An official Sony announcement rattled its way into my inbox this morning, outlining plans for SKY to provide video content for the PSP. SKY has recently launched its ‘Anytime’ service, available both via the SKY+ digital receiver, and over a broadband connection (assuming you are paying for a SKY subscription package). A move into providing digital content for the PSP has got to be seen as a hugely positive step for the Sony handheld device.

SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT EUROPE AND SKY JOIN FORCES TO DELIVER VIDEO ON DEMAND SERVICE TO PSP OWNERS

London, 27 July 2007. SKY and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) today announced the formation of a Joint Venture company to deliver on-demand entertainment content to owners of the PSP™(PlayStation®Portable) in the UK and Ireland.

The Joint Venture company, with equal Board level representation from SKY and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe will draw on the unrivalled entertainment aggregation expertise and technical leadership of SKY, and the handheld entertainment knowledge and brand power of PlayStation®. The company will establish PSP and the new ground breaking video download service as the natural partners for those seeking the ultimate choice of portable entertainment content.

Focusing exclusively on delivering video content to the PSP, the Joint Venture will initially provide a wealth of video and film content to the more than 2.3 million PSP owners in the UK and Ireland. The two companies are already in discussions with entertainment content providers across Europe to facilitate future introduction of the service to European PSP owners.

More information on the service will be announced by SCEE at Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany on Wednesday 22nd August.

At the moment details are a little thin on the ground, but as stated above, more will be known at the Games Convention on the 22nd August. I would assume that you will require a SKY subscription of some form or another to take advantage of this new service. Hopefully, if the ‘Anytime’ service is anything to go by, SKY will look to expanding the available content beyond the relatively small volume of shows and movies currently available.