BBC iPlayerThe BBC iPlayer might be storming its way to the iPhone and bedding down on the PS3 and Wii, but its absence on the Xbox 360 looks set to continue, after the BBC let slip Microsoft is not willing to provide the service for free.

The BBC wants Microsoft to give all Xbox 360 Live users access to the iPlayer, whereas Microsoft are keen to limit the service to paying Xbox Live Gold users. The service is already available free on the PS3 and the Nintendo Wii.

The fact that most UK residents have already paid for the BBC’s content via their TV licence doesn’t seem to matter to Microsoft. The software giant’s strategy is to charge for all content provided on its Live platform and it doesn’t want to make an exception for the iPlayer.

A BBC source told The Telegraph: “This does not fit with the BBC’s model and Microsoft will not budge at the moment. 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.”

Microsoft will surely have to stand down if it’s to compete with Sony in making  the Xbox a home-entertainment hub. The success of the iPlayer on the PS3 has led to Sony talking to other broadcasters, such as Channel 4, with a view to providing more TV players. Microsoft needs to pull its finger out or the Xbox 360 might just get left behind.

TBA | £TBA | BBC (via The Telegraph)

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  • http://www.electricpig.co.uk Ben Sillis

    I asked Microsoft’s UK Xbox Live marketing manager this very question a few weeks ago: I said that I didn’t believe for one second that MS hadn’t been talking to the BBC, but unsurprisingly all I got was the official Redmond stance about commitment to offer TV access through the Xbox 360 via Sky Player. Frankly this doesn’t surprise me seeing as Microsoft feels it can essentially charge for Twitter and Facebook access too, which are free on every single other platform on the planet. Wake up! People will still pay for Gold if you keep online multiplayer for it.

    • http://www.gravatar.com James Holland

      Does seem odd that they wouldn’t bundle it as part of Silver… once you realise how good the Xbox is at dragging content down from the net (movies etc) it’s enough to tempt you into online gaming too. I’m sure that’s the way it’ll go eventually, but only when MS has little-to-no other choice.

  • Stewart

    No surprise there then. Microsoft seem happy to charge gamers for services that everyone else offers for free (Facebook, Last-FM, Twitter are all free on PC and PS3), Xbox live is a Peer-Peer gaming network, there are are no servers to maintain or bandwidth costs (aside from the initial logon/authentication servers), yet still they charge £40 a year, when Sony offer the same, and in many ways better (as most PS3 exclusives use much faster dedicated servers), service for free.

    Seems there are alot of clueless Xbox fanboys, happy to pay £40 a year (the price of a game), for a service that Microsoft says is better…

    • Phil

      The Facebook, Last FM, ZUNE and Twitter applications were added as perks for those who are already gold members. As for XBL being a peer-to-peer service you really need to do your homework before making such accusations towards the service. I would also like to ask how you consider the Sony service better “in many ways” – The UI is clunky, the group or party chat is non-existent, PS Home is a joke, the arcade games rarely offer demo’s.

      And how you can reffer to the millions of XBL Gold members as ‘clueless’ for paying a tiny sum of £3.30 a month I will never know.

  • Paul Lamkin

    Anyone know why the PS3 version of the iPlayer doesn’t have the HD option yet?

  • Seb

    I think it’s the BBC who are being stubborn here. From what I read, MS are not insisting that the iPlayer is a paid for premium service, simply that it is only available to Gold subscribers. If you consider the iPlayer to be the content and xBox Live to be the delivery platform, then you are not asking consumers to pay for the BBC content, you are asking them to pay for the delivery platform, which, IMHO is perfectly fair.
    I don’t get Freeview reception where I live, its a quirk of the landscape apparently and won’t be solved for some time when the digital signals can be boosted after the analog switch off. So I am forced to pay Virgin Media for a delivery mechanism (cable TV) to be able to watch the non analog BBC services (inc. iPlayer which is only available to active subscribers). I don’t see the BBC jumping up and down insisting that Virgin give me a free cable service because they are not allowed to charge for their programmes.

    So, in summary, just launch the bloody service! Then I can ditch the PC hooked up to my TV for good.

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