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21st Century Fox held talks to sell most of its assets to Disney
Like it or not, the trend toward media consolidation isn't slowing down any time soon: CNBC sources understand that 21st Century Fox recently held talks to sell most of the company to Disney. The media giant would offload its movie studios, TV production business, entertainment channels (like FX and National Geographic) and international properties like Sky. This would theoretically create a "more tightly focused" company that revolves around news and sports -- reportedly, Fox believes it doesn't have the kind of scale needed to compete with the assets it currently has, while Disney does.
Europe clears 21st Century Fox's purchase of Sky
21st Century Fox's £11.7 billion acquisition of Sky has edged a little closer to being a done deal today, as the European Commission approved the merger. The commission was assessing any potential competition concerns that might arise from the marriage of huge media company and pay-TV provider. It concluded that as the two firms "are mainly active at different levels of the market," the acquisition wouldn't have any significant impact on competition. It wouldn't be good business for Fox to withhold its films from Sky's competitors, for example, or for Sky to worsen its platform by carrying Fox's content exclusively -- not to mention regulations and existing contracts in countries where Sky operates prevent that kind of thing from happening anyway.
Sky receives takeover bid from 21st Century Fox
21st Century Fox is in advanced talks to buy Sky, a major telecoms player and the biggest pay-TV provider in the UK. Negotiations are underway and the directors of both companies have reached an "agreement" of £10.75 per share. As Bloomberg reports, the deal values Sky at £18.5 billion ($23.2 billion). Fox already owns 39 percent of Sky, and media mogul Rupert Murdoch has tried to buy the remaining slice before. A takeover in 2010 was eventually abandoned, however, after News Corporation (now known as 21st Century Fox) was embroiled in a huge phone hacking scandal.
EU court finds Skype's name too similar to Sky broadcaster's
Microsoft has lost another legal battle against British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB), after a European court found Skype's name to be too similar to the latter's. The judges also ruled that the service's cloud-like logo "would further increase the likelihood of the element 'Sky' being recognized within the word element 'Skype.'" Redmond lost a similar case to the same broadcaster in court years ago, prompting the company to completely change the name of its cloud service from SkyDrive to OneDrive. Fortunately for Microsoft, it doesn't have to change Skype's name this time around -- it merely can't file a trademark registration for the product's name and logo.
Sky confirms a 'next-generation' Now TV box is coming this year
With the rise in cord-cutters and streaming services such as Netflix, Sky knows it needs a cheaper alternative to its traditional TV bundles. At the moment its answer is Now TV, a standalone service that lets viewers pick and choose from three smaller packages: sport, movies and entertainment. Just over 18 months ago, Sky supplemented it with a dedicated set-top box -- and now it's planning a refresh. In an investor presentation, the broadcaster today revealed plans for a "next-generation" Now TV box coming later this year, which will feature a refreshed UI and a new marketing campaign. Notably, Sky has been an investor in set-top box maker Roku since 2012, and last December it launched a rebranded model called the Sky Online TV Box in Germany. It's quite possible that Sky is planning a similar move for the UK, which means we could see a much-needed leap to full HD.
BSkyB is dead, long live Sky
Following the merger of Sky Television and British Satellite Broadcasting in 1990, BSkyB grew to become the biggest pay-TV broadcaster in the UK. Domestic success was fine, but in July, the company decided it was time to cast its net wider, so it agreed a deal with 21st Century Fox to snap up Sky Italia and buy a 57-percent majority share of Sky Deutschland. That transaction has now been approved, creating what Sky says is now "Europe's leading entertainment company." While much will stay the same, some things inevitably must change. You see, now Sky has divisions in Italy and Germany (and 20 million total customers), the British Sky Broadcasting Group name befit a company embarking on an expansion across Europe. As a result, it's changing its name to Sky and listing itself on the London Stock Exchange under the symbol SKY. Shareholders will need to approve the name change first, but we're sure that's just a formality.
Virgin Mobile customers get free access to thousands more UK WiFi hotspots
Since Virgin Media and Sky extended their partnership by another five years, cable subscribers have been able to enjoy additional perks, like being able to use Sky's sport and movie apps. From today, some Virgin customers will gain an additional benefit from a Sky-owned company: free access to 22,000 WiFi hotspots across the UK. It comes from The Cloud, by way of a separate agreement, which lets Virgin Mobile customers use an app called WiFi Buddy to connect to its access points, on top of the 3,000 public Arqiva hotspots located in some of Britain's biggest airports and hotels.
