German pay-TV broadcaster Sky Deutschland has launched a comprehensive OTT platform enabling viewers to access its premium service directly through the internet without the need for cable, satellite or IPTV.
The customers of Sky Online can watch current blockbuster movies, series and live sports including the football Bundesliga through the web, iPhone and iPad (including AirPlay). In the next months, the service which can be cancelled monthly will be made available on the new Sky Online TV Box developed in conjunction with US streaming company Roku as well as on the Xbox One, connected TV sets from LG and Samsung, Android tablets and smartphones. Further devices and platforms will follow.
Sky Online offers two packages which contain both linear TV channels and a VOD proposition with more than 10,000 titles: the Sky Starter package and the Sky Film package. Additionally, customers can sign up for the Sky Supersport day pass.
For €9.99 per month, Sky Starter offers TV channels Fox, RTL Crime, TNT Serie, TNT Glitz, National Geographic, Spiegel Geschichte, Disney Junior, Disney XD and Sky Sport News HD as live-streams. The VOD offering contains series like The Walking Dead, Klondike and The Blacklist, classic movies, documentaries and children’s programmes including the whole library of VOD portal Sky Snap.
Sky Film costs €19.99 per month and contains TV channels Sky Cinema, Sky Atlantic and Disney Cinemagic as live-streams as well as a VOD proposition with TV debuts of current movies and series like Gravity, Rush, Frau Ella, The Leftovers, The Knick, The Newsroom, Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire and Gomorrha.
The Sky Supersport day pass can be ordered by customers of both packages for €19.99 per day. The virtual ticket grants them access from 6.00 CET on the morning until 6.00 CET the next day to all Sky Bundesliga and Sky Sport channels. They provide live coverage of domestic football league Bundesliga, UEFA Champions League, Formula 1 racing, golf and other sports.
The Sky Online services are offered in standard resolution (SD) to internet users in Germany and Austria.
As part of a strategic partnership with the US streaming company Roku, Sky Deutschland has also developed its own streaming box which upgrades TV sets into connected TV sets. Customers will be able to access Sky Online and Sky Snap through the TV screen. In addition to the two OTT services provided by Sky, customers will also have access to apps through the Roku streaming platform. The Sky Online TV Box will be available in the next months.
“Sky TV already delivers our customers the most complete, best value and highest quality viewing experience in Germany and Austria through our core broadcast and online service which includes Sky HD, Sky+, Sky Anytime, Sky Go and Snap. With Sky Online, we wanted to provide an additional option, combining some of the advantages of our traditional pay-TV premium service with the added flexibility that an online service enables,” Brian Sullivan, CEO of Sky Deutschland, said in Munich. “For the beginning, we are launching the service for the web and iOS and we will expand it to many more devices and platforms over the weeks and months to come including our own Sky Online TV Box.”
“Sky TV remains the home of the widest choice, highest picture quality and best value, but Sky Online is just the right thing for those who want more flexibility to match their lifestyles,” explained Sullivan. “This unique portfolio enables us to offer the ideal product for every customer segment.”
