PBS Goes LIVE on Xbox

Masterpiece Theater on the Xbox? Not exactly. PBS has signed a deal with Microsoft, though. According to a press release, the public television station will be adding a broad range of its full-length programming to Xbox LIVE. Up first are a trio of Ken Burns docs, including "Jazz," "Ken Burns' America" and "Ken Burns American Lives," as well as "NOVA," "Scientific American Frontiers," and "WIRED Science."

"PBS's mission is to make our content broadly available to the public, and our commitment is to be wherever consumers are accessing media," says Andrew Russell, Senior Vice President of PBS Ventures. Ross Honey, General Manager, Media and Entertainment Group at Microsoft, adds that "nonfiction programming has performed very well on Xbox LIVE. The addition of a premiere brand such as PBS will not only enhance our overall video offering but will strengthen a content category that our users demand."

The first installment of PBS content is already up. Next stop, "Upstairs Downstairs," the jRPG.