ESPN and Zune music join a growing roster of world-class entertainment partners on Xbox LIVE which includes Netflix, Facebook, Twitter, Zune video, Last.fm, and Sky Player and Canal+ in Europe.

Now for the first time in the US, ESPN will offer access to 3,500 live and on-demand sporting events a year from ESPN3.com plus daily highlights from ESPN.com on the big screen via Xbox LIVE. With HD programming, out of market games, and full DVR controls, fans will never miss a beat. Beyond great content, Xbox is making your entertainment interactive and social. Access real-time score information from the world of sports without leaving the game you’re watching, voice chat with friends, pick who you think will win and see how the rest of the community voted.

Xbox LIVE is also changing the way you enjoy music in your living room with unlimited on-demand streaming of millions of songs, available through the Zune Marketplace, with a Zune Pass music subscription. Now you can enjoy a rich music experience through Xbox LIVE with features like Smart DJ, which plays songs that complement your music tastes, and the Zune online community, which connects you with like-minded music fans.

But this is only the beginning! In three days on November 4, Kinect for Xbox 360 will deliver controller-free sports, movies, music, and games for the first time to your living room. With Kinect, control your entertainment with nothing but the wave of your hand or the sound of your voice. With Video Kinect tens of millions of people will be able to enjoy living room video chat conversations with friends and family through the TV.

Europe related only

Sky Player will provide interactive and social entertainment in the living room, offering up to 32 channels including sports and films. Turn your home into a cinema or watch TV on demand – the choice is yours. Xbox LIVE Gold members will have access to hundreds of films, sporting events, TV shows and documentaries. There are also new community features allowing users to recommend their favourite TV shows to their friends and create their own customised planner. Sky will look different too, with a brand new interface following the LIVE update.

Xbox LIVE is also changing the way you enjoy music in your living room. In addition to Last.FM, from today Gold Members can now also enjoy Zune music on Xbox. With a Zune Pass[1] subscription (£8.99 per month), Gold LIVE members can enjoy unlimited music streaming from the Zune catalogue to their TV . Users can build their own playlists or let Smart DJ do it for them using the music they already like.

The Zune Movie marketplace on Xbox LIVE continues to offer unparalleled HD on-demand and a growing library of movies from the latest blockbusters to sci-fi and anime. The Zune marketplace now includes movies from 20th Century Fox as well as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM), Paramount Pictures, Universal International Television Distribution, Warner Bros, Digital Distribution and many local and independent studios.

Xbox LIVE will also expand to nine new countries on November 10, delivering on our vision of providing the entertainment you want, with the people you care about, made simple. Xbox LIVE will be launching in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Russia and South Africa.