GridNetworks Announces Support for GridCast TV on Sony's PS3

235w ago - Support for Xbox 360, Internet-enabled TVs, and now the PlayStation 3 allows the new GridCast TV service to deliver high-value Internet video to over 36 million homes today using existing devices.

Press Release: SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Video delivery platform provider GridNetworks today announced support for GridCast TV on the Sony PlayStation 3.

The GridCast TV service, which launched last month, enables content distributors and owners to stream video directly over the Internet to viewers' TVs without requiring a set-top box or any other additional hardware.

GridCast TV uses existing UPnP (universal plug and play) devices such as the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Internet-enabled TVs.

GridCast TV can now be viewed by anyone with an Internet-connected Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3. With combined support for these two gaming consoles, which hold a majority of console market share, GridCast TV can reach over 36 million homes worldwide, with roughly half of those in the U.S.

These numbers are also growing quickly, with Microsoft recently announcing the biggest Black Friday ever for the Xbox 360, with record sales on one of the biggest shopping days of the year for U.S. retailers.

"Microsoft and Sony know that today's console gamers are perfectly suited for new TV offerings," said broadband media expert Colin Dixon in a report for TDG, a market planning and research firm that is a leading voice regarding the diffusion of broadband video.

"The segment is dominated by males between the ages of 18 and 35--a prized advertising demographic--with little sense of loyalty to their 'local' cable or telephone company. They are also heavy viewers of online video and quite comfortable spending money for online digital media."

Dixon's report for TDG further quantifies this dynamic, with numbers that underline the opportunity available to video content distributors who can reach gaming console audiences:

- Approximately 190 million households will use a next-generation game console by 2012;
- 80% of these households--148 million--will have this console connected to the Internet; and
- 75% of connected-console households--more than 110 million--will use console-based video services at least a couple times each week.

GridNetworks CEO Tony Naughtin said, "Support for the PlayStation 3 further broadens the Internet reach we give content owners into their viewers' living rooms.

And just as with GridCast TV over the Xbox 360 and Internet-enabled TVs, our customers don't have to give their content to a third party, or negotiate with cable or satellite providers. They remain in control of their brand, content, and revenue."