could have a massive hand in moving downloads into the mainstream.
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