Blogs - Sky

Wednesday, March 10th 2010

Despite originally being announced last year, we are all still waiting patiently for the full launch of Sky's hugely anticipated 3D digital TV service.

The company's 3D broadcast of the Premier League clash between Manchester United and Arsenal in nine pubs across the UK earlier this year got mixed reviews, so the firm is now pushing ahead with plans to get hype surrounding it back up to maximum levels.

Public demonstrations of the service are to be held at over 100 shopping centres across the UK within the next 12 months, starting with London's Westfield site from March 12th.

Wednesday, March 3rd 2010

When it comes to broadband speeds, no one could deny that Virgin Media has had a major hand in upping the UK average. The company has a long history of topping speed tests and has continued the trend this month in the latest Cable.co.uk figures for February.

With an average speed of 8.4Mbps, Virgin Media is comfortably setting the pace when it comes to connections, with rival bundle provider Sky lagging behind by a whole 1Mbps.

Orange came third with an average connection speed of 6Mbps, while O2 and Be's shared infrastructure generated a figure of 5.6Mbps.

BT completed the top five with an average of 4.1Mbps, but there is little doubt where the power lies when it comes to speed in the UK.

Monday, February 1st 2010

Despite Sky's best efforts, it seems the jury is still out on the company's hugely anticipated 3D digital TV service.

Previewed yesterday (January 31st) in nine pubs across the UK, the decision to broadcast the Premier League match between Arsenal and Manchester United in the format was described by the match commentator Alan Parry as "television history".

However, initial reports suggested that the service did not have the massive impact that Sky was hoping for.

Writing for technology website T3, Kieran Alger said the broadcast "wasn't bad, it just wasn't brilliant".

He explained: "The early close ups of the teams lining up and Sky's excellent graphics suggested real promise.

Friday, January 29th 2010

Football fans will be able to enjoy a new way of watching their favourite players in action this weekend, as Sky prepares to preview its eagerly awaited 3D digital TV service.

While the platform is not expected to be launched officially in pubs until April, the company is planning to offer a taster by showing the Premier League clash between Arsenal and Manchester United in the format at nine specially selected locations across the UK on Sunday (January 31st).

The 3D service will then be made available to its residential customers later this year when compatible TVs hit the market.

Monday, January 25th 2010

Sports fans across the UK may soon have the chance to experience football coverage in a whole new way thanks to digital TV provider Sky.

News that the company, which also offers digital TV and home phone services, is planning to broadcast live football in 3D before the end of this year is likely to be welcomed by many.

According to the Daily Mail, successful trials based on coverage of Champions League football, boxing and golf have shown the potential of the switch to such services.

Monday, January 18th 2010

Sky's monopoly over top sports coverage has long been a frustration to football fans who cannot afford it, but it has also had a significant impact on the popularity of rival digital TV services.

Take BT Vision for instance. While it offers on-demand TV and films - and also recently launched a new energy-efficient set-top box - just 436,000 people are subscribing to it. One of the big reasons behind the low figures – Sky has over nine million customers – is thought to be the lack of top sports coverage.

However, Ofcom could change all that if it succeeds with its efforts to force Sky to offer its premium sports and movie channels via rival platforms, such as BT Vision.

Tuesday, December 22nd 2009

With Christmas fast approaching, a quick walk down the high street is likely to bring a sackful of savings and special offers to your attention. The same can be said of broadband at the moment, but be warned – a few top deals are set to expire over the festive period.

Yesterday (December 21st) saw the end of Sky's offer of a £50 Marks & Spencer voucher with its digital TV packages, while consumers have until the end of today to buy a pre-pay mobile broadband dongle from O2 at half price for just £14.67.

In addition, customers can get 12 months on Be Value's package at £6.75 a month if they enter the code 'halfprice' when signing up to the company online.

Wednesday, December 16th 2009

Are you struggling to think of gifts for your family over the festive period? Well, Brits who live with telly addicts may want to consider going high definition (HD) over Christmas.

