Sky has entered the smart TV upgrade market with a £9.99 NOW TV box designed to bring internet connectivity to the most basic of TV displays.
In addition to Sky’s entry level NOW TV, providing access to Sky Movies and Sky Sports without a long term commitment, the box also offers BBC iPlayer, Demand 5, the BBC News App and Sky News. It also carries other popular online services including Facebook and Spotify.
Gidon Katz, director of NOW TV, commented: “For under a tenner, the NOW TV Box offers the best terrestrial catch-up, plus pay-as-you-go access to must-see sport and the option to enjoy latest blockbuster movies on demand – all on the big screen. It’s also easy for anyone to use – simply plug in to your TV, connect to your Wi-Fi and you’re away.”
The £10 box throws down the gauntlet to other entrants in the connected TV upgrade market. Even the most basic Roku box, in which Sky is a strategic investor, costs £49. The visual similarities between the Roku and NOW TV boxes are all too clear.
The NOW TV Box measures in at a trim 84mm x 84mm x 24mm. Consumers plug the box into the set-top via a provided HDMI cable provided and connect to their internet.
According to research conducted for NOW TV over two thirds of Brits have now taken advantage of on demand services on their main TV sets – whether via Smart TVs or other connected devices, with two in five streaming shows or settling down to a movie on a weekly basis.
NOW TV is already available on PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, selected Android smartphones, Xbox, PS3, YouView and Roku.
