The BBC still want to release the iPlayer on Xbox 360 in the near future, if Daniel Danker is correct. Danker, the general manager for programmes and on-demand, made his comments in an interview with TechRadar.
Microsoft and BBC appear to be arguing over how best to make the service available. Microsoft wants the service to be available only to Gold members on Xbox LIVE, while the BBC want the iPlayer to be made available to all members. The BBC has just rolled out an HTML5 version of the service on Sony's PlayStation 3, but the service remains oddly absent on the Xbox 360. A compromise between the two companies may eventually be reached in the future though the progress made in talks between the two is unknown.
The latest version of the iPlayer is available on both the PlayStation 3, and on so-called "smart TVs" with internet access it also boasts an overhauled interface, and also includes a new system for searching..
Microsoft's supposed goal of monetising many different features on Xbox LIVE was also spoken of after rumors appeared online that Valve want to update Team Fortress 2 on Xbox 360. Microsoft apparently blocked the release of an update from Valve on the grounds that it was not a paid update for the game. Valve intended to release it for free, as all of their previous updates were free on the PC and Mac versions of Team Fortress 2. With The Orange Box having released on the Xbox 360 in 2007 it would be nothing short of remarkable if DLC support suddenly appeared for the game, almost four years after its release.
During the interview with TechRadar, Danker was asked whether he found it frustrating for the service not to be available across all games consoles. His response was merely shrugging the question off, though he later went on to say this:
"We want to be on as many devices as possible. Of course we'd love to be on the Xbox because we want to get the iPlayer to as many licence payers as possible, which is pretty much everyone in the UK. We want to be on the cheapest level that you can have on Xbox, and not only for [Xbox Live] Gold subscribers."
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