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BBC iPlayer is set to come the Xbox One — but not in time for the new console’s launch this month.
“We are working to bring BBC iPlayer to Xbox One in the future,” a spokesperson from the Beeb told me today, but the catch-up service isn’t on Microsoft’s list of video apps that will be available at first.
“We are working on a lot of great new and existing entertainment partnerships,” a Microsoft spokesperson told me, “and we’ll be regularly bringing new apps to Xbox One even faster than we were able to bring to Xbox 360.”
Here in Britain, you’ll be able to stream video through your Xbox One to your telly from Netflix, Lovefilm, Blinkbox, Sony’s Crackle, Eurosport, Machinima, Muzu TV, Ted Talks, Twitch and Wuaki.tv.
TV catch-up and on-demand comes from Channel 4’s 4oD, Five’s Demand 5 and Sky’s Now TV. But iPlayer and ITV Player are both missing.
US gamers can watch services such as ESPN, Redbox, Vudu, Hulu and HBO Go.
Microsoft made a big deal of the Xbox One’s television and video features when it took the wraps off the new console — enough in fact to provoke a backlash from gamers who felt the new Xbox was moving too far from its gaming roots.
Microsoft and the BBC have previously been at loggerheads over iPlayer on the Xbox 360, with Auntie unhappy about licence-fee payers shelling out more for Xbox Live in order to access online services such as the free iPlayer.
Sony confirmed to me today that iPlayer will be available for the Xbox’s chief rival, the PlayStation 4, also launching this month. The PS4 also supports Netflix, Now TV, Demand 5, IGN, Twitch and VidZone.
The Xbox One goes on sale in Britain on 22 November, a week before the PS4’s UK release date of 29 November. Which console gets your vote? Can the Xbox One or PS4 replace a set-top box? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or earn extra life on our Facebook page.
