Sky has announced another big partnership, saying the Apple TV+ app will soon be available on its new Sky Glass TVs as well as its traditional satellite subscription service Sky Q later this year.
Apple’s streaming service joins a host of other big platforms available on Sky, including the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+.
Sky announced its first ever branded TVs, Sky Glass, earlier this month, giving users a way to access its services without needing to install a set-top box and satellite dish. Instead, they can buy the TV and stream all of its programming over the internet, fulfilling the company’ long-held promise to shift to broadband.
The Sky Glass TVs are fairly conventional LCD models available in a choice of 43-inch, 55-inch and 65-inch sizes with a 4K FALD LED backlight and quantum dots. They also support HDR standards such as Dolby Vision and HDR10, and boast a fairly substantial sound system that packs in six built-in speakers including a subwoofer on the sides, bottom and top, delivering a total output of 215 watts, and Dolby Atmos support.
Today’s announcement revealed that customers will soon have another way to access its content through the Sky Go app on Apple devices. Sky Go is an online streaming service for Sky subscribers that allows them to view all of its content away from the living room, on compatible PCs, laptops, Macs, tablets and smartphones. Sky said this support will extend to Apple TV devices in mid-2022.
In addition, it said Apple device owners will also be able to purchase Now memberships on Apple devices. Now – formerly known as Now TV - is a subscription-based TV service owned by Sky that provides contract-free access to Sky's premium sports, movies and entertainment content via internet streaming.
The announcements are all part of a wider deal between Apple and Sky’s parent firm Comcast, which also owns NBC, Peacock and Universal Pictures. Comcast said it’s actually bringing the Apple TV+ app to all of its platforms, including its Xfinity TV streaming platform and also its new Comcast XClass TVs that were announced a few days after Sky Glass. The deal will see Apple reciprocate, making the Xfinity Stream app available on Apple TV devices.
Sky’s partnership with Apple came alongside a more lighthearted announcement in celebration of “spooky season”, with the company adding a number of Halloween-themed voice commands to its Sky Glass TVs and Sky Q service.
From today, Sky users will be able to pick up their remote, hit the voice button and then utter lines from classic horror movies such as “Here’s Johnny!”, “I’m a werewolf” and “Candyman, Candyman, Candyman” and they’ll be taken directly to a specially curated list of Halloween content.
