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Sky is becoming a virtual reality broadcaster
Sky has known for some time that virtual reality has a huge part to play in the future of broadcasting. Since 2013, it's been investing in VR production company Jaunt, and last year, Sky News released its first 360-degree video report. Today, Sky's announced that it's no longer just experimenting with the technology, and it's committed to creating a broad range of VR content in the realms of sport, news, movies and other entertainment.
Sky opens 'Q' TV orders to everyone
Sky is back with a revamped TV platform called Sky Q, which introduces a series of new set-top boxes and a much-needed software overhaul. Until now, orders have been limited to UK customers with a Sky broadband package, however starting today the platform is available to everyone. So if you have an existing internet bundle with BT or Virgin Media, you can still order Sky Q and get an installation "in the coming weeks."
Sky takes a first step into eSports tournament coverage
With millions of fans regularly tuning into services like Twitch and YouTube Gaming to watch their favourite titles being played at the highest level, traditional TV broadcasters are starting to take note. Last year, BBC Three dipped its toe into the world of eSports with live League of Legends tournament coverage, and today Sky will become the latest UK provider to tap into this growing audience. Airing at 10PM tonight on Sky 2, a two-hour show will cover highlights from the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends and Starcraft II tournaments that've taken place at the ESL Intel Masters World Championship over the past five days.
Sky borrows from Netflix's playbook with 'Watch Next' feature
If you like to binge-watch shows but haven't yet jumped aboard the Netflix bandwagon, Sky's latest update could show you what you're missing out on. The broadcaster announced today that it's rolling out new features that let Sky+ users download entire seasons at a time and then watch the episodes back-to-back.
Sky Q goes on sale in the UK
Sky TV's long overdue revamp has finally arrived. The new Sky Q service is available to order starting today, ushering in fresh hardware and a vastly improved UI. The basic box costs £42 per month and can record three shows simultaneously in 1080p -- you can watch a fourth one live -- on a 1TB hard drive. The Sky Q Silver box, meanwhile, is 4K ready and can capture up to four shows at once onto a 2TB drive, with the option to watch a fifth channel live. It costs £54 per month and supports up to four Sky Q Mini boxes, which cost £99 each, for multi-room viewing.
Sky Q launches February 9th starting at £42 per month
Sky Q is almost, nearly ready for public consumption. We've heard all about the functionality and features of the new Q family of hardware, and have taken a top-level tour of the user experience. But how attractive Sky's next-gen service ultimately is hinges on how much customers are expected to pay for it. Today, Sky's shared those all important details, starting with the official launch date of February 9th, though home installations won't kick off until the end of that month.
Sky's Now TV Smart Box looks a lot like a Roku 4
While Sky might be busy readying its new Sky Q service, the company has also found time to show Now TV customers some love. Just five months after it launched its second-generation Now TV streamer, Sky has ramped things up a bit by introducing the new NOW TV Smart Box, a device that it says will bring together a "wide range of pay TV content and over 60 live free-to-air channels."
A closer look at Sky Q
Sky's hardware hasn't changed a great deal since the Sky+HD set-top box debuted nearly 10 years ago. Viewing habits, on the other hand, couldn't be more different. Catch-up and streaming services, smartphones and tablets, torrents and YouTube have all played a part in eroding the value of a primetime slot and a hardline to the living room TV. More changes are also afoot, with high definition about to give way to Ultra HD, thanks to the dabbling of BT, Netflix and others. It's a sensible time for Sky to start afresh with Sky Q, a new generation of products headlined by the compact, 4K-ready "Silver" set-top box.
'Twin Peaks' will air on Sky as part of big new Showtime deal
In its bid to deliver high quality programming, Sky often inks deals with US networks to bring popular TV shows to the UK. Its tie-up with HBO, for example, allows millions of Brits to watch new episodes of Game of Thrones and Veep soon after they air in America. Today, the UK broadcaster announced that it's adding more high-quality programming to the Sky Atlantic roster after it agreed a wide ranging deal with paid TV network Showtime to air the Twin Peaks revival, coming in 2017, and older shows like Californication and Dexter.
Sky Go gets a brand new look
Today Sky unwrapped its "biggest-ever redesign" of Sky Go, a companion service which lets TV customers watch movies and shows on hardware besides their main set-top box. With that sort of claim you would expect a radical new look, but in all honesty it's, well, rather dull and uninspired. Sky says it's the foundation for "new features" though which will make it easier to find whatever channel, box-set or film you're in the mood for. The redesigned website is already live and a new home page will be available on the Android app later today, preceding an iOS update in February. It's an improvement on the old version, but that's really not saying much. Still, a step forward is a step forward, even if it's only a small one.
Formula 1 coverage moves from BBC to Channel 4 next season
As the latest Premier League auction has shown, obtaining live TV rights to prestigious sporting events is expensive. It's unsurprising, therefore, to hear that the BBC is cutting back on its coverage to meet its new savings targets, starting with Formula 1. The broadcaster currently shows 10 races each season, as well as highlights from the other nine aired by Sky. It's now prematurely ending its contract, however, and giving Channel 4 the opportunity to take over from next year. Channel 4 is getting a three-year deal -- the amount that was left on the BBC's contract -- and has promised zero advertising breaks like its predecessor during each live race.
