The new content deals will see Sony's store becoming comparable to Microsoft's Xbox Live Video Marketplace in terms of transactional catalogue size – Xbox currently offers 1,200 movies and 700 TV series in the US.

Enabling access to the store through the PSP will help to drive video transactions from the PSN in two ways:
1) By increasing the potential customer base for movies and TV shows. At present only PS3 owners can access the PSN video store. Although there will be some overlap of users owning a PSP and those with a PS3, direct delivery to the PSP will widen the audience for the store's content.
2) By facilitating content purchases. WiFi connectivity will enable consumers to buy videos on the move rather than limiting the user to accessing the store at home through the PS3.

Despite these improvements to SCEA's store, Microsoft's online video service continues to provide a more developed user experience than the PSN. For example, from Autumn 2009 videos selected from the Xbox store will be available for instant streaming, rather than requiring a lengthy download (which is necessary to view PSN videos). In addition Microsoft is more pro-actively monetising its video platform - using features such as Xbox Live parties (enabling multiple Xbox users to watch a video simultaneously and communicate via the platform) and giving Netflix subscribers access to Netflix's streaming catalogue to upsell consumers to Xbox Live Gold subscriptions, costing $49.99 per year.

Microsoft has recently announced that it is rebranding the Xbox Live Video Marketplace as the Zune entertainment service. The renaming is part of a long term strategy to use a single content brand across multiple screens and in multiple territories. By contrast Sony's branding is less coherent with content served to Sony devices through a range of outlets – the PSN store in the US, Go! View in France and the UK while Sony Bravia TV sets do not yet have access to a Sony-operated video store.

With SCEA increasing its store's content selection and accessibility and Microsoft upgrading its video service in Autumn 2009 games consoles are set to continue to generate substantial volumes of online video transactions. In 2008 Microsoft's share of US online movie transactions was second only to that of Apple. The key advantage which Microsoft and Sony's stores have over other online video outlets is their ability to deliver content directly to the television screen. Both companies have a large installed base of connected consoles already in place in US households.

Sony's expansion of its video library is also significant because of the nature of some of its new partners: Comcast, Showtime and Starz's own content is typically delivered to the TV screen through closed pay TV platforms. Although there is some precedent for distributing their original programming online over the open internet – e.g. ShowTime series through iTunes – these videos have not easily been accessible through the TV. By partnering SCEA, videos from the three companies will be available online, on-demand directly to the television. If these content owners intend to provide recent shows and movies through the PS3 (rather than limiting the selection to library programming) this on-demand availability through the TV set, coupled with the existing presence of new release movies from all major Studios on the PSN store, has the potential to negatively impact demand for subscription Pay TV offers amongst PS3 owners.