With the announcement of the Windows 8 SKUs, if you took a look at the feature matrix, you would have noticed that one item major feature is missing. That feature is Media Center which still has a loyal following and if you want to know how the product will be utilized with Windows 8, it will be a "media pack" add-on to the Windows 8 Pro SKU.
The Windows blog states that "Windows Media Center will be available as an economical “media pack” add-on to Windows 8 Pro" but unfortunately does not state anything else such as if there will be additional fee to use the product.
It would appear that the Media Center add on will only work with the Pro SKU which leaves those who purchases the vanilla version of Windows 8 out of luck. This is an interesting twist as the blog states that Windows 8 Pro is for enthusiasts and in the business environment which means that Media Center is not targeted at the casual consumer anymore.
With the removal of Media Center from the native experience and requiring an additionally step to install the feature, it would seem that Microsoft is not keen on making it an integral part of the OS and this most likely marks the beginning of the end of Media Center.