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Sky's Now TV service comes to Roku streaming boxes in the UK
Sky's Now TV service is continuing its uphill battle against the armies of Netflix and Lovefilm today, setting up camp in Roku's streaming boxes. Matching its Xbox 360 launch offer, you'll be able to try the service for 30 days without charge, but it's added another enticing deal for the Roku launch -- pay a reduced price of £8.99 for the first three months before the regular £15 per month fee kicks in. As well as boasting its exclusive Harry Potter catalogue suitable for a holiday marathon, we've been told Sky Sports will finally be coming to Now TV "in a few months." Sky 1, Sky Atlantic, Sky Arts and Sky Living will also eventually be added to the service, but there's still not even a loose date for those. Now TV might not reach all the hardware it intended to before the end of the year, but at least with this latest launch, Roku can start showing Sky it was worth all that cash.
Sky's Now TV service hits Xbox, beckons you forth with 30 day free trial
After launching it on the PC, Mac, Android and iOS, Sky's adding another big platform to its Now TV service: Xbox. Gamers in the UK can now stream content at 720i, including the service's 11 movie channels. Those with a Kinect lying around can also use the peripheral to navigate around the offering. Interested parties can take advantage of a 30-day trial for free, after which they'll have to plunk down £15 a month for access to Sky Movies Pass titles from studios like Disney, Fox, Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros. and Universal. The service has promised more content in coming months, including the launch of Sky Sports. For more info on the offering, check out the press release after the break.
Sky adds Bond Channel to its movie offering, will screen entire back catalog in high-definition
Fresh from his appearance at this year's Olympic opening ceremony, James Bond is getting his own dedicated channel on Sky. The UK broadcaster will start showing all 22 movies in high-definition from October 5th, gearing up to the British spy's latest adventure, Skyfall, which launches a month later. Android, iOS and PC platforms will be able to stream the collection through Sky Go, while its new on-demand service will also be showing the full gamut of Bond adventures in a few months. For England, James.
Roku picks up financing from BSkyB, News Corp and more, keeps eye on the premium streaming crown
The little media streamer company that could, Roku, has gained some powerful friends in its latest round of financing, with $45 million in funds coming from the likes of BSkyB, News Corp and another partner who would prefer to remain nameless at this time, as well as previous investors Menlo Ventures and Globespan Capital Partners. While we leave you to ponder which company might be that unidentified source, Roku is simply continuing on, earmarking the money for use in building brand awareness, expanding internationally and much, much more. Also, that MHL-connected Roku Streaming Stick introduced at CES? It hasn't gone away and is still on track for launch later this year, with an eye towards providing a "Roku Inside" bundled experience for otherwise dumb flat-panel HDTVs. Roku's alignment with BSkyB (which reported a $10m stake in its earnings this morning, as well as the option to distribute its own branded Roku hardware) makes sense after the pay-TV giant launched Now TV recently with the hockey puck as one of its supported platforms, while CEO Anthony Wood tells us the fruitful partnership with News Corp had its root in the Fox News, Wall Street Journal Live and X-Factor channels it launched last year. Wood cites plans to make Roku "the TV distribution platform of the future", and this fifth round of financing -- larger than all previous rounds combined -- may help push it in this direction, check out a few more details in the press release after the break.
Now TV launches in the UK, brings pay-as-you-go streaming to Mac, PC and Android
Sky is going online and ditching the contracts... sort of. The UK TV provider is launching a new service called Now TV that will take on more established properties like Lovefilm and Netflix. The streaming video service will initially be available on OS X, Windows and Android with iOS to follow shortly. By the end of the year it will also be available on Xbox, PS3, Roku and Youview. Initially Sky Movies will form the backbone of the service, with titles costing anywhere from £0.99 to £3.49 for playback, or you can purchase unlimited monthly access for £15. Eventually Now TV will expand to include Sky Sports, Sky 1 and plenty of other BSkyB owned properties. For more, check out the PR after the break.
Sky dubs upcoming internet TV service 'Now TV', chases those currently without pay-TV
After recently announcing plans to launch a new over-the-top internet based TV service in the UK Sky CEO Jeremy Darroch has revealed its name, Now TV, and what it will bring to customers. Speaking at the Media Guardian Changing Media Summit in London, Darroch indicated Now TV would operate as its own brand, targeting the 13 million UK homes that don't pay for TV from any provider. It will start offering instant access to movies this summer followed by sports and other entertainment soon after, with access by monthly subscription or PPV across a variety of devices. It will be different from the existing Sky TV service, and all of its online tie-ins like Sky Go by focusing on flexibility and "spontaneous access" Constantly complaining about a lack of access to programming like, say, Game of Thrones without a traditional pay-TV package? It sounds like this should be right up your alley, so while details like exact pricing are still TBA, feel free to hit the source links below for all of the info currently available including a transcript of his speech, or head to the Now TV website directly to sign up for updates.
Hong Kong's now TV offering Disney / ABC shows on HD VOD
Last time we checked in with a la carte IPTV provider now TV, the Hong Kong service had just hit a half million subscribers -- three years later its adding content from Disney - ABC to the high definition video on-demand offerings. Lost, Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy, Kyle XY episodes and more are available at the press of a button for a $7.70 / month (U.S.) subscription fee. The only question now is when one of the big providers Stateside will let us build our own channel lineup.
