Microsoft has partnered with ESPN to bring college basketball and other programming available for download to its Xbox 360 video game console.
Users will be able to buy entire NCAA basketball and football games, the X Games competitions and programs like ESPN’s “Madden Nation”, which covers a competition of Madden NFL video game players, from the Xbox Live Web site.
Users of Xbox 360 can purchase commercial free standard-definition versions of select NCAA games for $3, and high-definition versions for $4.50, within 48 hours of the games completion. ESPN TV shows along with other TV content on the Xbox Live download site is $2 for standard definition and $3 for high definition.
As part of the deal, ESPN is looking for ways to integrate the Xbox Live online gaming community into its broadcasts. ESPN said it does not have clear plans for how it will be done.
Ross Honey, a senior director of the media entertainment group at Microsoft told the AP, “At the end of the day, most of our consumers are young males. You have a perfect match here.”
“Delivering content through Xbox 360 is another way that we can connect fans with the sports they have such passion for,” said Matt Murphy, senior vice president of digital video distribution for Disney and ESPN Media Networks.
