ITV Player, 4OD This Week

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If British tax-dodging newspaper, The Guardian, is to be believed, we’re getting two new channels added to the PlayStation 3′s catch-up TV services. The liberal paper has spoken to several key players in the deals and is reporting it as an example of the convergence of new and old media.

It is unclear if this move is the addition of separate internet apps, similar to the incredibly successful iPlayer, or if it will simply be a case of fixing the service’s native websites to work with the PlayStation 3′s extremely fussy browser.

ITV has recently rejected deals with YouTube and US service, Hulu (who are working towards a UK launch, apparently) in favour of growing their streaming user base with the aid of Sony’s home console as well as various other strategies which could see the service being opened up to iPad users and those lucky enough to have internet enabled televisions.

4OD already streams some of its programming via YouTube and they are seemingly open to any potential outlets for their content but Sarah Rose (Director of Commercial Business Development) said that Microsoft had not been as proactive in their approach to securing UK television content as Sony had.

The Guardian goes to great lengths to point out that this is all possible thanks to the face of gaming becoming more acceptable to modern society. While that attitude may seem a little patronising on the surface, it is difficult to argue with.We’ve heard many stories of people who are outside of the traditional console consumer base buying the PlayStation 3 simply for its media capabilities.

With the spread of HD, Blu-ray and 3D television being pushed ever-harder at market we can only imagine that there will be many more people taking the plunge who haven’t the slightest intention of queuing up for Uncharted 3.

I'm more suprised at the talk of video gaming in the snobbish Guardian news paper than I am at the news of ITV Player and 40D coming to PS3.