The concept of digital TV featuring a high level of picture quality has been around for a while now, but it is becoming increasingly common in homes across the UK. In addition, providers such as Sky have a range of offers in place to encourage more and more people to sign up.

As well as currently offering a free Sky+HD box to those who take up its basic TV pack, Sky Movies 1 or 2 and HD pack for 12 months, the company has recently expanded the range of content available through such services.

Thursday, November 19th 2009

They may have their disagreements from time to time, but it seems that Virgin Media and Sky could not resist the chance to join forces to challenge a new platform that could threaten their digital TV monopoly.

At separate sessions held as part of the C21Media's Future Media conference last week, representatives of both companies raised some concerns about Project Canvas – an open IPTV platform created by firms including the BBC, Five and BT.

According to paidContent:UK, Sky's main issue with the concept was that there is no market failure which the launch of the system would address.

Friday, November 13th 2009

A new dimension is coming to digital TV, but it may not be coming from the company you were expecting.

While Sky was the first major provider to announce plans to launch 3D TV in the UK, Virgin Media has nudged ahead in the race to bring the new service to consumers. From November 17th, the company is to showcase a season of 3D content through its on-demand platform.

Broadband TV News reports that a range of shows are to be broadcast in proprietary anaglyph, a complicated sounding format which allows users to enjoy the content when wearing special glasses that will be available from Virgin Media stores and Sainsbury's.

Wednesday, November 11th 2009

For a while now it has seemed that the likes of BT, Virgin Media and Sky have a monopoly on arguments over advertising claims, what with their recent quarrels over marketing.

However, another two broadband providers have now decided to square up to each other in relation to the issue.

This time it is 3 and Orange, with the former choosing to complain to the Advertising Standards Authority over the latter's suggestion that it owns the UK's biggest mobile broadband network.

According to the Times, 3 believes it has the largest and has stated the claims in Orange's promotions could potentially mislead customers.

Friday, October 30th 2009

The season of financial results is upon us and fibre optic broadband provider Virgin Media is one of the latest firms to release an update on its performance during the third quarter of 2009.

According to chief executive officer Neil Berkett, the update has shown the firm is "progressing significantly" with its subscribers numbers for both its broadband and digital TV services rising.

It enjoyed broadband net additions of 39,000 over the period, while it has also boosted the number of customers receiving connection speeds of around 20Mbps.

TV customer net additions of 37,000 were also recorded, while the period also saw the highest ever average video-on-demand views per month.

Wednesday, October 28th 2009

There was a time when games consoles were for just that: gaming. However, the market's big leaders Sony and Microsoft have worked hard to make their respective systems more like all-round entertainment devices.

Evidence of this can be seen through the announcement that digital TV provider Sky's online programming service is available through the Xbox 360.

In order to access the content, those with both a subscription to Sky and a Gold membership to Xbox Live can play content from through the Sky Player – which is already set to launch on IP Vision's Fetch TV soon - for free.

Monday, October 26th 2009

When it announced plans to launch Europe's first 3D channel next year, digital TV provider Sky claimed it would be "a genuinely 'seeing is believing' experience".

However, while it seems pretty excited over the proposed new service, not everyone appears to be quite so enthusiastic.

According to Guy Bissom, head of television at analyst body Screen Digest, the new technology will not be "massive" with viewers, adding that it is "a bit of a gimmick at this stage".

He added: "3D, personally I don't even think it's that good, and I'm not sure it will work as a consumer proposition. But as a marketing tool for Sky it will be great, because of the publicity.

Thursday, October 22nd 2009

Many people will not be surprised to hear that digital TV and broadband providers Virgin Media and Sky have clashed again. Such reports have become such a regular occurrence that people almost expect them on a daily basis.

This time the pair have come to blows over the issue of advertising, with Virgin Media lodging a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) over claims its rival has made in its marketing campaigns.

Sky stated that Virgin Media and BT customers could cut their phone and internet bills by around 50 per cent by switching to its services, which the complainant stated was an exaggeration.