Sony and Sky in talks for content on PSP

PSP News | Hoping to bring shows such as Lost and 24 to the handheld.

After slowly losing ground in the handheld market, Sony is hoping to rejuvenate its PSP console by providing consumers with content from world renowned television station Sky, reports New Media Age.

Apparently Sony has pitched a deal with Sky to allow the download of such television shows as Lost and 24, which Sky broadcasts in the UK and Ireland, to the PSP. Other programs under its wing are The Simpsons, Pokemon, Deadwood & Stargate SG-1 (among others), which are largely popular programs that’ll draw a crowd if the service is successful.

The service is expected to encourage gamers to use the device as a multimedia device, in light of the failure of UMD. Such an initiative has already proven successful with Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Live service, which gives gamers the ability to download television shows onto their console.

The service is understood to be released later this year. More as we get it.

Related Content

PSP selling just fine, thanks - Sony
01 Dec, 2006 In the US.

PlayStation Portable 3.0 firmware now available
21 Nov, 2006 Display PlayStation 3 content on the PSP.

New PSP firmware released
02 Jun, 2006 Not much but it's an upgrade.

18 Comments

Nick

5 years ago

Save a handheld gaming device with tv shows...

Vervain

5 years ago

Well since I happen to have a PSP I will definitely make use of this if it happens. Especially for Pokemon.

GOTTA CATCH 'EM ALL! POKEMON!

magrat

5 years ago

Can't really imagine how Nintendo are going to allow Pokemon TV shows on a PSP...does Sky even have the right to redistribute the shows they are broadcasting?

sonicwired

5 years ago

magrat wrote

Can't really imagine how Nintendo are going to allow Pokemon TV shows on a PSP...does Sky even have the right to redistribute the shows they are broadcasting?

I guess that would depend on what Sky's licence allows them to do with the show and whether or not it would impact any of The Pokemon Company/Nintendo's distribution plans.

Vervain

5 years ago

Nintendo don't actually own the rights do they? I'm not sure if they do for the games (although since they're all released on Nintendo consoles I reckon they might), but isn't the show owned by like Shonen Jump or some other company?

If they're broadcasting them then they should be allowed to put them as a download like that as technically isn't it just like broadcasting it on a different medium?

InvivnI

5 years ago

The fact that it's so easy to get an entire TV series stored onto the memory stick kinda defeats the purpose of the initiative. In fact, the way that it's so easy to hack the console is killing it.

admeister

5 years ago

InvivnI wrote

The fact that it's so easy to get an entire TV series stored onto the memory stick kinda defeats the purpose of the initiative. In fact, the way that it's so easy to hack the console is killing it.

You may be right. PSP is like an open book really, so many people are taking advantage of it. DS is still relatively unmodified, but not completely untouched. Nintendo left a lot less entrances than Sony did.

renegadesx

5 years ago

I see alot of that happening, like Microsoft's Zune service allowing TV shows (like iTunes) like that and integrate it into the 360, where it becomes an on-demand TV service, eliminating the need for Media Center PC's

I personally think Sony should do a deal with Apple where they can put iTunes on the PSP and PS3

Vervain

5 years ago

renegadesx wrote

I personally think Sony should do a deal with Apple where they can put iTunes on the PSP and PS3

I think they must have some sort of a deal with Apple already if they're able to play AAC encoded mp3's. So the PSP and PS3 should eventually be able to use itunes itself.

renegadesx

5 years ago

Vervain wrote

renegadesx wrote

I personally think Sony should do a deal with Apple where they can put iTunes on the PSP and PS3

I think they must have some sort of a deal with Apple already if they're able to play AAC encoded mp3's. So the PSP and PS3 should eventually be able to use itunes itself.

