PBS app coming to Xbox Live

A PBS application for Xbox 360 is scheduled to launch on Xbox Live today in the United States, the public broadcaster announced today. The app was created by Digiflare, the studio behind the Disney XD app for Xbox Live.

The PBS app will feature "hundreds" of videos from various PBS stations. This includes full episodes from primetime PBS programs, as well as video from the network's archives. New national and local content will be featured daily.

Full-length episodes of American Experience, Austin City Limits, Frontline, Masterpiece, Nova, and Secrets of the Dead will be featured, in addition to original video from PBS Digital Studios.

Users can personalize their experience by selecting their local PBS station through the app, which will then deliver locally produced content. Motion and voice controls are also available via Kinect.

The PBS app on Xbox Live is free to download, but users must have an Xbox Live Gold subscription ($50/year) to access its content. The app is scheduled to launch today, though it is not yet featured on the Apps list at Xbox.com.

The PBS app joins a long list of other TV and movie apps on Xbox Live, including Netflix, Hulu Plus, Maxim, HBO Go, FOX News, ESPN, and Disney, among others. Xbox 360 owners in the US spend more time with entertainment apps than they do playing online games, Microsoft announced in March 2012.