Digital TV News

Sky Anytime+ enhanced with BBC iPlayer and ITV Player

Monday 30 January, 2012

By Anthony Hill

Sky Anytime+ available at no extra cost to five million homes by Easter 2012.

Sky has announced a range of enhancements to its video on-demand service, expanding the choice of programmes available and making it available to millions of homes for the first time.

Available at no extra cost, Sky Anytime+ already gives Sky TV customers a broad selection of on-demand content. In addition to shows from Sky’s own channels, it also includes content from partner channels, such as MTV, Discovery, Disney and National Geographic.

To enhance the range of programmes available, new agreements have been reached with the BBC and ITV. This means that ITV archive content, including popular series such as Prime Suspect, Lewis and Cold Feet, will join the service this week.

Later this year, Sky customers will also be able to catch up on programmes from the BBC, when BBC iPlayer joins the service. Some archive BBC content - including past episodes of Doctor Who, Top Gear and Outnumbered - is already available on Sky Anytime+ through Sky’s existing deal with UK TV.

Jeremy Darroch, chief executive of Sky, said: “We want our customers to get the best out of their Sky subscription and Anytime+ is a great way to give them more control and choice over how they enjoy TV. It’s no wonder we’ve seen such strong demand for it.

“We’re also delighted to be able to widen access to the service, so that millions more Sky customers can enjoy the added flexibility it offers.”

Sky is extending the reach of Sky Anytime+ by making it available to all Sky+ HD homes with an internet connection, regardless of which broadband provider they use. More than five million homes will soon be able to access the service, building on the 1.2 million households already using it.