Another side to the game console business*

The consoles themselves have become de facto connections to streaming services from Netflix, Hulu and others. Matter of fact, reports LAT reporters Ben Fritz and Alex Pham, video game consoles are the most common means of watching content from the Internet on a television set (Xbox 360 owners spend more time online watching video and listening to music than playing games). From the Times:

"Entertainment has always been part of our strategy, but it was in the background," said Ross Honey, general manager of Xbox Live entertainment and advertising. "Now we have the content and user experience to legitimately tell a consumer, 'This is the platform for all of your entertainment.'" At Microsoft's news conference Monday kicking off the E3 convention, the tech giant announced applications from 35 new entertainment partners coming to the Xbox 360 in the next year. Among them: Univision, Nickelodeon, the NBA and the National Hockey League. ESPN is significantly expanding its offerings on the Xbox to include live feeds of all its channels, and Microsoft is launching a music service to compete with the likes of iTunes and Spotify.

*Update: Reader points out that video game consoles are the most common means of watching content from the Internet on a television set.

Earlier: Two-sided gaming business opens its big E3 show in L.A.