New Sky+ app pushes pictures from your mobile devices to the big screen
For anyone with a Sky+HD box, the Sky+ app for Android and iOS gives you a handy way to manage recordings while away from home, and lets you use mobile devices as substitute remotes when you're plonked in front of the TV. Now, with an updated version of the app released today, you can also use it to push your summer holiday snaps to the biggest display in your living room. As long as the smartphone or tablet running the Sky+ app is connected to the same WiFi network as your set-top box, tap the new camera icon in the app's navigation bar and you'll be able to send any images stored on the device to your TV screen, or set a slideshow running.
Google offers three months free Now TV streaming to UK Chromecast owners
Every now and again, Google likes to give something back to Chromecast owners. In July, it celebrated the streaming dongle's first birthday by offering a free 90-day subscription to Google Play Music All Access, but now it's now decided to provide UK streamers with more of a visual treat. If you head on over to Google's Chromecast Offers site right now, you'll be offered a free three month Entertainment Pass for Now TV, allowing you to stream all 13 of Sky's pay TV channels live or on-demand. Sky's streaming service hasn't been available on the Chromecast all that long, so now might be the time to see what it's all about.
Now TV's movie and entertainment packages finally come to Apple TV
Sky's Now TV streaming service has offered an iOS app for the longest time, but when it came to Apple TV, the company only let subscribers enjoy sport on the big screen. As of today, that's no longer the case, because Sky's brought its Entertainment and Movies packages to the streamer, just a couple of weeks before prices are set to rise. If you're already a subscriber, the menus feature the same New In, Most Popular and Must See categories, which have been given a flatter look to fit in with the Apple TV's new iOS 8 UI. Sky's recent rush of updates means you can also now stream via the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Google's Chromecast, as well as its own £10 set-top box.
Now TV comes to the Chromecast
Ever since Now TV launched, subscribers have cried out for Sky to support more streaming devices. Today, the company answered some of its critics by announcing it's built Chromecast functionality into its Now TV apps on both iOS and Android. If you own one of Google's £30 streaming dongles, you'll now be able to beam movies, TV shows and sports coverage over to your big screen by simply hitting the new Chromecast icon inside the updated apps. While Sky knows today's launch will give customers less of an incentive to buy its £10 Now TV set-top box, it hopes it'll be able to lure new subscribers to the service as it battles Netflix and Amazon for a share of the UK streaming market.
Sky Sports to go free for the first day of the Premier League
As if launching two new channels wasn't enough, Sky Sports has another piece of programming-related news to share today. The company has shared that it's going to open all seven of its Sky Sports channels to Sky, Virgin Media and Talk Talk TV customers this Saturday (August 16th), allowing a potential 15 million viewers to to watch one of the first matches of the 2014/15 Premiership season. Arsenal vs. Crystal Palace will be just one of the key contests shown on Sky Sports' channels on that day, with England's 5th Test against India, Australia vs. New Zealand in the rugby, live PGA Golf and dutch football coverage also in the lineup. Once you've got a taste, Sky hopes you'll sign up to its Sports package, subscribe to its free two-year broadband deal and deliver a fresh blow to BT in the process.
Virgin Media customers can now log into Sky's Movies and Sports iOS apps
Virgin Media said last month its TV subscribers would soon be able to use Sky's iOS apps for getting their film and sports fixes on the move, and as of today, that's now possible. If your Virgin TV package includes Sky's Movies and Sports channels, then their respective iOS apps should let you log in with your Virgin account details. Furthermore, the same sign-in option is now available through Sky's websites, which should placate Android users while they wait for the same functionality to be added to Sky's apps on their platform.
YouTube comes to Sky's Now TV box
Sky's done a reasonable job of bringing new channels to its Now TV set-top box, especially given the rebranded Roku is just a vehicle for selling short-term entertainment and sports passes to the contract-adverse. Today, that £10 box gets a little bit more useful, with the addition of an official YouTube app to the Now TV channel store. Sky can take credit for giving it the green light, but its arrival is no big surprise when the channel launched across the entire Roku range a few months ago (after being exclusive to the Roku 3 for a time). It's been possible to watch YouTube content on the Now TV box through third-party channels such as Plex, but the official app has a much better interface for searching and browsing. Unfortunately, it's slow to navigate to the point of frustration, but if you want to catch a quick fail compilation while the kettle's boiling, it'll do the trick.
