Microsoft, Fox Set TV, News, Web Video Apps

Microsoft Corp. and News Corp. yesterday announced plans to launch a series of new apps for Xbox Live that will feature content from News Corp.’s broadcast, news and Web properties. The apps will incorporate content — as well as voice- and motion-activated controls using Kinect for Xbox 360 — from brands including Fox Broadcasting Co., Fox News Channel, IGN Entertainment Inc. and the Wall Street Journal.

Video content from the Fox News Channel and Fox apps will be made available to authenticated subscribers of participating cable and satellite television distributors. News Corp. expects to announce authentication agreements to support the Fox and Fox News apps in the near future.

All the News Corp. apps will be available to Xbox Live Gold members and are slated to launch in 2012.

“This new partnership with News Corp., which will bring Fox, Fox News, IGN and the Wall Street Journal to the Xbox Live service, is a significant milestone in our vision to bring consumers the entertainment they love, shared with the people they care about, made easy,” said Alex Garden, general manager, Xbox Live. “With these new properties on Xbox, you’ll have great on-demand TV options, and using the magic of Kinect, you’ll be able to find the entertainment you want by simply using your.”

“As we continue to find new ways to deliver content to consumers, this partnership with Xbox Live enables our viewers to experience News Corp.’s leading media brands in an entirely new and innovative environment,” said Jon Miller, chief digital officer, News Corp. “We look forward to working closely with Microsoft to continue evolving the media experiences on Xbox Live and to enable consumers to take advantage of this incredibly popular and fast-growing platform.”

The Fox Broadcasting app will give authenticated subscribers access to Fox’s popular primetime shows in a new category-defining app environment on the Xbox Live service. Extensive short- and long-form programming will be available through the Fox app, including on-demand availability of leading shows, such as “Glee,” “House,” “New Girl,” “Bones,” “Fringe,” “The Simpsons,” “Family Guy” and others. The app will also include a number of interactive features, such as Facebook integration, as well as voice and motion control via Kinect.

The Fox News Channel app will bring users access to hundreds of news and entertainment videos straight to their home Xbox system. The app will also include voice commands and navigation with a controller and with simple .

WSJ Live from the Wall Street Journal will offer up to four total hours of live video programming each business day from across the Wall Street Journal Digital Network, including the Journal, Dow Jones Newswires, Barron’s, MarketWatch, SmartMoney and AllThingsD.com. Users will be able to access seven half-hour live shows, breaking news updates, exclusive interviews and special events coverage. The service will also offer more than 2,000 videos per month from an extensive library of on-demand content.

Dedicated to all-things gaming, the IGN Entertainment app will offer previews, reviews, gameplay videos and live streams, as well as instant access to game help walkthroughs and IGN’s catalog of popular shows, including The Daily Fix and IGN_Strategize. Fans of IGN.com can queue up videos from a browser with a new “watch later” feature. The app will also have full support for Kinect magic, voice control, and Facebook sharing.