No offense, but AAC encoded MP3's? Kinda like saying its a Windows Media encoded DiVX files. MP3 and AAC are 2 different competing codecs. AAC is a better sound format than MP3, but the open source Ogg Vorbis is even better. Although Sony can use AAC they do not have Apple's Fairplay DRM (Digital Restrictions Management). Which Sony themselves forced Apple to develop

Steve Jobs does not want to license Fairplay to other companies considering that it will be harder to manage. But putting iTunes on the system itself would mean it would still be Apple managing it

When these record companies realize that DRM is not going to do anything to prevent piracy and abolish it then it should be easier, but people are stupid so DRM may not go away anytime soon

Microsoft would be fine with integrating Zune with its DRM on the 360 because its still the same company and would help Zune more than the 360 considering its been hailed as a total failure so far

Vervain

5 years ago

renegadesx wrote

Vervain wrote

renegadesx wrote

I personally think Sony should do a deal with Apple where they can put iTunes on the PSP and PS3

I think they must have some sort of a deal with Apple already if they're able to play AAC encoded mp3's. So the PSP and PS3 should eventually be able to use itunes itself.

No offense, but AAC encoded MP3's? Kinda like saying its a Windows Media encoded DiVX files. MP3 and AAC are 2 different competing codecs.

No need to get snippy okay? I know they're different formats but I didn't know exactly what they were called. So I just said AAC encoded mp3's okay?

Spanca

5 years ago

^ You're missing the point of what he was saying (never thought I'd be sticking up for renegadesx). You speaking of a deal with Apple to play AACs suggests that you thought AACs were an exclusive format to Apple. They're not. AAC files are just mp4 audio encoded files, and are not a proprietary format at all. The only reason there's a perceived link to Apple is that they use them (with DRM included) for their music store, and they set the default encoding in iTunes when you rip a CD to be AAC (without DRM).

So renegadesx' comparison with Windows Media and Divx etc is spot on, it's like saying a proprietary encoding of an open (to an extent) format, which isn't true.

Edit: at least that's what I think renegadesx was getting at. Re-reading his post indicates that he may have been correcting you on AAC/mp3, in which case he was being a tad pedantic.

Vervain

5 years ago

Spanca wrote

Okay I see where I made the mistake. Still if they've released iTunes on mobile phones then why not on the PSP?

Spanca

5 years ago

That was a one-off, pathetic, deal with Motorola that bombed big time. In the face of the iPhone, it appears quite obvious that Apple was doing it just to get some inside knowledge of the mobile phone industry. I think that Motorola have dropped that whole idea now. If you've seen the Apple keynote where that deal was announced, you could see that Steve Jobs wasn't all that excited by the Rokr (Moto's crap phone for it), as it really was implemented poorly, and lacking that "Apple" flourish that you'd expect when they're name is attached to it.

With regards to the PSP, Sony have competed strongly with the iPod for a long time so it's never been in their interest to support iTunes. That said, they've just started making iPod speaker systems, so it seems like they're finally conceding their failure.

Vervain

5 years ago

Spanca wrote

Who knows, maybe they might release iTunes on the PSP to get some inside knowledge of the gaming industry and try to follow Microsoft's lead?

renegadesx

5 years ago

Spanca wrote

Its pretty much it. Apples DRM will not be licensed to other companies, period, Steve Jobs said so himself (and its his decision) the way to get around that is to put iTunes itself on PS3 and PSP (just like releasing the program on Windows and Mac) which could work, allow iTunes songs and videos on Sony platforms without having to license or even share how their DRM systems work

The ideal solution was to abolish DRM, but seeing as record companies are idiots thinking that DRM actually solves the music piracy problem, its not going to happen.

The confusing thing is me and Spanca actually agreeing on something

Vervain I wasn't having a go at you, I just wanted to explain why that would never happen

Spanca

5 years ago

renegadesx wrote

The confusing thing is me and Spanca actually agreeing on something

Glitch in the Matrix.

As for RIAA labels giving up DRM, EMI has been experimenting with DRM-free downloads recently, with reportedly good results. On the other hand, the RIAA's response to Steve Jobs' open letter on music this week (saying he'd never ever license Fairplay as that would mean they could no longer guarantee the songs would be protected for the music labels) was essentially "yes licensing Fairplay would be a great idea!" I think they're lacking reading and comprehension skills over there at the RIAA.

renegadesx

5 years ago

Spanca wrote

renegadesx wrote

The confusing thing is me and Spanca actually agreeing on something

Of course the results would be good, DRM doesn't really do anything.

View as forum topic

Add Comment