Pandora connected TV expands to games consoles

Music analysis and internet radio company Pandora has announced the launch of a television service, available for Xbox 360 and PS3.

The new service is expected to ’embrace’ next generation TV, game consoles, and set top box architectures that support open web standards.

Initially available to run from the browser in Xbox 360 devices, the HTML5-based tv.pandora.com will eventually expand across other compliant TVs and set top boxes.

More than 10 million people currently access Pandora through connected TVs and set-top boxes, however this requires customisation for each different model/device.

Pandora aims to combat this by pushing web-based standards up to speed so that developers can create applications for a diverse set of devices.

“The world doesn’t need more proprietary platforms fragmenting the innovative efforts of developers everywhere,” said Tom Conrad, chief technology officer and executive vice president of Pandora.

“The PC world was transformed by the emergence of the standards-based web twenty years ago, and we think the same solution will serve to unify the coming ‘Internet of things’.

“tv.pandora.com, and the new platform from which it was built, is our first step to lead the industry down this path.”

Pandora allows users to explore music and create unique stations through the company’s Music Genome Project.

The news comes as reports reveal a -17% drop in Pandora shares and sources speculate over the launch of an Apple radio streaming service – set to be unveiled next week.