Only currently available to those who pay the £60 per year tariff on the Xbox Live Gold system to access Microsoft’s gaming network, customers of Xbox Live will be able to subscribe to a similar package as long as they are already Sky customers. Director of On-Demand content for Sky, Griffin Parry said “This initiative is designed both for existing Sky subscribers and for people who, for whatever reason, either do not want or are not able to fit a satellite dish to their homes.”

Costing £15 per month to customers who are Xbox Live subscribers but not Sky customers, digital content will be available on-demand, however without content from sports and movie channels. In addition to being able to simple watch content, the move will also encourage socialising across the network. For example, a customer watching a live football match has the option to invite friends to watch as well.

Mr Parry explained “This deal gives Sky the chance to get our content to a new demographic. Our research shows that many Xbox Live subscribers are in their late twenties or early thirties, with no children yet, and no mortgage. A package like this, which is renewed monthly rather than annually, could appeal to a new demographic for us.”

After revealing its 3DTV which runs through the current Sky+HD box in December, Sky has announced that it will be launching the mainstream service in 2010. The move will make Sky the first European broadcaster to offer 3D television services.

In a statement by the company they revealed that “the channel will offer a broad selection of the best available 3D programming, which is expected to include movies, entertainment and sport. The service will be broadcast across Sky’s existing HD infrastructure and be available via the current generation of Sky+HD set-top boxes.” They added that “to watch 3D, customers will also required a new ‘3D Ready’ TV, which are expected to be on sale in the UK next year.”

Though not currently on sale, ‘3D Ready’ TV’s are expected to launch within the next 18months, with Panasonic and LG already revealing prototype sets. And with the current film market gearing towards 3D, it seems natural for Sky to follow the trend. Brian Lenz, Sky’s 3D expert said that Hollywood directors such as George Lucas and Steven Spielberg were already focussing on 3D films. In addition with James Cameron’s confirmation that “Titanic” was undergoing 3D treatment and his next film Avatar geared towards a 3D market, the future’s television experience was sure to follow the emerging new direction of the film industry.

Sky Customer Group managing director Brian Sullivan explained that their customers had already unknowingly prepared themselves. “With Sky+ as standard, our customers are already enjoying amazing picture and sound quality on a range of high-quality HD channels which cater to the interests and passions of the whole family. 3D is a genuinely ‘seeing is believing’ experience, making TV come to life as never before. Just like the launch of digital, Sky+ and HD, this is the latest step in our commitment to innovating for customers.”