Microsoft brings television and movies to the Xbox 360

Citizens of the Microsoft gaming world can now experience television and movies like never before. On its first year anniversary, Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 is set to redefine entertainment as we know it.

Microsoft's efforts at convergence have certainly come a long way with the announcement that the Xbox Live Marketplace will now provide loyalists with the option to own full length TV shows and rent downloadable movies over broadband, from a consortium of industry leaders that includes Warner Bros Home Entertainment, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), CBS, Turner Broadcasting Systems Inc., Paramount Pictures and MTV Networks. Plans to add new content for download every week are on the anvil.

The Xbox 360 has been breaking records since its launch last November. 6 million units of the platform were sold by the end of September 2006, granting the Xbox 360, the distinct honor of being the fastest console to reach 5 million units sold. The Xbox 360 is expected to be made available in 37 countries by the end of the year sales are expected to cross the 10 million threshold.