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Sky wants to 'set your TV free' on November 18th
Out of the blue, Sky has started teasing a big TV-related event for November 18th. There's little to discern from the company's mysterious teaser site and video, which simply comes with the strap-line "it's time to set your TV free." An upgraded Sky Go experience? A new, mobile-only service and pricing model? A wildlife reserve for TVs? Who knows, but luckily there's just under three weeks until the company spills the beans. You can be sure that we'll be there on the day, breaking out all of the tasty news nuggets as they happen.
Sky to show 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' first after UK cinemas
Sky knows that more and more UK families are shying away from building costly DVD and Blu-ray collections and embracing on-demand services like Sky Movies and Now TV. To be the best, you need the best streaming catalog though, which is why the company is extending its current deal with Disney. The new multi-year agreement means that Disney flicks will continue to premiere on Sky Movies and Now TV's Sky Movies Pass in the "first pay TV window" -- before streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, in other words. It'll cover family-favourite Inside Out and, perhaps more importantly, the next instalment in the Star Wars franchise. So once the lightsaber mayhem has left UK cinemas, that means Sky will be one of the first places to let you watch it all again at home. We suspect most fans will make an exception and buy a physical copy of The Force Awakens, but if you're a parent or a casual movie fan, it's good to know Sky's got you covered.
NFL returns to the BBC with Wembley matches and the Super Bowl
With a licence fee freeze weighing heavy on its back, the BBC has had to pick and choose what it spends public money on. It's meant that the Beeb has had to pass up exclusive TV rights to major sporting events like the Olympics, but that doesn't mean it isn't adding more coverage to its already strong lineup. The broadcaster announced today that it's struck a new deal with the NFL that will let it show all three International Series games from Wembley later this year, as well its banner event: the Super Bowl.
Labour party joins calls for BT and Openreach breakup
UK telecoms regulator Ofcom is currently reviewing whether BT and Openreach, a subsidiary which manages most of the UK's broadband infrastructure, should be left alone or separated entirely. Sky and TalkTalk have already expressed their views -- unsurprisingly, they want the pair split up -- and now they've got another supporter in the Labour party. Chris Bryant, the shadow culture secretary, says Openreach and the government are delivering broadband "too slow, too late." In the Telegraph, he argues that Ofcom should work on the basis that Openreach needs to be "split from the rest of BT, unless their review produces conclusive evidence to the contrary." It's not an unwavering stance, but it's clear the Labour party favours reform. BT will need to do more interviews like the one below if it's to prove the current arrangement is in the public interest.
BT outbowls Sky to show England's next Ashes series
The 2015 Ashes series may only have concluded yesterday (with England retaining the urn), but broadcasters are already focusing their attention to the next round of tests in two winters' time. After stealing a significant chunk of Sky's prized football coverage away, BT announced today that it's won the rights to the 2017-18 Ashes series, dealing a heavy blow to its rival in the process. As part of its bid, the company secured access to Australian International Cricket and KFC Big Bash League matches from 2016 to 2021, which will include the five all-important Ashes matches in late 2017.
Sky Sports will show 100 extra La Liga matches this season
To make up for its lack of Champions League and Europa League football, Sky is doubling down on La Liga. The broadcaster will be showing over 300 matches from the Spanish division this season -- up from its usual tally of roughly 200. British interest in the league has always been high, given the quality of teams such as Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. With the extra games, however, Sky Sports customers will get to see more of football superstars Messi, Ronaldo, Suarez and Bale on their TVs. Are the fixtures enough to counterbalance the loss of the Champions League? No, but it's better than nothing. BT Sport is steadily growing its stockpile of live TV rights, so it's in Sky's interest to do the same. The company still has the lion's share of Premier League rights, but expanding its La Liga offering could stop a few unhappy subscribers from jumping ship.
Latest Sky+ update helps you discover new movies
The last update for Sky+HD boxes was all about keepings the kids entertained, so it's only fair that the next give parents a few ideas of what to watch when the munchkins are all tucked up. Rolling out to set-top boxes from today (though it might take a few weeks to land on yours), the third Sky+ update this year is specifically aimed at Sky Movies customers. As part of continued efforts to make Sky+ more like Netflix and other streaming services by focusing on the discovery as much as the content, the new "More Like This" feature recommends other flicks based on your current selection.
Sky Sports customers can now watch goal replays on their phones
With its live Champions League and Europa League TV rights, BT has proven to be a worthy sports broadcasting rival to Sky. The latter is now playing defence with renewed La Liga rights and a new deal with The Sun for mobile goal highlights. Sky TV customers with a Sky Sports subscription will get free access to Sun Goals, a mobile app that shows every back-of-the-net moment from the Premier League, Champions League, Europa League, FA Cup and Scottish Premiership. Of course, it's not quite the same as watching the full match on your telly, but the app should be a nice extra for sports fans nonetheless.
Sky's new Now TV box is full HD compatible after all
Sky's second-generation Now TV box goes on sale tomorrow, and the company's just been in touch to say it made a bit of a boo-boo on yesterday's announcement. You see, the new Now TV box is basically a rebranded Roku 3, and since that device supports full HD, 1080p streaming, we assumed Sky's reskinned version would too. We were told yesterday, however, that Sky's model was slightly different, in that it can only output at 720p like the first-gen Now TV box. As it turns out, this isn't true: the new Now TV box does support 1080p, but Sky content will continue to stream at a maximum resolution of 720p. Also, there are "no immediate plans" to make the jump to full HD, as Sky would rather not hinge the user experience on the speed of your internet connection. By coming clean about its mistake, Sky's actually made the £15 streaming puck a more attractive purchase. You can use the little set-top box to stream from plenty of content sources that aren't the Now TV app, so where available, you'll now be able to do so in glorious full HD.
