It’s a case of hostilities resumed between French fibre rivals SFR and Bouygues Telecom after the two launched separate connected TV offers within hours of each other.
At the centre of both of the offers is a smart TV from the leading manufacturer Samsung.
For a monthly €39.99 per month, Bouygues is offering its customers fibre access and a Samsung TV (for between €49 and €349 more according to the chosen screen size). But for once there is no separate set-top box. Instead, customers rely on an app that is already downloaded onto the Samsung set and available on post 2019 models.
The B.TV+ application will go live on June 2 with the app carrying 151 channels, 14 catch-up services and 83 pay-TV channels.
“We are always attentive to the needs expressed by our customers, even if we have to overturn market codes to meet them,” recalls Benoît Torloting, Deputy Managing Director of Bouygues Telecom. “TV remains the central screen of their homes and their desire for Smart TV is important, so that they can easily enjoy their favourite content live, replay or SVOD. Today marks the start of a new era in 3P offers by eliminating the TV box and replacing it with a Smart TV, for simplicity and the possibility of accessing an even larger content universe.”
SFR is working along similar lines, in this case a Samsung TV at €193 that’s close to a third of its normal price and broadband starting at €25 per month, rising to €45 after the first year. For SFR the traditional box remains a part of the offer.
This offer is available from June 9 for new customers and will be available during the summer for current customers.
Samsung is almost a rival to the two operators with its Samsung TV Plus offer, but the manufacturer is smart enough to with with the pay-TV sector.
