This article was published on April 17, 2012

Microsoft opening all entertainment apps from April 19-23, no Xbox LIVE Gold required


Microsoft opening all entertainment apps from April 19-23, no Xbox LIVE Gold required

In an effort to show non-subscribers just what they’re missing, Microsoft will be opening up all of its entertainment apps for all LIVE users, with no Gold level membership required. This will allow any user with an account to check out Hulu Plus, Netflix and all of the other apps that Xbox offers in its effort to become your one-stop living room entertainment hub.

The promotion will be live from Thursday April 19th through Monday April 23 and includes a ton of the third-party services that Microsoft has added to its offerings in recent weeks. The exact ones available in certain areas are up to region restrictions, but the full list of apps in the US is as follows:

  • CinemaNow
  • Crackle
  • Dailymotion
  • EPIX4
  • ESPN
  • HBO GO
  • Hulu Plus2
  • iHeartRadio
  • Last.fm
  • MSN
  • Netflix3
  • Syfy
  • TMZ
  • TODAY
  • UFC
  • Verizon
  • VEVO
  • Vudu
  • Xfinity TV on Demand
  • YouTube

You can check a list of all of the worldwide unlocks here. Some of the services, including Hulu Plus, Netflix and EPIX, will also be offering free trials to new users to coincide with the free premium app window. This means that new users don’t have to pay any fees to Microsoft or the service providers to use the products during the long weekend.

This is an obvious attempt to open the eyes of some Silver-level Xbox LIVE subscribers to the wonders of Gold membership, but it’s a good one.

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