Europe’s first HD interactive show for gamers, available exclusively through Sony's PlayStation3 consoles connected to its fast growing PlayStation Network.

The weekly FirstPlay episodes will be available to UK gamers from March and will roll out across selected European and other PAL territories later in 2010. FirstPlay promises PS3 gamers HD reviews and previews of the latest games and exclusive access to downloadable content.

FirstPlay’s bespoke content is being created by a hand-picked team of TV and gaming veterans with the reviews and previews coming from the team behind the respected Official PlayStation Magazine team.

PS3 registered users will be able to buy a three month subscription at £8.99 or purchase single episodes for 99p.

Featuring just six premium video advertising slots per episode, FirstPlay will enable advertisers to target an engaged audience of gamers with HD video advertising slots, directly through their PlayStation 3. FirstPlay delivers the impact of TV along with the transparency of the web with total user views and other key user data available as well as click throughs and deep web links to the PSN Store.

With over 3m PSN accounts in the UK, Sony sees the network as an increasingly important way of adding value for its growing audience of gamers. Recent statistics from the BBC suggest that the PS3 is now responsible for 8% of iPlayer traffic, while the Vidzone streaming music video player became the world’s largest, delivering over 200m videos to users in its first six months. FirstPlay brings to PSN compelling, games-focussed editorialised content that will enable users to get more from the PS3’s range of entertainment services.

The launch of FirstPlay marks the next phase in a long-standing and creative publishing partnership between SCEE and Future, which began in 1995 with one Official magazine and today operates on both sides of the Atlantic with a portfolio of print titles and digital content. Future introduced the first ever cover-mounted playable console disc on the Official PlayStation Magazine in 1995.