Sky's Now TV streaming app comes to the Xbox One
Well that didn't take long. Less than a week after it rolled out the app to the PlayStation 4, Sky's now brought Now TV to the Xbox One. With today's launch, Sky now has Microsoft and Sony's new and old gaming consoles covered, as well as a number of smartphones and tablets, giving it a firm footing on which to challenge Netflix. Now that Microsoft doesn't require a subscription to access Live apps, you only need to stump up the cash for one of Sky's movie, sport or entertainment packages to get streaming on your next-gen Xbox.
Sky spends £5 billion to become one of Europe's biggest pay-TV operators
Rumors of an assault on Europe have circled for quite some time, but today BSkyB has finally made a move to expand its pay-TV empire outside of the UK. The company today announced it has agreed to pay 21st Century Fox a total of £4.9 billion ($8.33 billion) to acquire Sky Italia and buy the majority share (57 percent) of Sky Deutschland. If the deal is given the green light by regulators, the newly-formed Sky Europe would emerge with almost 20 million European customers.
Sky's new Service app lets you manage your account on the move
Sky's got a plethora of mobile apps to keep you entertained on the go, but has until now neglected customers who find admin just as fun. Much like mobile carriers have apps for general account management, the new Sky Service app for Android and iOS lets subscribers view and pay bills, check the details of their TV packages and manage their broadband router restrictions. The app also allows you to reset your TV PIN if the kids have cracked it while you're out, request a customer service call-back, reschedule an engineer visit and alter which Sky+HD box the Sky+ app records to if you have a multiroom setup. Not the most exciting tasks, but handy to have in your pocket nonetheless.
Sky Go streaming no longer free on consoles from July 29th
Sky has begun to inform Xbox 360 owners who watch TV on their console via the Sky Go app that come the end of July, they'll need to start paying for the privilege. Sky Go is free to anyone with a subscription to the satellite TV service, and allows you to use your smartphone, tablet, computer or console (for the next month, anyway) to watch TV when you're out of set-top box range. Sky Go Extra is a paid version that also lets you download content for offline viewing, as well as upping the number of devices you can use to four instead of two. It's this Extra tier that Xbox 360 users will need to pony up £5 per month for (after an introductory price of half that) if they wish to continue using Sky Go on their console after July 29th. This only affects the 360 currently, and ironically it comes just after Microsoft cut the requirement for a paid Xbox Live Gold account to use video streaming apps. With Sky Go coming to the PS3 and PS4 later this summer, however, it feels very much like Sky is making a calculated move to turn a free service into a paid one just before a bunch more people get access. Update: Sky has confirmed this applies to all consoles, so when the PS3/PS4 apps launch, they will also require a Sky Go Extra subscription. Company quote after the break.
ITV channels come to Sky Go in time for the World Cup
It's hard to sniff at Sky Go, the service that lets you watch live TV on computers and mobile devices when out of set-top box range. Free to Sky subscribers, its main weakness is a limited channel selection, which is slowly but surely being addressed through new agreements. Today, one such deal adds all of ITV's channels to Sky Go, just shy of a year after Virgin Media brought the same selection to its equivalent TV Anywhere service. The new Sky-exclusive channel ITV Encore will also serve up both live TV and on-demand content through Go when it launches in early June. E!, Home and Lifetime are also set to be added to the service over the summer. Considering ITV will be broadcasting 34 World Cup games, the new channels have landed on Sky Go at an opportune time. If you don't have Sky, though, remember you can still catch all that footy while out and about on ITV Player.
Sky News launches on-demand hub for Sky+HD boxes
News programming isn't something you'd think a good fit for catch-up TV when up-to-date reporting is so readily available. That's why we were a tad puzzled to hear about Sky News' catch-up service launching today, probably because it's better described as a news content portal accessed via your Sky+HD box. With videos split into several categories, you can quickly take in the day's headlines and bulletins, visit the featured section for important stories and longer reports, and look specifically at happenings in the tech and "showbiz" worlds. You can also check on the weather, and delve into Sky News' archives to revisit important events, as well as catching a variety of weekly round-up shows, including some new ones. All things considered, it sounds like a pretty good idea as long as the interface is slick enough, bringing the browsing style of news consumption websites afford us into the living room.
