by Thinus Ferreira
Comcast's Sky pay-TV service in the United Kingdom on Thursday announced that it's launching a new pay-TV and video streaming integrated smart TV set service called Sky Glass that that doesn't need a satellite dish or decoder and offers the Sky pay-TV bundle as well as numerous video-on-demand (VOD) services without the need for a satellite dish.
Sky's jaw-dropping launch of Sky Glass at a media event held in Greenwich, London on Thursday once again sharply underscored just how far the MultiChoice Group in South Africa also operating across sub-Saharan Africa under CEO Calvo Mawela has fallen behind when it comes to product and service innovation and to aggressively and pro-actively respond to the dramatic evolution of the global TV industry and VOD services.
While MultiChoice still struggles with many standard definition (SD) channels on its DStv service it couldn't upgrade to high definition (HD) and without any 4K channels, MultiChoice doesn't have anything remotely approaching the Sky Q box or service that was launched 5 years ago already back in 2017.
While Sky has signed deals with almost every global subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service - from Disney+ to Discovery+ and from Peacock to Paramount+ and SkyShowtime with ViacomCBS - and is bringing all of those shows and films to Sky Glass, MultiChoice only has Netflix SA and Amazon Prime Video as SVODs.
MultiChoice has failed to launch vapourware like the DStv Streama announced over a year ago and isn't moving fast enough or innovating quickly enough to reduce viewer friction in the TV content discovery process.
While Calvo Mawela has stated that MultiChoice wants to become a so-called "super-aggregator" of TV content, it is Comcast's Sky that is actually and practically advancing in this consumer product and content process and really doing it.
Sky Glass that will become available in the United Kingdom from 18 October is essentially a smart TV and integrates content from everywhere, irrespective of its sources like traditional satellite pay-TV, free-to-air TV channels or streaming services.
Sky Glass brings all of that content to the subscriber in a combined "playlist" as it smooths out the increasingly complex and cumbersome effort for a viewer to search and find what they want to watch.
Sky Glass viewers "collect" and compile their favourite TV content from Sky, Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, the BBC iPlayer and a slew of other TV channels and providers in this playlist, instead of having to log into different apps, or having to delve around in various places and services.
Sky Glass will even create a seamless experience for the viewer who will be able to watch episodes of a single series even if seasons are split across various different video streaming services with different licensing rights.
At a media launch held in London Brian Roberts, Comcast CEO who flew to London, said that "the big idea with Sky Glass was to reimagine television and Sky's role in the living room", saying that Sky Glass is transformative innovation of the biggest screen in the home.
"Just 10 years ago, we would never have imagined what we would all be doing with our television and on the internet today. Ten years from now, I think it is going to be unrecognisable."
"Everything you see is powered by a remarkably intelligent and flexible platform that makes finding what you love effortless."
Sky announced that Australia's pay-TV customers will also be getting access to Sky Glass with Australia's Foxtel Group as Sky's first Sky Glass syndication partner.
The launch of Sky Glass effectively means that Sky as a pay-TV operator is suddenly also competing with global smart TV manufacturers like LG Electronics, Sony, Hisense and Samsung.
Looking forward, facing streaming revolution challenges
Dana Strong, Sky CEO, said that with Sky Glass smart TV the company is "transforming the role of TV in the home". "This is Sky embracing aggregation as a strategy to overcome the mass frustration experienced by customers".
Dana Strong, Sky CEO, said that with Sky Glass smart TV the company is "transforming the role of TV in the home". "This is Sky embracing aggregation as a strategy to overcome the mass frustration experienced by customers".
Sky Glass only needs to be connected to electricity and WiFi with "no dish, no box, no fuss" as the "first platform to fully integrate content from local broadcasters to global giants such as Netflix and Disney+".
"Sky Glass is the streaming TV with Sky inside, providing the total integration of hardware, software and content. Built on over 30 years of understanding what our customers want, this is a TV that only Sky could make, We believe this is the smartest TV available, and that customers will love it," Dana Strong says in the Sky Glass press release.
"The streaming revolution has brought a whole new set of challenges. Most people use multiple apps to find content but these experiences can feel fragmented and we end up spending more time searching for content than sitting back and enjoying it."
"In our already complex lives, we need things to be simple and this will dramatically simplify experiences and transform the role of TV in the home," Dana Strong said.
"We have had every major content provider into the offices to see this product and we've been blown away by their response - by how supportive they've been, how excited they are about it."
"It's actually given us a lot of conviction that we're on the right path because you've got every leader from major organisations coming through and walking away with a smile on their face."
"This is all offense. This is not looking over our shoulder at all but looking forward. This is about really setting the standard for the next phase of innovation."
Sky Glass colours, remote, features
Sky Glass comes in different colours similar to a smartphone and has motion technology like Glance Motion Technology so that it turns on automatically when a viewer moves past in front of it.
Sky Glass also has voice control and switches on with "Hi Sky".
Sky says that its Sky Glass "will operate across the whole value chain, from content production, through to connectivity and aggregation, all coming together on the Sky Glass screen".
Sky partnered with the design agency Map Project Office to create the Sky Glass product design and Sky Glass comes in a choice of three sizes: A small 43-inch, medium 55-inch and a large 65-inch.
Sky Glass also comes in 5 different colours: "Ocean blue", "Ceramic white", "Racing green", "Dusky pink" and "Anthracite black".
The various Sky Glass smart TV set colours come with matching remote controls and customisable speaker fascias.
Sky Glass has a 4K Ultra HD Quantum Dot screen, while the 10-bit HDR screen supports HLG, HDR10 and Dolby Vision to produce vibrant, more intense colour. It has 6 powerful, integrated speakers in optimal positions to deliver edge to edge Dolby Atmos sound and a sub-woofer designed for a rich, deep bass without the need to buy a separate soundbar.
Sky customers can buy Sky Glass together with a Sky pay-TV subscription.
Subscribers can pay once-off for the Sky Glass smart TV or spread out the payments in instalments over months that are added to the pay-TV subscription similar to smartphone operator contracts.
