Sky TV is very happy these days as it has reached the mark it had aimed six years ago. Sky Digital TV has now made its way to 36% of residents in UK and Ireland. It is a big number when considered in the competitive market. However, the good news just doesn’t stop right there, as 25% of customers have signed up for broadband and home phone services offered by Sky, whereas 3 million are using high definition TV services.
It is worth noting that when the goal was set the number of company clients only amounted to 2.6 million. Even the company’s CEO did share his enthusiasm in the media when asked, he replied by saying it was a great achievement to be the choice of 2.6 million families. Sky digital box will continue to provide the best of services to its customers by better content as well. In October 2010 another landmark was achieved by Sky when it became the largest Sky HD Channels service in UK.
However, it is important to view the fact that with selling other products it is not only increasing its current base of customers for one product but multiplying the customers for several products and it will increase the customer base for its sky digital boxes as well.
Today the Sky Digital tv customers are being offered around 200 channels to watch and for many the idea would be the number of channels being sufficient. But that is not the case as the company wants to provide the customers what they want and when they want. So they have decided to launch Sky Anytime+ service.
Sky Anytime+ allows you to watch what you want to see. It is because of the simple fact that today people get a number of channels but that is not important till the moment they get it when they need it and Sky Anytime+ is the service which provides them this facility. The good thing about this service is that it is free and one can sign it for free by activation of a call. By making a payment of £5 to £7 a month can get you a Sky 1 TB box, lug it in via a wired connection and a quick phone to Sky.
In order to get the service the customer needs to have a Sky broadband facility or if one does not have then has to make a switch in plan and get enrolled for one. However, the other factors which needs to be considered are that providing this service depends on a lot of factors like the availability of the program in the storage and the time on which it is available.
Sky has announced the launch of its new service called Anytime+. Anytime+ is a broadband video on demand television service Anytime+ will provide video on demand programming to Sky broadband subscribers who also have a Sky+HD box and monthly subscription. Anytime+ service will begin from today.
Sky has not been much of a fan of next generation of freeview boxes, which is also supported by the local UK broadcasters such as BT, Talk Talk, Arquiva. YouView however, when launched in first half of next year will also broadcast on demand video programmes through broadband connections to the latest incarnation of freeview digital television set top boxes. The OfCom had decided not to investigate YouView and it is then when the announcement of sky came with launch of broadband video on demand television service.
Sky has not yet declared the price of its new product but assures to offer more than 600 films and shows to choose from and not the entire content would be charged. The figures have also been promising with triple subscription of broadband, telephone and sky digital tv were upto 3.2 million which is an increase of 39% year on year.
First time in history, Doordarshan will Telecast the Commonwealth Games in High Definition. In order for effective execution of the entire programme, DD has ensured by getting more than 350 modern cameras which will be covering road, by air and under water.
It is first time n history of CWG the games will be held in Sky HD channels viewing and it becomes extremely important to execute it effectively because of lack of equipments and experience. Thus to ensure, DD had tied up with a British entity SIS live. SIS is responsible for the production and coverage and had also helped to train around 300 staff members to handle the sports coverage.
DD seems to be completely geared up with presence over 18 places that includes 16 venues with two road events. For aquatic events, there are under water cameras. The opening, closing ceremony and road events will be covered by helicopter and moving cameras for certain events.
However, DD has also made arrangements for non HD viewing as majority of viewers are not having the equipment for HD viewing and for them the SD format is made available which is better than normal viewing.
Samsung has extended its contract of releasing movies in bluray disks. It can seen from the fact that Shrek and How to train your Dragon will be released by Samsung. Samsung has already released Monster v/s Aliens in Blu Ray. The four parts of Shrek will be released in fourth quarter whereas the other movie, How to Train your Dragon will be released in the fall.
It is not just the commercial movies but even the documentary movies like Imax’s Into the Deep, Galapagos and Mummies: Secret of the Pharaohs. How To Train Your Dragon becomes the second movie to be released in Blu Ray by Samsung of Dream Works Production.