Sky to turn porn filters on for all new broadband customers
Soon, Sky's home broadband will come with its adult content blocker switched on by default. From the moment a new package is "activated," subscribers will find that the company's Broadband Shield is enabled with child-friendly settings. That means only sites suitable for 13-year-olds or younger will be accessible before 9pm, followed by anything compatible with its 18-rating thereafter. To change or turn off these settings, you'll need to dive into your MySky account and set your preferences manually.
DisneyLife gets kids' streaming absolutely right
Despite sinking billions of pounds into the production of blockbuster movies and hit TV shows over the years, Disney decided it was best to let companies like Apple, Netflix, Amazon and Sky handle the online distribution of its content. This has meant that every few years, the company sits down with streaming providers to agree on a licence, allowing you and I to log into our favourite service and access a selection of Disney content. It's led to fragmentation, where Netflix carries something Amazon doesn't (and vice-versa), and the only way to access everything is to buy it, one movie, TV series or soundtrack at a time.
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ISPs warn UK snooping law will cost time and lots of money
The Investigatory Powers Bill, aka the new Snoopers' Charter, aims to clarify and extend the UK government's surveillance capabilities. Of the proposed changes to existing legislation, one of the biggest is the requirement that all British ISPs store the last 12 months of browsing data so that it may be accessible to government agencies. The draft bill still needs the approval of the House of Commons and House of Lords to become law, so the finer details aren't yet set in stone, but the UK's major internet providers are already advising it'll be a big ask. Speaking to the bill's joint committee yesterday, execs from BT, Sky and Virgin Media warned the capture and storage of Internet Connection Records (ICRs) would be both costly, and could take several years to implement.
Sky TV streaming comes to Xbox One a year after PS4
If you're a Sky TV subscriber with an Xbox One console, Christmas has come early. At last, the broadcaster has released a "TV from Sky" app for Microsoft's new console, giving users the ability to stream live TV and catch-up content. It's been an agonising wait, especially as PS4 owners were gifted the same service more than 12 months ago. To get started you'll need a Sky Go Extra account, which is £5 per month for regular Sky TV customers, or free if you're signed up for Sky Multiscreen. It'll count as one of your four registered devices though -- notable if you have multiple TVs in the house and a variety of streaming boxes underneath them.
Step aside Gershwin: Computer-generated musical to premiere in London
Computers might be ideal productivity companions, but sometimes they need to express their creative side too. They produce music, design knitwear, create art and delicious recipes; even write news stories (*gulp*). But their next creative achievement is on an altogether grander scale. Commissioned by UK TV channel Sky Arts for an upcoming series, and debuting in the Arts Theatre in London's West End early next year, Beyond the Fence isn't your typical musical. In fact, the full-length stage production features a plot and score conceived principally by machines.
Sky Go finally comes to Amazon Fire tablets
For more than three years, Brits have been able to enjoy the Sky Go app on their Android device. Sky's been quite clear that as long as you own a smartphone or tablet running Android 4.0 (and you have an active Sky subscription), you can get involved -- as long as you aren't trying to download it on an Amazon device. Sky's aversion to the world's biggest online retailer has persisted, but as it gets ready to unleash Sky Q on the world, the company has finally relented and decided now is the time to slot in the missing piece of the Android puzzle.
Sky reinvents itself with Sky Q
Television is going through a period of transition that's greater than almost anything that's been seen up to this point. The inexorable rise of the internet, smartphones, tablets and on-demand viewing have combined to relegate the communal living room TV to being just another screen. That's a problem for Sky, which for so long has offered a single box -- more, if you had the cash -- as gatekeeper between you and its entertainment riches. The firm knows that it's going to have to adapt if it's going to remain king of your viewing universe, which is why it's launching Sky Q, formerly known as Project Ethan, the long-awaited set-top box, or should that be boxes, of the future.
Sky will show Premier League highlights on-demand next season
It might have lost the Champions League and Europa League to BT, but Sky still dominates when it comes to the Premier League. Along with live coverage for 126 matches, the broadcaster has announced that it'll be offering "extended highlights" for every game on-demand starting next season. While Sky has offered these condensed replays before, they've been limited to its traditional TV channels. Now, starting with the 2016/17 season, football fans will be able to watch abridged matches whenever they like. Almost whenever they like, that is. Sky will release one full match -- with no edits whatsoever -- at 8pm each Saturday, followed by "extensive highlights" from the remaining fixtures at 10:30pm. Similarly, highlights from weekday fixtures will be available after 10pm.
Sky's Now TV app brings more UK content to Apple TV
While the new Apple TV has been available to order for over a week, UK-centric apps have been a bit thin on the ground. Less than a week after the BBC confirmed that iPlayer is coming to the streamer, Sky has gone one better and released an app for Now TV. Its release doesn't come as much of a surprise, given the fact that it is already available on third-generation Apple TVs and the iPhone maker is actively plugging the service on its website, but it's good to see more broadcasters committing to Apple's new hardware.
