Sky is getting ready to launch its own line of smart televisions as the media firm takes aim at streaming device makers such as Roku, as well as the likes of Amazon, which recently announced its intention to launch its first self-branded TVs.
The TV broadcaster, which is owned by U.S.-based Comcast Corp, will be looking to cause a major stir amongst the best TV brands, with the surprise news that it could announce its first foray into the smart TV arena as early as next month.
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When exactly the launch could occur isn’t exactly set in stone, but there is a relatively hush press event scheduled for October 7th, which could be the big unveiling. A Sky-branded line of Smart TVs has the potential to collect all Sky content and channels, alongside big-hitters like Netflix and Disney Plus into one neat streaming package.
This would be a significant step up for Sky, bringing into question the future of Sky's existing set-top box device, Sky Q. It remains anyone's guess what will happen, but SKy Q would feel a little redundant if Sky does press ahead with the plan to aggregate content into its own line of smart TVs.
The sky's the limit
Naturally, Sky has remained tight-lipped over the potential of launching its own self-branded TV sets. In response to an FT report, 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 rumors.”
So, once again, things appear to be hotting up in the streaming wars, especially as we approach the festive season and with reports that Comcast has already signed a deal with TV manufacturer Hisense to produce two models under the XClass brand. It'll be interesting to see how other streaming platforms respond, especially if Amazon, too, does eventually launch its own line of self-branded TVs.
