Digital TV News

Sky Sports subscribers get free web TV access

Tuesday 29 June, 2010

By Becca Talbot - becca@consumerchoices.co.uk

Satellite TV giant Sky is offering all of its Sky Sports subscribers six months’ free access to its web TV services, the Sky Player and Sky Mobile TV.

Sky (www.sky.co.uk) customers with a subscription to the Sky Sports pack will be able to access the Sky Player (www.skyplayer.com) and the Sky Mobile TV services for free from 12 July until 31 December.

Lucky Sky Sports subscribers will be able to watch a range of programmes and sports, including all the action from the new Premier League football season, live on a range of devices, such as the iPhone, the iPod Touch and iPad, PCs, Macs and FetchTV set-top boxes.

Mike Darcey, chief operating officer at Sky, said: “Delivering Sky Sports and Sky News content over multiple devices - including HD over the set-top box, online and on mobile - gives our subscribers more choice and control over when and where they enjoy our services, providing more value and convenience.”

Sky Mobile TV is the UK’s most popular mobile TV service, allowing customers to watch over 20 mobile TV channels including news, sports, entertainment and music. It is currently available to 3G subscribers on the 3, Vodafone, Orange and T-Mobile networks.

The Sky Player is an online subscription TV service, which has 30 live-streamed TV channels spanning sports, movies and entertainment from leading channels, including Sky1, Sky Sports 1, 2, 3 and 4, Nat Geo Wild, Sky Arts 1, ESPN, Disney Channel, and MTV.

This latest offer from Sky comes hot on the heels of the news that both Virgin Media and BT Vision will be offering cheaper subscriptions to Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 2. The rival digital TV providers made their move following an Ofcom ruling earlier in the year forcing Sky to cut the wholesale price of its premium channels.

Jon Ingram, operations director at Digitalchoices.co.uk, said: “Competition between the providers is hotting up as they fight to secure Sky Sports subscribers before the Premier League kicks off in August.”

Super sports fans will also need a subscription to ESPN to watch every single match, as not all matches are being shown on Sky Sports.