Microsoft wants the Xbox 360 to be your new TV

You’re probably going to start using your Xbox 360 a lot more starting this holiday. Today, Microsoft announced plans to work with just about every big television entertainment provider that matters for a huge holiday update. Bravo, Verizon FiOS, Comcast Xfinity, Syfy, and BBC in the UK are just a few of the companies partnering with Microsoft to bring live and on-demand TV, movies, sports, and music to Xbox LIVE users.

“Today’s announcement is a major step toward realizing our vision to bring you all the entertainment you want, shared with the people you care about, made easy,” said Don Mattrick, president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft in a prepared statement. “Combining the world’s leading TV and entertainment providers with the power of Kinect for Xbox 360 and the intelligence of Bing voice search will make TV and entertainment more personal, social and effortless.”

It’s all part of Microsoft’s master plan to fold everything you might possibly be interested in into your console. “Just say “Xbox, Bing, ‘The Office,” and Xbox finds it,” explains Microsoft in a press release outlining this holiday’s TV update.

Above: Expect to see more logos you recognize on XBLA this holiday

This means that next time you yell at your TV and wave your arms wildly, something might actually happen. With Comcast Xfinity, users will have access to over 10,000 TV episodes and Infinity On Demand’s library of movies. With Verizon FiOS, US users will also be able to watch live TV on their 360 with access to channels, like Comedy Central, HBO, CNN, MTV, Spike, Food Network, and Nickelodeon.

What’s not announced, are specific details regarding the pricing for each of the new services. Hopefully, we’ll know more once the big November 15 dashboard update arrives. In the meantime, here’s a full list of Microsoft’s entertainment partners.

ABC iView – Australia
AlloCiné – France, Germany, Spain, U.K.
Antena 3 – Spain
Astral Media’s Disney XD – Canada
AT&T** – U.S.
BBC – U.K.
blinkbox – U.K.
Bravo – U.S.
BSkyB** - U.K.
Canal+* - France, Spain
Channel 4 – U.K.
Channel 5 – U.K.
CinemaNow (Best Buy) – U.S.
Comcast – U.S.
Crackle – Australia, Canada, U.K., U.S.
Dailymotion – Available in 32 markets
EPIX – U.S.
ESPN** – U.S.
Facebook** – Available in all 35 Xbox LIVE markets
FOXTEL** – Australia
GolTV – Spain
HBO GO – U.S.
Hulu – Japan
Hulu Plus**– U.S.
iHeartRadio (Clear Channel) – U.S.
Last.fm**– U.K., U.S.
LOVEFiLM – Germany, U.K.
Manga Entertainment – U.S.
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment/Real Sports – Canada
Mediaset – Italy
MSN with MSNBC.com – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, U.K. MUZU.TV – France, Germany, Italy, Spain, U.K.
Netflix**– Canada, U.S.
Rogers on Demand – Canada
RTVE – Spain
SBS On Demand – Australia
Syfy – U.S.
Telefonica – Spain
Televisa – Mexico
“The Today Show” – U.S.
TELUS** – Canada
TMZ – U.S.
Twitter** – Available in all 35 Xbox LIVE markets
UFC – Canada, U.S.
Verizon – U.S.
VEVO – Canada, U.K., U.S.
VimpelCom** – Russia
Vodafone Portugal** – Portugal
YouTube – Available in 22 markets
ZDF – Germany
Zune**– Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, U.K., U.S.
*Xbox LIVE Gold membership and/or other subscriptions/fees required. Kinect functionality varies by feature, provider and region.
**Denotes existing partners on Xbox LIVE available today

Oct 5, 2011