Sky Invests More in Linear TV
August 25, 2022 
3 Comments
The streaming age may be upon us but linear TV remains pivotal to Sky’s growth.
It’s soon to launch its “most transformational product” since MySky in 2007, a souped-up PVR that integrates linear and streaming functionality so one remote control can access everything Sky offers.
Some believe the days of a cumbersome Sky box are redundant given the on-demand access to sport, news and entertainment online and the popularity of mobile viewing.
But in its annual report Sky points out subscribers, which it breaks into five “life stage” segments*, watch nearly three hours of linear TV content a day, “much more than non-Sky subscribers who watch less than 1.5 hours a day.
“Over the last 12 months more than 800,000 Sky subscribers watched at least one Sky channel every day and more than 700,000 tuned into at least one of Sky’s entertainment channels each day.”
It says the new hybrid box, which will definitely launch this year after Covid-related delays, will combine the reliability of satellite TV with the flexibility of internet-delivered on-demand content and streaming apps to create a customised experience.
It’s also developing new pricing and packaging plans, which hopefully will offer more a la carte options than the outdated smorgasbord that has been the model for pay-TV.
Sky’s also committed to pumping up Prime as a more vital free-to-air contender.
“This year we have reinforced the importance of our free-to-air channel Prime,” chief executive Sophie Moloney says in the report.
“Our goal is to meet all New Zealanders wherever they are, and having a strong, advertising-supported, free-to-air offering alongside our suite of paid services allows us to do that.
“The strong viewership of the recent Birmingham Commonwealth Games on Sky, Sky Sport Now and Prime is a great example of this approach in action.”
* Native Streamers, Heartland Champions, Budget Conscious Families, Connected Nesters and Aspiring Families.
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August 25, 2022 at 7:43 pm
No mention that you have to pay them (from) $15 per month to record on the new box. Sounds like the $10 HD tax they used to have. I have been spoiled by Vodafone TV and their record (nearly) everything / go back up to 3 days on most channels, and not have a satellite dish on the side of my house. I’m with Neon now and other streaming services. Bye bye non-Neon greedy Sky, you won’t be missed, including the ads between shows.
How is this any different than currently? If you subscribe with a Sky box at present it costs you nothing for the box. If you want recording functionality then you upgrade to a MySky at $15/mth. The new offering is just one box but you pay the same extra amount $15/mth for the extra functionality. You settled for an inferior product (VTV) that was discounted relative to the competition (Sky) but it didn’t get traction for Vodafone and Vodafone are exiting the market. That’s business.
Glad to see Prime getting the backing it needs to survive and also news that more investment in Free to Air is apparently on the cards as well.