ESPN Bringing Live Sports To Xbox Live

For sports fans who own a 360, this is huge news. Moments ago, ESPN Sportscenter anchors Josh Elliot and Trey Wingo came onstage at the behest of Xbox Live general manager Marc Whitten to announce that the network will be bringing over 3,500 live and archived sports events to Microsoft's online service in the near future. This exclusive partnership will bring HD video as well as some other unique interactive features to Xbox Live, features aimed at making the system the go-to for sports fans everywhere.

To demonstrate ESPN on Xbox Live, Elliot and Wingo watched part of last year's USC/Ohio State game. By simply saying, "Xbox join USC", Elliot became part of that school's "rooting" contingent (which, according to the bottom bar, held a 60/40 advantage among the viewership). These voice commands also work for general viewing functions like instant replays. Viewers will also be able to engage in real-time trivia and other similar events during the game.

ESPN plans to bring college football, college basketball, MLB, NBA, and soccer to Xbox Live. Notably absent from the announcement was the NFL, which does run and maintain its own television network despite partnerships with ESPN. We'll be interested to see if Xbox Live will have to observe local television blackouts, as services like the NFL Sunday Ticket are obligated to do.

The good news? Xbox Live subscribers will be able to access this content at no extra cost.