GridNetworks announces 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 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.
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.