Xbox LIVE

LONDON - 1 November 2010 – We have some exciting news to share! When you turn on your Xbox 360 today, you will be able to experience some fantastic additions to Xbox LIVE. Xbox LIVE members worldwide will have access to even more content and new ways to enjoy entertainment in the living room as part of our ongoing commitment to redefining the service as the ultimate home entertainment hub.

From 1st November we’ll see a growing roster of world-class entertainment partners on Xbox LIVE, which includes Sky Player, Last.fm, Facebook, Twitter and Zune.

Sky Player will provide interactive and social entertainment in the living room, offering up to 32 channels including sports and films. Turn your home into a cinema or watch TV on demand – the choice is yours. Xbox LIVE Gold members will have access to hundreds of films, sporting events, TV shows and documentaries. There are also new community features allowing users to recommend their favourite TV shows to their friends and create their own customised planner. Sky will look different too, with a brand new interface following the LIVE update.

Xbox LIVE is also changing the way you enjoy music in your living room. In addition to Last.FM, from today Gold Members can now also enjoy Zune music on Xbox. With a Zune Pass[1] subscription (£8.99 per month), Gold LIVE members can enjoy unlimited music streaming from the Zune catalogue to their TV . Users can build their own playlists or let Smart DJ do it for them using the music they already like.

The Zune Movie marketplace on Xbox LIVE continues to offer unparalleled HD on-demand and a growing library of movies from the latest blockbusters to sci-fi and anime. The Zune marketplace now includes movies from 20th Century Fox as well as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM), Paramount Pictures, Universal International Television Distribution, Warner Bros, Digital Distribution and many local and independent studios[2].

In addition to renting movies to watch on TV via Zune on Xbox, users can now choose to rent a movie from the Zune marketplace to download or stream instantly via a Windows-based PC or download / synch to a Windows Phone 7 to enjoy on the go. From today LIVE members in the UK can also buy movies from the Zune marketplace to own and enjoy anywhere – on the big screen via Xbox LIVE or on a PC or a Windows Phone 7.

As we redefine our entertainment services, we are also mindful of our commitment to providing a safe entertainment experience and so we have updated Family Settings as well. Xbox 360 makes family time quality time, with the introduction of the new Xbox LIVE Gold Family Pack. From November the Family Pack will offer up to four individual Xbox LIVE Gold memberships for £69.99 – less than the price of two regular Xbox LIVE Gold subscriptions. Perfect for families, the Xbox LIVE Gold Family Pack will also offer access to additional conveniences and services including the new Family Centre for easier family management, access to activity monitoring reports, and the ability to purchase and give Microsoft Points to other Xbox LIVE Gold Family Pack members.

With 25 million members spending 1 billion hours on the service each month, Xbox LIVE is the leading entertainment service in the living room and in the industry. But this is only the beginning! November 10th is a landmark date for us with the launch of Kinect for Xbox 360 delivering controller-free sports, movies, music, and games for the first time to your living room and with Video Kinect, tens of millions of people will be able to enjoy living room video chat conversations with friends through their TV.

-ENDS-

[1] Zune Pass monthly music subscription on Xbox allows for music streaming only and requires Xbox LIVE Gold subscription. Some Marketplace content may not be available via Zune Pass and may vary over time.

2 Visit Zune.net for available movies and studios in your market

For consumer media enquiries, please contact:

Baz Singh / 020 3047 4047 / baz_singh@jcpr.com

Nik Thakkar / 020 3047 4087 / nik_thakkar@jcpr.com

For specialist media enquiries, please contact:

Dominic Carey / 01189 095334 / v-docare@microsoft.com

About Xbox 360

Xbox 360 is a premier home entertainment and video game system. This November, with the addition of Kinect, Xbox 360 will forever transform social gaming and entertainment with a whole new way to play — no controller required. Xbox 360 is also home to the best and broadest games as well as the largest on-demand library of music, standard- and high-definition movies, TV shows and digital games, all in one place. The entertainment centre of the living room, Xbox 360 blends unbeatable content with the leading social network of 25 million Xbox LIVE members to create a limitless entertainment experience that can be shared at home or across the globe. More information about Xbox 360 can be found online at http://www.xbox.com.

About Xbox LIVE

Xbox LIVE is the online entertainment service for your Xbox 360, connecting you to an ever-expanding world of games, movies, TV, music, sports and social entertainment. Xbox LIVE lets you play the best games, enjoy the largest on-demand library on any console, listen to millions of songs and share the fun with friends around the world. Xbox LIVE is also the exclusive home of controller-free online entertainment through Kinect, making your Xbox 360 more intuitive and interactive than ever before. With an active community of 25 million people across 26 countries, expanding to 35 this fall, Xbox LIVE, together with Xbox 360, provides you with instant access to the entertainment you want, shared with the people you care about, wherever you are. More information about Xbox LIVE can be found online at http://www.xbox.com/live.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasal “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.