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Sky News Xbox

Sky News expands digital audience with new Xbox 360 app

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By John McCarthy, Opinion Editor

September 5, 2014 | 3 min read

Sky News has extended its digital services to Microsoft’s last-generation games console, the Xbox 360, allowing millions of UK and US gamers to access live news and on demand coverage for free.

Sky News now runs on Microsoft's Xbox 360 console

Xbox Live customers were capable of accessing the 24-hour news channel from their consoles after it launched on Tuesday.

The app includes the latest breaking news as well as business, political and entertainment coverage. In addition to the live channel feed, the Sky News app also offers access to a wide range of on demand stories through a constantly updating video on demand library.

Both UK and US viewers will have news tailored to their respective regions with specifically selected editorial content.

Sky News developed the app in partnership with 1 Mainstream, a digital TV distribution platform for deploying HD video services.

Andrew Hawken, head of Sky News Digital, said: “Sky News is consistently exploring opportunities to expand our global reach. Making Sky News available on Xbox was an ideal way to achieve this. With a growing US footprint of a million users and a US news team, we’re thrilled that our coverage will be showcased to millions of Xbox customers.”

Rajeev Raman, cheif executive of 1 Mainstream, said: “We’re pleased to extend our relationship with Sky to help them expand the footprint for Sky News and to deliver its world-class journalism to millions of people in the US.

“Together with Sky, we continue to bring innovative over-the-top (OTT) services to the growing audience of connected-TV users.”

Sky New’s latest release follows an overall digital expansion which has saw the channel integrated with the Apple TV, Roku and Livestation in the last month. As a result of this, Sky News now boasts over 100 million viewers across Europe, North America, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

On the mobile front, the news broadcaster last month extended its deal with native advertising firm Outbrain to become the first UK brand to use its services to increase performance across its apps.

Sky News Xbox

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