iPlayer on Xbox 360 Delayed
According to sources who’ve spoken to the Telegraph, a deal between the BBC and Microsoft has been unable to be reached due to Microsoft’s strategy of charging for content on Live, which the BBC feel they cannot charge for as access to the iPlayer as it is already included in the licence fee.
“Microsoft only wants to offer its users access to platforms it can charge for as this is the model it is pursuing. It wants to ensure that only those paying for Xbox Live Gold accounts can access its additional content services and even then there is usually a charge on top to get access to those. For example, to access the Sky Player on Xbox, you have to pay for a Gold subscription as well as a Sky subscription,” explained one source close to the BBC.
“It is really frustrating for those involved on the BBC side who want to make sure iPlayer is rolled out on as many popular entertainment platforms as possible,” they added.
A BBC spokesman said: “BBC iPlayer has been extremely successful on PS3 and we recently re-launched on Nintendo Wii, from which the public response has been fantastic. People clearly want the BBC iPlayer on their gaming consoles, and we don’t think Xbox users are any different.”