Sky is planning a new prank. This time it’s not about one of the already countless channels, another series or entertainment show, but about a device. The company, which has been part of the British media giant Comcast for three years, plans to sell televisions under the “Sky Glass” brand in the future. “Millions of customers in Europe have been waiting for it,” said the new Sky boss Dana Strong on Thursday in London. It is more than a device, it is an “entertainment platform”.
Remarkable. So far, Sky has mainly focused on content, on hit series like Chernobyl and Babylon Berlin or on sports broadcasts such as the Bundesliga, the English Premier League or Formula 1. The company has a total of 23 million paying subscribers in Great Britain, Ireland, Germany, Austria and Italy. They can watch the program using their own set-top box – or on the Internet, similar to Netflix customers. Now everything is to be integrated into a TV set with a WiFi connection, for which, however, you need a Sky subscription. With the device you can kindly see all other streaming services (if you pay for them) and all free-to-air channels, as well as other functions. In summary, one can say: Sky sells smart TVs that can only be used with a subscription.
The devices will not be available in Germany until 2022
The combination of streaming offer and subscription is already known from Apple. Apple TV programs can be played on iPads and Macbooks. However, the use of the device is not linked to contracts there. And Apple has a lot of experience with consumer electronics – albeit not with televisions so far.
The Sky devices will be available in three sizes in the UK from mid-October and will cost between £ 650 and £ 1050 (€ 760 to € 1250), but can also be rented on a monthly basis. In Germany, they should be available in the second half of 2022.
The US company Comcast from Philadelphia took over the Sky group in 2018 for almost 40 billion dollars. Comcast owns NBC Universal with many special interest channels, but the group also offers cable, satellite and telephone services. Entering the equipment business is the first major strategic decision at Sky since Comcast joined – and it was urgent.
Because the audience is now migrating to other streaming services, but also to the media libraries of the TV stations. In Germany, Sky has the rights to the Football Champions League and partly to the Bundesliga lost to the streaming service Dazn. The new televisions should not necessarily earn money, it said on Thursday. The aim is to bind the subscribers to Sky more closely and over the long term. Sure, who can easily part with their television set?