SKY has assured customers it will continue to provide TV via satellite for a “very, very long time”, after releasing two internet-based alternatives in the space of a year.
Satellite dishes have been the way to get extra channels since the ’80s but times have changed.
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While millions still choose a dish, Netflix, Disney+ and many more have led the way on streaming.
In a bid to keep up, Sky has muscled in, first with Now, then Sky Glass last year, a telly with access to Sky channels built in and delivered via WiFi.
And as of this week, the firm has added Sky Stream, a dinky set-top box you can plug in yourself which requires no dish.
“Watching TV has changed so much over the years,” expert Paolo Pescatore said.
“It is clear that the shift towards streaming is accelerating and represents the future.”
You don’t even need an engineer to come over to install Sky Stream – just plug in the power, a HDMI cable and connect it to your WiFi, even if you’re not a Sky Broadband customer.
Many have wondered whether this means Sky is preparing to pull the plug on the traditional satellite dish services.
The last time it released a major new dish-led TV product was in 2016, in the form of Sky Q.
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Liz Wynn, Managing Director of TV at Sky, told The Sun that the traditional products still dominate versus the new tech.
But many new customers are joining Sky for the first time and going for Glass instead.
“We’ve had satellite in the market for so long, most customers are still on the satellite platform,” she said.
“Today, a significant proportion of our customers are choosing Glass when they come onto the platform to begin with, so as time goes by, it’ll grow as the proportion of the base.
“What’s key with the portfolio is that we’ve got a whole range of services to meet everybody’s needs, so we’ll be selling Q alongside Stream and Glass for a very, very long time.”
What is Sky Stream?
Sky Stream is Sky’s new WiFi-enabled TV service which does away with satellite dishes.
This means you can install it yourself without an engineer coming over.
It’s also the first time Sky has offered a subscription-less TV product, with a 31-day rolling plan available.
On an 18-month contract you can get Sky Ultimate TV and Netflix Basic for £26 per month.
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
