By Stevie Smith Aug 31, 2007, 15:51 GMT
While Apple is this week preparing to bring high-powered network television shows to UK audiences via its popular iTunes Store, American software giant Microsoft Corporation has signed up with leading entertainment studio 20th Century Fox to bring two entire seasons of Family Guy to its Xbox Live Marketplace download service.
Due to go Live this coming Monday, August 03, the animated comedy exploits of the Griffin family will be unleashed on Xbox Live subscribers a mere three weeks prior to the August 25 arrival of Microsoft’s flagship gaming title, the hotly anticipated Halo 3 first-person shooter. And, while some media providers and rival game companies might shy away from the resulting shadow set to be cast by Bungie’s final instalment of the Halo series, Fox executive vice president Jamie McCabe couldn’t be happier.
"This is our first [Fox product on Live]," said McCabe. "We hope to have other content on there, but right now with the launch of ‘Halo 3’ and the launch of the new season of ‘Family Guy’ coming out, the timing really worked well for this one."
Specifically, McCabe sees the shared monthly slot between Family Guy and Halo 3 as "about as perfect a demographic fit as we can get" in reference to the fact that both the successful TV show and hugely popular videogame both enjoy the concentrated attentions of the 18-to-34 consumer group, which is regarded as somewhat of a media ‘sweet spot’.
The news is also notable from the angle that Fox does not, at this moment, have a deal with Apple to deliver Family Guy content via its market-dominating iTunes Store, with Microsoft snatching the honour of providing the very first platform for the Seth McFarlane-created rib poke at American society.
Live subscribers armed with an Xbox 360 console will be able to purchase the episode-by-episode antics of the Griffin family from the opening two seasons of the hit show for 160 Microsoft Points each, which equates to approx. $2.00 USD. Also, the DVD movie release "Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story" will also be available for download at the same price.
The securing of Family Guy by Redmond-based Microsoft clearly shows the company’s continuing ambitions to evolve the Xbox 360 into an entertainment hub for the whole family rather than it being merely a next-generation videogame console. Along with content from 20th Century Fox, Xbox Live now also includes media provided by the likes of Lionsgate, Miramax, MTV, New Line, Paramount, Turner Broadcasting, and Warner Brothers.
Your Talkback on this Story