Sky retains Spanish football TV rights for three more years
Much like the Premier League, broadcasters have to bid for the TV rights for other major sporting leagues around the world. Sky has delivered comprehensive coverage of Spain's La Liga championship for two decades, but recently reports suggested that its biggest broadcasting rival, BT, had swooped in and stolen them. It turns out that's not the case, because Sky has today announced it has secured La Liga access for another three years.
Sky's new £15 Now TV box arrives this week
Sky announced a successor to its cheap and cheerful Now TV streaming puck way back at the beginning of the year, and today we've learned it's definitely going to meet its August release window. In fact, the little set-top box will be available through the Now TV website from this Thursday, August 6th, before hitting Argos the following day and other retailers "in the coming weeks." At £15, it's a fiver more expensive than the original Now TV box, but that extra cash buys you a faster processor, which should make the user experience that bit slicker, and an Ethernet port for ensuring stable streams if your WiFi is on the flaky side.
Sky will reportedly launch its 'SkyQ' 4K box within weeks
Just days after BT began selling its Ultra HD box online, broadcasting rival Sky appears ready to show off its own 4K hardware. The Telegraph reports that the pay TV provider is just weeks away from launching "SkyQ," an Ultra HD set-top box that will reportedly let subscribers watch or record at least four programmes at once. Like the EE TV box, Sky's player will also share broadcasts across smartphones and tablets, as families increasingly shift towards smaller screens.
Sky UK and major US movie studios hit by EU antitrust probe
There's nothing the European Commission likes more than a good ol' antitrust case, and today it's set its sights on Sky UK and six of the broadcaster's US film studio partners: Disney, NBCUniversal, Paramount Pictures, Sony, 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. In a "Statement of Objections" sent to the parties, the commission has formally accused Sky and the studios of engaging in anti-competitive behavior, by drawing up contracts that prevent Europeans from accessing Sky's pay-TV services outside of the UK and Ireland. While it's implied Sky is partly to blame, the commission's main issue with the agreements is they stop Sky from coming to its own decision on whether to offer pay-TV access in other EU countries.
Sky app to offer Premier League highlights from 2016-17 season
Although Sky spent a record £4.2 billion for Premier League TV rights for three seasons from 2016, the company wasn't able to secure access to online and app highlights at the same time. For over half a decade, those rights have been owned by ESPN and News International (now News UK). However, that will all change from the 2016-17 season, when Sky finally gets its hands on near real-time video clips for all Premier League matches and adds to the 126 live games it already has plans to broadcast.
Ofcom invites suggestions on how to handle BT and Openreach
When Ofcom announced its new "Strategic Review of Digital Communications," the last of which forced BT to create Openreach, Sky and TalkTalk immediately came forward calling for both businesses to be broken up once and for all. Today, the regulator has published a discussion document for the review which details the different approaches now under consideration. Nothing has been left off the table, it seems -- they include keeping the current model, strengthening the controls that keep BT and Openreach's relationship in check, substantial market deregulation and, finally, complete separation.
Virgin Media ups XL TV price by £3 for Champions League footy
When BT finally announced how much it would charge customers to access its new European football channel, Virgin Media remained quiet on whether those overheads would be passed onto customers. The cable broadcaster has offered BT Sport's original two channels for no additional cost as part of its TV XL packages, but from September 1st, subscribers will be asked to pay £3 a month extra even if they don't want to watch Champions League matches.
Sky's latest fibre broadband deal is free for an entire year
Broadband providers typically try to attract new customers by offering attractively low prices for an introductory period. Eventually, the monthly cost of these contracts shoot up to compensate for the discounted rate you've been paying up until then, but this is where Sky's latest fibre broadband deal is a little bit different. As of today, Sky's basic fibre package (usually £10 per month) is now free for an entire year; and, better yet, the minimum contract term is 12 months, which effectively means you can pay nothing for broadband for the entire length of the contract. We know what you're thinking: hang on a second, where's the catch?
BT goes on the offensive against Sky's pay-TV dominance
UK telecoms regulator Ofcom is currently taking a long, hard look at BT and its subsidiary Openreach, which is responsible for managing the company's broadband infrastructure. Ofcom's deciding whether it's in everyone's best interests to split the two completely, a move championed by several of BT's broadband competitors, Sky in particular. Recently, Sky published a report to further this agenda, using various stats to support its claim that Openreach provides an inadequate service that reflects badly on the companies using its network for their broadband products. It appears that BT has grown tired of being permanently on the defensive, and has today called for Ofcom to investigate Sky's dominant position in the pay TV market, which BT claims is lumbering Brits with unfairly high prices.
BBC and ITV team up to keep Six Nations rugby out of Sky's hands
Bidding for TV rights to major UK sporting events has always been hotly contested, but things have really hotted up over the past year. BT Sport has done what it can to wrestle some control away from Sky's firm pay-TV grip, but now terrestrial broadcasters are enjoying some success. Having secured exclusive access to rugby's Six Nations championship, where England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, France and Italy battle it out for European dominance, for the last 12 years, the BBC announced today that it's teamed up with rival broadcaster ITV to ensure the Six Nations remains on free-to-air TV for another six years.
Sky's redesigned Now TV app hits the big screen ahead of new box
Sky might be gearing up to launch a new Now TV box next month, but that doesn't mean it's ready to forget about all the users of its current-generation streaming puck. Preparing for the arrival of its new Roku-inspired hardware, Sky has today released a fully redesigned Now TV app for its original Now TV boxes. If you're a regular user of the Now TV mobile apps, you'll recognise a host of familiar UI elements that've made the transition to the TV screen. And if you've only poked at the Now TV app from the comfort of your sofa, then you're in for an even bigger treat.
