Sky, the U.K.-based media giant that’s now the apple of Comcast’s eye, and Netflix have forged a deal that will bundle the SVOD service into a new subscription package through the Sky Q platform.
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Under the deal, sky will make Netflix available to new and existing subs via a new “attractively priced” entertainment TV pack that combines Sky and Netflix content, including their 4K/Ultra HD fare, side-by-side on Sky Q, Sky’s flagship, multiscreen (and whole-home) pay TV service.
This European partnership will see Netflix - along with the new Sky TV pack - launch on Sky Q in the UK and Ireland in the coming year. Netflix will launch on Sky Q platforms in Germany, Austria and Italy thereafter.
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In addition to integrating that content on the Sky Q user interface, including its search and voice navigation system, Sky subs will also be able to subscribe to Netflix on one monthly bill (from Sky).
The deal also factors in a component for Sky’s OTT-delivered Now TV service, as Netflix will become available as a standalone app on Now TV’s family of streaming devices, including the recently launched Now TV Smart Stick, in the U.K. and Ireland, and later via Sky Ticket in Germany and Austria, and Now TV in Italy.
Netflix, along with the new Sky TV pack, is set to launch on Sky Q in the U.K. and Ireland later this year, followed by debuts on Sky Q in Germany, Austria and Italy.
The integration will help Sky match up with Virgin Media, which offers integrated access to Netflix on its TiVo-powered offerings, including the new 4K-capable V6 platform, as well as Virgin Media owner, Liberty Global, which has a deal in place to tie in Netflix across all its set-top boxes.
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The Netflix announcement arrives soon after Sky announced several updates coming to the Sky Q platform this spring, including the integration of music streaming service Spotify, enhanced personalization features and recommendations tied to the system’s voice navigation system, plans to introduce a new wide-screen user interface and a kids mode, and doubling the amount of UHD content offered via Sky Q to more than 1,000 hours. Sky will also introduce a Sky Q app for smart TVs and other third-party connected devices.
