FCC Filing Points To New Video Service Coming To Game Consoles

A recently posted FCC filing hints that a major pay TV service may be planning to use "widely-marketed consumer electronics devices, such as game consoles" to distribute subscription and on-demand video programming. The filing [PDF], posted last week, refers to an FCC phone call that discussed contract negotiations between the Fox Group and a multichannel video programming distribution (MVPD) partner. That MVPD partner will purportedly be expanding its services to game consoles and other devices "in the near future," according to the filing. There's no evidence as to which MVPD was being discussed, though it's safe to assume it's a major cable, FiOS, or satellite provider that operates in the United States. Fox used this distributor's pending device expansion to argue that the FCC doesn't need to step in to enforce standards for home video delivery, such as the proposed AllVid system. The argument echoes a similar one made earlier in the week by The Walt Disney Company [PDF]. Since last October, AT&T has let subscribers to its UVerse IPTV service use their Xbox 360s as a secondary set-top box to stream live video content and manage DVR playback. Purely internet-based services Netflix and Hulu Plus also offer video content through game consoles, and both the Xbox 360 and PS3 allow users to buy and rent movie and TV content directly through their online marketplaces.