15 January 2008
BT has teamed up with Microsoft to offer BT Vision via the Xbox 360 games console.
On-demand content from the BT Vision service will be available via the Xbox platform from the middle of this year.
Unlike the dedicated set-top box the Xbox will not be able to support live TV or record it.
To get the service, customers will have to first subscribe to BT broadband.
As well as access to BT's library of on-demand content, users will also be able to watch a wide inventory of movies and other digital content, including near-live FA premier League football matches.
The partnership was announced by Microsoft in Las Vegas at the CES show.
BT is hoping that the partnership could help tap into the popularity of the Xbox and expand its broadband TV service.
Sales of BT Vision have been somewhat sluggish according to critics, with BT signing up around 100,000 subscribers since launching in November 2006.
Nick Thomas, a media analyst at research firm Jupiter, said:
It will definitely make its broadband service more attractive but there are challenges. People have to sign up to a 12 month broadband contract and not all Xbox owners may want to do that,
The fact that it cannot offer the Freeview content or DVR (digital video recorder) functionality of the dedicated BT Vision set-top box - known as a V-box - may also prove a barrier.
According to BT Vision chief executive Dan Marks the Xbox could be the first of several new platforms for the service, he comments:
Our aim is to provide BT Vision on multiple platforms - giving customers greater convenience, control and flexibility over what they watch, when they watch and how they watch TV.
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