The annoncement of Instant Messaging on the XBox got me thinking about the benefits of combining TV with Instant Messaging, chat rooms, and even twitter-style networking.

Of course there are some big challenges, like how to make chat mesh nicely with a lean-back viewing experience, and what privacy rules to put in place. But the benefits could be huge. I am sure that segments of viewers would love to chat to each other - especially during shows that provoke strong opinions from viewers. A chat room alongside reality content or a big sports match could be killer, especially if the chat rooms were structured around different teams or contestants to help niches of like-minded people to talk together.

Many radio shows were fundamentally changed when DJs were shown thousands of text messages from viewers per hour. More sophisticated chat technology could take interaction with broadcasters a stage further.

From this announcement it sounds like Microsoft are simply putting a messaging client on the XBox, with no smart links into the content. Joost has a chat room on each channel, but so far the usage is pretty poor. I'd love to hear of more successful TV chat services or experiments.