Sky bids to tackle physical and digital clutter via Sky Glass TV

Bespoke TV services are set to become a strategic battleground for companies as Sky today unveiled Sky Glass, its streaming-enabled television set.

The Comcast-owned broadcaster's announcement follows that of Amazon’s release of the Amazon Fire TV Omni and Fire TV 4-Series, with Fire TV Omni offering voice activation and built-in Zoom chat.

Available from 18 October, Sky Glass will offer similar functions, with its own voice activation and built-in video chat function, with the latter launching in 2022. The device’s primary function is to bring entertainment from different streaming services together, with shows from platforms such as Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and Amazon Prime all being hosted on one interface.

Speaking at the launch event, Dana Strong, group chief executive at Sky, said: “Most people use multiple apps to find the content they want, but the apps aren't connected, and the experiences can feel fragmented. So we spend more time searching for content than actually sitting back and enjoying it.

“In our already complex lives, we just need things to be simple. And that's why today, we're introducing a product that will help solve these challenges, dramatically simplifying your experience and transforming the role of TV in the home.”

Visitors to the event were taken through a demonstration of the capabilities of Sky Glass. Activated by “Hello Sky”, the television can take customers through to apps and shows, adjust its own volume, and be used as a sound system (it features six speakers and a subwoofer) and Spotify.

The new product is available to consumers with a payment plan akin to paying for a contracted phone, as well as having the option to pay outright.

Presenting at the event, Fraser Sterling, chief product officer at Sky, demonstrated that an average 43” television would cost £649; a Sky Glass television of the same size would cost £13 a month.

Sky said it was also aiming to make “clutter a thing of the past”; assets such as speakers being built in means the television requires only one cable. The lack of plug-ins and wires comes with the added bonus of electricity consumption being reduced up to 50%, in line with Sky's promise to become net zero carbon by 2030.