PlayStation 3 users in the UK will soon be able to watch their favorite ITV and Channel 4 shows via on demand with their PS3 consoles.

Both ITV and Channel 4’s catch up services ITV Player and 4oD, are expected to launch on the PS3 later this week, allowing PlayStation gamers to watch any missed episodes of shows such as Coronation Street and Peep Show on demand.

Following in the footsteps of the BBC iPlayer, which launched on the PS3 console last year, ITV and Channel 4 are making their programmes available to PlayStation users with internet access for the first time.

Robin Pembroke, managing director at ITV.com, told the Guardian that “the PS3 deal marked an acceleration of ITV’s distribution strategy”, adding that he expected to see popular programmes such as Coronation Street and Emmerdale to be made available on internet enabled TV sets, tablet computers such as the iPad and other gaming consoles soon.

“As awareness of the ITV Player grows, so will consumption of ITV’s content on-demand,” Pembroke added.

ITV has previously refused deals with YouTube and Hulu, the US on-demand TV service that had been considering launching in the UK, and until now ITV had only made its catch up TV service available via Virgin Media and BT Vision. The service will also launch soon on Freesat.

Jon Ingram, operations director at Digitalchoices.co.uk, said: “This latest agreement is yet another sign of how the internet and TV are coming together.”

The BBC’s iPlayer service is also available on the Nintendo Wii, and Sky launched its Sky Player service on the Xbox 360 earlier this year.

“As internet TV services become more mainstream,” added Ingram, “it is possible that the UK’s other popular games consoles may develop more comprehensive TV services. It would be great to see Sky’s premium Sky Sports and Sky Movies channels available on the Wii and the PS3.”

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