Sky Player coming to Xbox 360

Sky has struck a deal with Microsoft to bring live football, TV and movies to the Xbox 360 games console.

Under the partnership, Sky's channels will be available on the Xbox 360 through the Sky Player service from autumn.

The deal puts Microsoft on level pegging with rivals Sony and Nintendo, whose respective consoles, PlayStation 3 and the Wii, can both access catch-up TV content via the the BBC's iPlayer.

To view Sky content on the Xbox 360 people won't need a set-top box, satellite dish or even be a subscriber to Sky, though Sky hinted that there could be deals for subscribers resulting in reduced costs.

Sky's commercial group director Stephen Nuttall said Sky on Xbox 360 was an "extra convenience, a choice; it's a complement and alternative to the existing methods of experiencing Sky's content".

The line-up of channels and content available via the Xbox 360 will be similar to the existing Sky Player service, available on PCs and Macs, said Nuttall.

Sky also played up the community aspect of watching TV over the internet, saying that viewers will be able to chat to each other while online.