Dan Warne21 August 2009, 10:49 AM
PlayStation3 owners will soon be able to view ABC TV on demand via their TV, in a joint announcement from ABC and Sony.
ABC iView is ABC's free website that offers a range of ABC programs streamed in high resolution (though not high definition).
When the trial launches later this year, people located in Australia with a PS3 will be able to watch ABC iView formatted ideally for their TV through the PS3 via the PlayStationNetwork (PSN), Sony's online content and service platform.
ABC’s Director of Television, Kim Dalton, says the trial is the first in a series of developments to extend ABC iView to a wider audience. “We want to make our content as accessible as possible to our audience. Increasingly, that means extending our online reach so Australians can watch what they want, when they want it. Today’s gaming consoles, televisions and dvd players all have internet capability and we’re excited to be able to team up with Sony Playstation, as the first step in integrating ABC TV content into new online platforms and technologies.”
Managing Director Sony Computer Entertainment Australia (SCE Aust.), Michael Ephraim, says "Our announcement with ABC shows that PlayStation 3 remains on the cutting edge of delivering expanded entertainment services both globally and locally."
The trial is part of wider plans by Sony to extend the entertainment functionality of the PS3 console to include optimised catch up TV as part of the offer.
The PS3 has an internet-enabled browser and video playback function that allows its users to play videos while navigating options with the PS3 game controller.
ABC iView currently has over 300 TV episodes available on demand. In July 2009, iView averaged 764,000 visits, with 47% of users visiting more than once.
The agreement between ABC TV and Sony is non-exclusive, which means ABC TV is in discussions with a number of other companies about making ABC iView accessible on their platforms too. ABC did not mention them, but Ethernet-enabled BluRay players, PVRs and the Xbox360 could be possible platforms for ABC to partner with.