BRITISH SATELITTE BROADCASTER Sky has announced a ?9.99 Now TV set-top box to give any TV set direct access to its on-demand streaming service.
The box, which comes bundled with a remote control, connects any TV wirelessly to the internet. Once connected, the box gives viewers access to Now TV for a monthly fee or on a pay as you go basis, along with free access to BBC iPlayer, Demand 5, the BBC News App and Sky News.
Sky made its announcement just days after LG revealed a partnership with the British broadcaster to be the first manufacturer to bring Now TV to its Smart TV sets exclusively for at least 12 months. We can imagine that LG is not best pleased about Sky's set-top box, which brings the streaming service to any TV for just under a tenner.
Sky wouldn't respond to our question about why it would sign an exclusive deal with LG to bring the service exclusively to LG's Smart TV sets days before releasing a set-top box for all TVs, but it did say that the box is part of its goal to deliver the service to as many people as possible.
LG had not responded to request for comment by the time of publication.
For those who don't know how Now TV works, Sky's TV on-demand service offers non-Sky customers access to premium programming such as Sky Movies and Sky Sports for ?15 a month or on a pay as you go basis for immediate streaming with no need for a satellite dish, installation fee, contract or subscription.
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The service is available through web browsers via PCs and Macs, on Xbox and PS3 consoles, Talktalk's Youview box, iOS devices, selected Android smartphones and tablets as well as Roku. Sky said that the addition of a set-top box brings the service directly to the main TV screen.
Customers can also access other popular online services such as Facebook and Spotify, all delivered over broadband internet connections.
Along with the announcement of the Now TV set-top box, Sky also released its full year results, boasting a five-fold year on year increase in TV on-demand downloads, which reached an average of 6.2 million per week.
The boasting broadcaster said that over the last 12 months there has been "an explosion" in the amount of content Sky customers have been watching using its TV on-demand services, with over a quarter or 2.7 million of its total customers connected their Sky+HD boxes to broadband for catch-up programming, an increase of 170 percent over last year.
To ensure that these TV on-demand figures will continue to grow, Sky said that over the next 12 months its connected customers will receive over 20 new channels on its Catch Up TV service.
"Sky will also make a significant investment in the quality and breadth of its TV Box Sets available on demand, increasing the hours of content available by around 50 percent," the firm bragged.
It also said that its mobile TV service Sky Go is now being used regularly by 3.3 million customers, who have collectively watched 600 million pieces of content over the last year. Its Sky Go customers will also receive more than 10 additional channels over the next year. ?
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