Samsung is about to launch the 7.1 home theatre system, it will also launch the 65 inch tv, the largest 3D TV till date. It shows that Samsung is not dependent on just the products it is offering, it is keeping itself continously engaged in innovation as well.
We can certainly believe that the television entertainment is all set to become the Sky Digital TV from ordinary television with the invasion of HD with Sky Hd Box, Virgin and other companies. The 3D HD and LED TV are also available in market today and there are companies which are offering these products with Sky 3D TV also as a provider.
The 3D craze amongst people are growing significantly. The pay tv operators like Sky Digital TV and broadcasters are also expecting that there would be a significant increase in the 3D content. The number of operators with the content to provide the 3D but it is expected to increase in the future.
The increase in 3D content is set to increase significantly, but the companies are waiting for more 3D TV sets to be sold. The broadcasters are considering the options to increase the premium offerings with the help of 3D.
A survey of broadcasters was conducted for which the results were that 20 % of them had already launched the 3D TV in some way whereas 75% of the companies plan to offer or were testing to provide content in 3D. Sky 3D TV with its 3D channels is also one of the first ones to take the step.
As mentioned earlier, increased sale of 3D TV will increase the need for 3D content. Due to low penetration the inclination for 3D content is less. The survey also suggested that US would be the largest consumer of 3D TV. Also, by 2014, it is expected that almost 95 % of the population would be having 3D TV.
Sky Digital TV has been one of the leading Digital TV service provider for some time but a price war which triggered and known by the broadcasting watchdog had forced Sky to reduce the prices which it was charging to the rivals for two main sports channels.
Sky HD Channels which is the market leader is counting on the HD Channels which it is providing this year. Sky has promised to provide all four sports channels on High Definition. With 115 matches of EPL and another 80 matches from Championship League 1 and 2. It has a same system of having a telephone connection with line rental of £11 a month.
Virgin Media is believed to be the only rival capable of competing with Sky. Even Virgin has been able to offer the Premiership in HD. Virgin has provided basic channels including Sky Sports and Sky News for which people need to pay £11.99 for a month and £19. However to get the HD channels, people might have to pay £50.50 plus line rental.
There are other Digital TV service provider such as BT vision and ESPN as well.
AT&T is renowned for its telecom related services. Recently, it has made a iPhone application which helps people to view selected television shows by downloading them. These TV shows can be downloaded from popular networks. The new application has been named as the U verse Digital TV subscribers.
The company has not specified the list of shows, but the glimpse on the ABC network has shown shows like Coughar Town, Ugly betty, Castle. It is important to be subscribed to U-verse’s U300 package or better. The shows are down-loadable through WiFi and not by 3G.
Although it may seem that the Digital TV like Sky Digital TV is now mobile with the help of U Verse application. It actually needs a lot of improvements such as restriction of place shifting technology, which is available on TV and can be shifted to iphone VIA WiFi AND 3G. Experts are also of the opinion of not including more videos for streaming by AT&T. It is believed that these changes are being kept for the future.
In the time of Sky HD Channels and great packages on television, the advent on television on mobile might not promise that quality but it certainly promises entertainment.
Home Viewing of movies with the help of online delivery is becoming a major source of revenue generation with companies. Digital streaming is becoming increasingly popular. Netflix has also entered into a deal with the Epix. Netlix is a home rental service. Epix is a pay TV service. Both the companies have entered into a digital streaming deal and it is turning out to be a good medium of revenue.
Epix can show movies of three production houses- MGM, Paramount Pictures and Lions Gate Entertainment as it is owned by the three production houses. Epix has agreed to provide films produced by the three production houses to Netflix, once they have been aired on the pay TV services. Netflix, which has a customer base of 15 million subscribers in US, is expected to get the movies three months after the airing.
Netflix has a great customer base which has affected the customer base of other companies with the idea of subscription service. Other retailers such as Blockbuster have closed many of its outlets. Digital TV service like Sky Digital TV via internet connected TV sets and Blu Ray disks are expected to be the next Hollywood’s area of growth.