PlayStation 3 to stream ITV and Channel 4

13 Dec 2010

Marking the further convergence of gaming consoles with mainstream TV services, Sony is putting ITV and Channel 4’s catch-up services ITV Player and 4oD on its PlayStation 3 console.

The move is intended by Sony to boost demand for its console in the UK market by 10pc.

The new services are expected to go live this week.

Until now, ITV’s catch-up service was only available on Virgin Media and BT Vision.

The move positions the PlayStation 3 platform on a much broader base for home entertainment and will give people more reasons to buy the device.

Technology rival Microsoft already has an agreement in place with satellite TV firm BSkyB. A deal signed last year between BSkyB and Microsoft means Xbox 360 owners have access to live and on-demand pay-TV content via their consoles.

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com