Sony is reportedly on the verge of announcing a deal with US-only video on demand service Hulu, despite continued rumours of a deal with Microsoft.
According to a Bloomberg report, a deal could be announced as soon as next week, with a subscription-based service apparently being planned that would give access to current and past shows from U.S. TV network NBC, ABC and Fox.
Long-standing rumours of a similar deal for the Xbox 360, believed to involve a $9.95 a month subscription, were thought by many to be culminating in an announcement at this year's E3 expo, but this do not materialise.
Currently the web-based service is free to use, with revenues gained purely through advertising. Hulu is unavailable outside of the US and attempts to create a similar service in the UK have so far been frustrated by a lack of licensing deals.
A new version of the BBC iPlayer is due to arrive on the PlayStation 3 this year though, with website TechRadar apparently confirming iPlayer 3 would feature improved functionality and social networking features.
The current version of the iPlayer on the PlayStation 3 is the same used on Sony and Samsung televisions, as well as the Wii. The new version was launched late last month.