Microsoft has signed a deal with Canal+ Group which will make the pay-TV operator's films available on-demand to French owners of the Xbox 360 games console, as well as premium drama and its football package Foot+, via the Xbox Live online service.
French console owners will also be able to use Xbox Live technology to engage with friends via their avatars and to chat during football games, as well as access scores and statistics during the broadcasts, in the same way as for the Sky Player agreement announced earlier this month. There are an estimated 1mn subscribers of Xbox Live in France.
"The partnership will initially focus on the on-demand services from Canal+, Canalplay and Foot+," said Microsoft in a press release. "Ultimately, it will be extended to other products of the Canal+ Group as well as other Microsoft platforms."
