| Mail |

You might also like: WoW Insider, Massively, and more

More Sites You Might Like

ESPN on-demand joins Xbox in 'exclusive partnership,' free for Gold members

by Andrew Yoon on Jun 14th 2010 2:19PM

In previous E3 conferences, Microsoft announced partnerships with Netflix, Last.fm, Facebook and Twitter as non-gaming enhancements to the Xbox Live "experience." This year, Xbox Live users can expect 3500 events live and on demand from ESPN in an "exclusive partnership." Content mentioned included NBA, MLB, college football, college basketball, soccer and Sports Center. However, there was no mention of NFL or NHL.

With Kinect, connected viewers are able to vote on which teams fans think can win. There will be stats and live tickers, and you'll be able to switch between games nearly instantaneously. Impressively, this service will be free for Xbox Live Gold members, undoubtedly making it one most valuable additions to the Live service.

Tags: e3-2010, espn, microsoft, streaming, xbox, xbox-live, xbox-live-gold

Reader Comments (44)

More features to Live. Bring em on!

@MLC

Features like this are the reasons why I don't mind paying $4 a month for live...

Forgive me for being slightly off topic, but did anybody else notice the new dashboard?

http://img819.imageshack.us/f/microsofte32010714rmeng.jpg/

@inspiredEpic

Joystiq says it's a dashboard specifically for Kinect.

@inspiredEpic Might just be some random thing that isn't ever going to get out there. Just a test, maybe.

OK, this is HUGE for me. I turned off my cable at the beginning of the year, and the ONLY thing I am missing is live, hi-def sports.

I'd pay a fee for this. Having it bundled into my $4/month Live Service works very, very well for me.

@copa

If more stations got on board, I'd cancel my cable and get a 360.

@copa Its free, that is cool....

@copa Keep in mind, this is basically ESPN3 (which is their online service free to select ISPs). It usually doesn't cover all nba/mlb, or college football. It's very selective. I wouldn't depend on it to watch every game you want, when you want to.

@copa Yea, this is awesome, I just canceled my cable due to a rate increase today and was really bummed about not having live sports

Can't complain with this development. This makes paying for "Live" worth the cost, so now I will be happy and finally pay if you can choose what to watch.

This is incredible. Especially for MLB. Who needs NFL on Xbox? That's what the Red Zone Channel is for.

Um, I saw during the video there was a block for NHL (it was in the clip where they show the football stadium from the sky). Not sure how much the NHL will have or be involved in, but apparently not as much as MLB, NBA, etc.

@chrswyatt

I doubt the NHL will stay on Versus for the next 10 years, you can expect them to come back to ESPN eventually in some form. At that point, they will be on your 360 as well.

@chrswyatt

I know that VS. has an exclusivity deal with the NHL. The only way you end up seeing hockey coverage on ESPN is possibly the play of the day countdown or just talking about games that already happened on sports center.

What are the odds us Canadians get blocked out of this?

@Grand Kerfuffle

I really really hope not. This sounds great

@Grand Kerfuffle This! And how about the U.K as well? We want some ESPN loving too...(returns to corner)

Sony announced streaming MLB games in HD a month or so back. Looks like Microsoft is trying to one up them by getting even more sports.

@Breakdown

Thank you Captain Obvious.

If you can watch out of market games it's one step closer to my satellite becoming simply a decoration.

Um, yeah. Cable is HISTORY. Only keeping cable modem now.

ZERO reason for me to stay on cable. Canceling cable ... now.

It would be nice if there was NFL coverage and I could save the HD quality games to my hard drive.

Im building a man cave and with this I might opt against paying for another cable box.

I am excite.

HOLY SHIT. I'm not a "sports guy", but I have heard that an ESPN subscription costs hundreds per year. Microsoft must be paying out the ass to get it free.

That was one amazing keynote... Jesus...

@ch3burashka

not so much, you're probably confusing one of those packages where you get every game from 1 league like NFL's Sunday Ticket. You dont get to watch every game being played, but you can watch whatever game ESPN is broadcasting.

ESPN carries a ton of college football and basketball, a solid number of NBA games and at least 2 feature MLB games a week. They have Monday Night Football as well. I expect all of that content to be available live and streaming.

All this is free tho >.> Just get go to ESPN3.com

Boxing please.

@Professor Lario

Friday Night Fights is pretty much guaranteed but any boxing worth watching wont be on there. HBO & Showtime arent going to give away their prized content.

This is just ESPN3, but on Xbox.

You can't depend on it for EVERY game you want to watch, but it has a health share of college football/basketball, quite a bit of nba, and a couple mlb games.

It's not as encompassing as a dedicated sports package from cable/satellite though.

