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Xbox One to offer StarHub content

SINGAPORE — StarHub has entered into a partnership with Microsoft Xbox to offer its television channels on the game console, marking the first such collaboration in Singapore.

Mr Alvin Soh, assistant 
vice-president 
of entertainment and SmartLife at StarHub, at the Xbox One showcase 
on Monday. 
Photo: Microsoft

Mr Alvin Soh, assistant
vice-president
of entertainment and SmartLife at StarHub, at the Xbox One showcase
on Monday.
Photo: Microsoft

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SINGAPORE — StarHub has entered into a partnership with Microsoft Xbox to offer its television channels on the game console, marking the first such collaboration in Singapore.

The move also signals StarHub’s intention to expand its content offering beyond traditional set-top boxes.

Microsoft’s latest incarnation of the Xbox, the Xbox One, due to launch in Singapore on Sept 23, will allow users to download StarHub’s TV Anywhere app for free on the console after it is released.

Viewers who do so will gain access to the app’s line-up of 89 channels, including one FreeView Channel and SuperSports Arena. This is the first Xbox One cable television app in Asia.

Xbox said users need not subscribe to StarHub’s cable services to access the app and that SuperSports Arena would be available at no additional cost as long as users register online with StarHub for a free Hub ID.

In a feature exclusive to the Xbox One, the StarHub TV Anywhere app recognises voice and gesture commands and will allow users to search for StarHub content via Microsoft’s Bing search engine on the console.

Customers can also use the Xbox SmartGlass app to turn their mobile devices into remote controls to interact with the StarHub TV Anywhere app directly.

When approached by TODAY, StarHub, citing commercial sensitivities, declined to comment if it would offer new content exclusive to the Xbox One, but said it was “open to developing new propositions with Microsoft for Xbox One customers”.

It also declined to provide further details on the financial aspects of the partnership.

“This latest collaboration between StarHub and Microsoft is good news for both our customers,” Ms Lin Shu Fen, head of entertainment and SmartLife at StarHub, told TODAY. “StarHub TV customers can now opt for an enhanced user experience from the unique voice recognition and motion command features, while users of Microsoft’s Xbox One can access up to 89 of our popular TV Anywhere channels, including On Demand content.”

Internationally, popular content providers such as NetFlix and Hulu have offered TV shows and movies for access via gaming consoles such as Xbox and Amazon’s new Fire TV Box.

Last year, Microsoft said the Xbox One’s release was delayed in Asian markets due to the time needed to create the “right localised content, right applications”.

The collaboration between StarHub and Microsoft was announced on Monday as Xbox showcased its line-up of blockbuster games coming to Singapore when the game console goes on sale on Sept 23.

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