A variety of channels and video-on-demand are offered

Jan 5, 2015 22:12 GMT  ·  By

The team at Microsoft in charge of the Xbox One home console announces that it is entering a partnership with the new Sling TV service, which is backed by DISH, in order to introduce a new application for the platform which will deliver a wealth of television and video-on-demand content.

The official announcement on the Xbox Wire states that gamers will be able to get access to a variety of channels, including ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, TBS, Food Network, HGTV, Cartoon Network, Disney Channel and more, and that all will be offered for 20 dollars a month (16 Euro).

The launch of the Sling TV app on the Xbox One is planned for the coming weeks and there are no other fees associated with it.

Microsoft also says that the service will be offered for free for one month to all those who have the device, and the wording seems to suggest that it will also be offered on other platforms after that.

Bassil El-Khatib, the vice president of Sling TV, states, "We created the live Internet TV service for millennial consumers underserved by the pay-TV industry. One of the keys to reaching this audience is being on the devices they use, and we know millions of consumers are turning on their Xbox every day to access content they love."

Mike Nichols, the corporate vice president of marketing for the Xbox brand, adds, "We’re committed to bringing great entertainment options to gamers and our relationship with Sling TV is an important milestone in that journey and in offering more choices to our Xbox fans."

Xbox One needs to deliver both games and entertainment

Microsoft has said that it wants to make its new home console a powerful entertainment platform since its existence was first revealed.

The addition of Sling TV is an important step but it's unlikely that it will offer all the programs that users can get using a traditional cable service.

The fact that entertainment is the focus at Microsoft at the moment might also be a problem for long-term fans of the Xbox brand, who might believe that games are becoming less important to the company.

At the moment, the Xbox One has managed to cut the lead that the PlayStation 4 enjoys in sales worldwide after the big price cut that was implemented in time for the holidays.

Xbox One Sling TV Images (5 Images)

Sling TV comes to Xbox One
Entertainment deviceComplex platform
+2more