@(Unverified) Have they announced that it is ESPN3? I didn't see that anywhere

Was super excited about this, until I found out its just ESPN3. Which is great, only my internet provider isn't on their list, so I can't access this. Awesome...

common sense announced it.

There was an ESPN3 logo in a corner...

It was on the showing...it clearing showed ESPN 3 on Dashboard App.

12 month gold on sale at Amazon now for $34.54 + free $5 mp3 credit

My point exactly. Sony better have some good features of they want my hard earned money!

I can't wait see what they have planned.

Can someone find out if this feature will be locked out from Canadian users?

I signed up for a US account just to get Netflix, but now they have blocked it :(

I don't have cable TV and they only thing I miss is sports. Internet streaming is ok, but sports are much more enjoyable to watch in HD. Really looking forward to this feature....if available in Canada

lemme guess here: For US users only? Like Netflix. Like Last.fm. Like pretty much the whole TV show area on the Zune Marketplace. Us europeans get squat. Thanks.

@(Unverified)

I thought last.fm was not just US. as for the other content, it's the providers not the service as to why you can't see it.

@(Unverified)

Last.fm is for everyone pretty much. Thats the main reason MS went with them instead of pandora, I'm pretty sure.

But yeah, other countries do sort of get the short end of the stick.

clearly*

omfg stupid comment system..

Breaking News

ESPN on-demand joins Xbox in 'exclusive partnership,' free for Gold members

Reader Comments (44)

Posted: Jun 14th 2010 2:31PM MLC said

Posted: Jun 14th 2010 5:24PM PlatinumSkeet said

Posted: Jun 14th 2010 2:32PM inspiredEpic said

Posted: Jun 14th 2010 2:43PM DelTrigger said

Posted: Jun 15th 2010 12:28AM BDSlive said

Posted: Jun 14th 2010 2:32PM copa said

Posted: Jun 14th 2010 2:37PM Rick James said

Posted: Jun 14th 2010 3:22PM Metal90 said

Posted: Jun 14th 2010 3:36PM jynxycat said

Posted: Jun 14th 2010 3:43PM KBank2001 said

Posted: Jun 14th 2010 2:36PM The angry pro consumer gaming ga said

Posted: Jun 14th 2010 2:38PM Chilly P slapperonlyblogspotcom said

Posted: Jun 14th 2010 2:39PM chrswyatt said

Posted: Jun 14th 2010 3:09PM Clydeftones said

Posted: Jun 15th 2010 7:50AM AndyChrist said

Posted: Jun 14th 2010 2:42PM Grand Kerfuffle said

Posted: Jun 14th 2010 4:54PM TheMainProtagonist said

Posted: Jun 24th 2010 10:04AM whookid said

Posted: Jun 14th 2010 2:43PM Breakdown said

Posted: Jun 14th 2010 3:26PM ItsameMatt03 said

Posted: Jun 14th 2010 2:44PM Corncobtacular said

Posted: Jun 14th 2010 2:56PM SchoolTech said

Posted: Jun 14th 2010 3:03PM Darayz said

Posted: Jun 14th 2010 3:06PM Mogwai 279 said

Posted: Jun 14th 2010 3:08PM Clydeftones said

Posted: Jun 14th 2010 3:08PM ch3burashka said

Posted: Jun 14th 2010 3:11PM Clydeftones said

Posted: Jun 16th 2010 7:45PM xiLeShadow said

Posted: Jun 14th 2010 3:24PM Professor Lario said

Posted: Jun 14th 2010 3:27PM Clydeftones said

Posted: Jun 14th 2010 3:38PM jynxycat said

Posted: Jun 14th 2010 3:45PM KBank2001 said

Posted: Jun 14th 2010 3:43PM Stalemem said

Posted: Jun 14th 2010 4:55PM Clydeftones said

Posted: Jun 14th 2010 4:57PM Grand Kerfuffle said

Posted: Jun 16th 2010 7:46PM xiLeShadow said

Posted: Jun 14th 2010 3:51PM KBank2001 said

Posted: Jun 14th 2010 5:29PM MLC said

Posted: Jun 14th 2010 6:19PM boopn said

Posted: Jun 14th 2010 6:56PM BFBeast666 said

Posted: Jun 14th 2010 11:22PM JCarpio said

Posted: Jun 16th 2010 1:44PM R Planteer said

Posted: Jun 16th 2010 7:47PM xiLeShadow said

Posted: Jun 16th 2010 7:47PM xiLeShadow said

Info

Description

MSRP

Release Date

Genre

Developer

Publisher

Rating

Breaking News

WB conjures up Harry Potter for Kinect this fall

Featured Stories

Weekly Webcomic Wrapup is a stranger in a strange land

Silver Lining: I Am Alive's unfeeling world

Game Of Thrones and the paradoxes of adaptation

Engadget

TUAW

Massively

WoW