Sky has announced a new partnership with Apple, which will see the iPhone manufacturer’s streaming service, Apple TV+, coming to Sky Q and Sky Glass platforms in the coming weeks. Not only that, but the new deal will also see Sky Go arrive on Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K set-top boxes before the end of the year.
Earlier this year, Sky-owned NOW (formerly NOW TV), which offers contract-free streaming of Sky’s catalogue of live channels and on-demand boxsets and movies, added support for Apple’s TV app. This software, which is available on Apple TV as well as iPhone, iPad and Mac, brings together shows from a wide variety of sources, including Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub and Apple’s TV+ service. Episodes of your favourite shows, movies, sports fixtures can be added to a queue, dubbed Up Next.
And now, Sky has gone a step further with its support for Apple’s television ambitions – developing a new version of its Sky Go app for the platform. Yes, Sky Go will soon be available to download from the App Store on Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K boxes.
For those who don’t know, Sky Go is an optional extra available to subscribers with Sky Q or Sky Glass at home. The service, which is already available via standalone iPhone, iPad, Android and PlayStation platforms, allows customers to stream live channels, on-demand shows, and their own recordings on-the-move. Sky Go includes support for free-to-air channels, like ITV and Channel 4, as well as any extras in your Sky subscription, like Sky Atlantic, Sky Cinema and Sky Sports.
Playback is synced between devices, so if you watch an episode of your favourite show on an iPad during a longhaul flight, when you return home, your Sky Q box will queue-up the next episode in the series. As Sky customers have come to expect, you’ll be able to pause and rewind live television channels watched via Sky Go too.
While this app is predominantly designed to enjoy the Sky Q experience on-the-road, its arrival on Apple TV boxes is a different proposition. Viewers will be able to use their Apple TV set-top boxes like the Sky Q mini boxes sold by Sky to enable multi-room viewing. Like the Sky Q mini, an Apple TV with the Sky Go will be able to draw from the same list of recorded shows to watch in a spare bedroom, children’s playroom, or kitchen away from the main Sky Q set-top box.
Like the Sky Q mini boxes, you won’t need to be hooked up to a satellite. Instead, you’ll only need an ethernet or Wi-Fi connection to stream everything. While the Sky Q mini boxes need to communicate with the main Sky Q set-top box (recordings are streamed over Wi-Fi from the hard drive inside that box), the Sky Go app on Apple TV will be streaming from Sky’s servers.
So, does this mean that Sky Q subscribers can save themselves an extra monthly bill by using the Apple TV they already own, gathering than paying for multi-room support and Sky Q mini boxes?
Actually, no. In a recent reorganisation of its pricing plans, Sky has bundled together Sky Go and multi-room support into a single add-on. Priced at £15 a month, this optional extra allows subscribers up to 4 Q mini boxes to place around their home to watch on multiple TVs, as well as the ability to sign-in with their Sky login to Sky Go Extra on up to 4 devices.
If you have five rooms (on top of the main room with the Sky Q box and satellite cable) that you want to watch Sky TV at home, you could use the four Q mini boxes included and throw-in an Apple TV 4K with Sky Go to make up the numbers.
But aside from that absurdly specific use-case, the arrival of Sky Go on Apple TV is just another option for those who want to watch Sky around their home.
If you prefer the experience of watching on an Apple TV, or want to have the option to watch shows and films from the streaming services available on this platform that are not yet available via Sky Q (like horror specialists Shudder, media library organiser Plex, or the plethora of Apple Arcade games available on the set-top box), this update will be music to your ears.
If you’re thinking of buying Sky Glass over Sky Q (the all-new custom-designed 4K TV from Sky that streams the complete Sky Q experience over broadband – with no need for a satellite dish fixed to the wall or roof of your house), the arrival of Sky Go on Apple TV could be a money-saver. After all, Sky charges a one-off fee of £50 for each Stream Puck, the equivalent of the Q mini boxes needed to power the multi-room experience with Sky Glass.
As such, if you already own an Apple TV 4K, you will be able to recreate a similar experience without spending £50.
Of course, there are some features available with the Stream Puck – the ability to add items to your Playlist, which is synced across all Sky Glass hardware – isn’t (yet) supported in Sky Go. But it could be a good compromise for those who don’t want their perfectly good Apple TV hardware to gather dust in the corner, or don’t want to spend any more when signing up to Sky Glass.
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