Games blog Joystiq is reporting that one eagle-eyed reader has spotted a message on the back of a recently purchased Microsoft Points Card that refers to the European version of Microsoft’s Xbox Live Video Marketplace – and claiming that the service will be exclusive to the UK, Ireland, France and Germany.

The most likely reason for these restrictions, should they prove true, is licensing complications – an issue that is far more troublesome in a fragmented continent like Europe than it is in a single licence-bound territory like North America.

Microsoft has so far not confirmed a European arrival date for its online movie and TV show service that has proved so popular in North America. The firm has previously stated, though, that it will not form part of next week’s Xbox 360 firmware update.

In North America 360 owners are able to download a wide range of content include movies and TV shows, all of which remains on the user’s hard drive for a limited amount of time before the licence expires.