Now TV and EA Access added to Xbox One

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Xbox One owners are now able to take advantage of two new services through their consoles, with Sky's TV streaming service Now TV and an all-new membership scheme from Electronic Arts (EA) now offered through the platform.

It's the second console launch for Now TV in the space of week, having joined the PlayStation 4's line-up on July 24th, and will now let Xbox One users stream Sky Sports, Sky Movies or entertainment content on their consoles as well.

If you own an Xbox One, all you'll need to do is download the Now TV app and purchase a Entertainment Month Pass, a Sky Movies Month Pass or a Sky Sports Day Pass for premium on-demand and live titles – without a dish or contract.

MORE: Sky Now TV app review

Meanwhile, the new EA Access scheme is the result of a partnership between EA and Microsoft, which is exclusive to Xbox One and was rolled out in beta to a limited number of players yesterday [July 29th]. The full launch is due soon.

It's a monthly (or annual, if you so choose) membership starting at $5 a month, offering what is described as "a collection of EA's biggest games... ready to download and play" – including titles such as Battlefield 4 and FIFA 14.

You'll also get 10 per cent of purchases of EA digital content from the Xbox Games Store and a chance to trial new games up to five days before release – with titles such as Madden NFL 15, FIFA 15 and Dragon Age: Inquisition featured.

The announcement comes as the battle for supremacy between the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 seemed to reignite with the race to add 3D Blu-ray support, with the Microsoft console pipped to the post by Sony's console in recent days.

[UPDATE: 31.07.14] - Before it's lauded as a full-on exclusive for the Xbox One, however, new reports have suggested that Sony rejected the opportunity to add EA Access to the PlayStation 4 citing a lack of value.

A spokesperson told Game Informer: "We evaluated the EA Access subscription offering and decided that it does not bring the kind of value PlayStation customers have come to expect.

"PlayStation Plus memberships are up more than 200% since the launch of PlayStation 4, which shows that gamers are looking for memberships that offer a multitude of services, across various devices, for one low price."

MORE: PS4 vs Xbox One

Pete Hayman

Pete was content editor on What Hi-Fi?, overseeing production and publication of digital content. In creating and curating feature articles for web and print consumption, he provided digital and editorial expertise and support to help reposition What Hi-Fi? as a ‘digital-first’ title; reflecting the contemporary media trends. He is now a senior content strategist.