Sky's online pay TV content is today, for the first time, available to homes in the UK via FetchTV's Freeview+ set-top box.
The box can be connected to any broadband service to enable viewers to watch web content on their TV. Current owners of FetchTV SmartBoxes will get a firmware update to enable them to access Sky Player.
Sky Player currently allows people to watch a number of live channels, as well as a range of on-demand shows spanning films, arts, sports, documentaries and entertainment.
From today, Sky Player will be accessible to FetchTV's registered users through the FetchTV SmartBox, offering programmes from 20 channels including Sky Sports, Sky 1, Sky Arts, GOLD, History, National Geographic, MTV and Disney.
Live and on-demand content from Sky Movies will be added to the service shortly, offering access to up to 500 titles at any one time.
The FetchTV SmartBox has a 160GB hard drive for recording, and is available for £219 from the likes of John Lewis, Carphone Warehouse and Currys online.
Published 24.03.10:
As we announced last October, the deal to bring Sky channels to IP Vision's FetchTV SmartBox will be the first time Sky programming has been accessible via a Freeview internet connected set-top box.
The final touches are currently being put to the Sky Player service, which is set for launch on the FetchTV SmartBox in the next two months.
A range of live and on-demand content will be accessible on the box via a subscription service. Existing Sky subscribers will get the content they pay to watch, while new customers will be able to choose a package on a monthly subscription basis.
Eddie Abrams CEO IP Vision said: “We're excited to be in a position to finally show people the look and feel of Sky Player when accessed through the FetchTV platform.
We have worked hard to implement the clean and contemporary Sky Player design that Sky delivered to us, ensuring... an intuitive and simple to navigate environment.”
FetchTV boxes are currently available at John Lewis, Carphone Warehouse and Currys online with a suggested retail price of £219.
Published 15/10/2009:
BSkyB has announced a deal with IP Vision to allow consumers to access Sky channels, including movies and sports, without a satellite dish – using the company's Fetch TV set-top box and the Sky Player service.
Set to launch early next year, the service will allow customers to receive 'some of Sky's most popular channels, including Sky Movies and Sky Sports' via a broadband connection.
There will be live content and on-demand Sky programming on the box, alongside the Freeview+ services already available on Fetch TV.
IP Vision's Fetch TV box is broadband-enabled and also gives customers access to BBC's iPlayer and Fetch TV's own video-on-demand service, complete with pay-per-view and subscription content.
Griff Parry, director of On Demand, BSkyB, says: "Offering Sky Player through the Fetch TV box gives UK consumers yet another way to experience Sky content, complementing the services already available on satellite, PC, games consoles and mobile."
The Sky Player service on Fetch TV is set to go live in early 2010.