Sky is reportedly planning to launch its own smart TV as it continues to battle the streaming services for viewers’ eyeballs.
According to the FT, the company could officially announce the plan as early as next month.
The broadcaster currently has 23 million customers in six European countries, and has deals in place with the likes of Netflix and Disney Plus to carry their services on its Sky Q platform.
However, it reported a fall in subscribers during Q2 2021, dropping by almost 200,000 compared to the same period the year before, while Disney Plus once again beat expectations by adding another 12.4 million subscribers worldwide in Q2.
In a statement released to the FT, Sky said: “We constantly look at new technologies to bring our customers more of the content that they love. We don’t comment on product rumours.”
Last week, reports suggested Sky’s parent company Comcast is preparing to launch its own smart TV with Chinese TV manufacturer Hisense, which will include two models under the XClass TV brand.
Hisense is believed to be developing two 4K TV models, with screen sizes of 43 and 50 inches, respectively, for Comcast. Apps available on the platform are expected to include Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Disney Plus, Tubi and Pluto, as well as Comcast’s own Peacock and Xumo streaming services.
Speaking at last year’s Goldman Sachs Conference, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts revealed the company was looking at smart TVs on a global basis. “We’re wondering: Can we bring our tech stack, or certain capabilities in aggregation, to consumers who are relying more and more on smart TVs?” he told the audience.
While Sky make be looking at expanding its hardware, the CEO of fellow pay-TV company Virgin Media-O2 last week said it was looking at launching its own IPTV service by the end of the year.
