Fox News and more coming to Xbox 360

Microsoft and News Corporation have revealed that the company behind Fox News will be bringing the channel’s broadcasts along with several other News Corp.-owned properties to the Xbox 360 via new Xbox LIVE apps in 2012.

Announced last night at CES 2012, the apps included in the deal will be Fox Broadcasting Co. (FOX), Fox News, IGN Entertainment, and The Wall Street Journal. Fox News and FOX will currently only be available to those who already have access to the channels on their cable subscriptions, but News Corp. is looking into authentication agreements to make them available to all in the future.

Access to all of these apps will also require an Xbox LIVE Gold subscription and will, for the most part, support Kinect functionality.

Fox News has a long and storied history of being very anti-video games despite News Corp.’s ownership of IGN, making the move slightly surprising. However, it would seem that Microsoft wanted News Corp.’s other valued properties featured on Xbox LIVE while News Corp. itself saw another outlet to advertise all of its major brands, causing a deal to be struck.

“This new partnership with News Corp., which will bring FOX, Fox News, IGN and The Wall Street Journal to the Xbox LIVE service, is a significant milestone in our vision to bring consumers the entertainment they love, shared with the people they care about, made easy,” said Alex Garden, general manager of Xbox LIVE. “With these new properties on Xbox, you’ll have great on-demand TV options, and using the magic of Kinect, you’ll be able to find the entertainment you want by simply using your voice — whether it’s news and headlines from Fox News and The Wall Street Journal or your favorite FOX shows, like ‘Family Guy’ and ‘Glee’.”

Additional shows coming to the FOX app include “House,” “New Girl,” “Bones,” “Fringe,” “The Simpsons,” and more. It will also feature Facebook integration and other “interactive features.”

The Fox News app will include hundreds of “the most-engaging news and entertainment videos” to those with access. It will also offer users a chance to “interact” with the channel’s shows, anchors, and personalities like Shepard Smith, Megyn Kelly, and Bill O’Reilly.

“As we continue to find new ways to deliver content to consumers, this partnership with Xbox LIVE enables our viewers to experience News Corp.’s leading media brands in an entirely new and innovative environment,” said Jon Miller, chief digital officer of News Corp. “We look forward to working closely with Microsoft to continue evolving the media experiences on Xbox LIVE and to enable consumers to take advantage of this incredibly popular and fast-growing platform.”

Those looking for content from The Wall Street Journal will have access to four hours of live video programming every Monday-Friday via WSJ Live. The app will also host a library of over 2,000 videos per month as well as seven half-hour live shows, breaking news updates, exclusive interviews, and special events coverage.

IGN Entertainment will bring its brand of reviews, previews, gameplay videos, and more to the LIVE service with its app. Shows such as The Daily Fix and IGN_Strategize will also be featured in the new app as will support for Facebook sharing.