Sky and Netflix have teamed up to bring the streaming service direct to Sky Q, as well as its range of Now TV devices in Europe.
All new and existing Sky customers will be able to access the Netflix app from their Sky Q menu for the first time, including Netflix’s Ultra HD shows and films. This not only means you no longer have to switch to a separate source to watch Netflix on your Sky TV, it also means you can use Sky’s built-in text and voice search to find shows on the site – which can be notoriously difficult to navigate.
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If you’re an existing Netflix customer, you can just sign into the app with your current login details and continue to pay a separate monthly fee, or you can move on to the Sky TV bundle that comes with Netflix for free, as part of the overall package.
It builds on the raft of new features coming to Sky Q, announced earlier this week, which included the news that Spotify was similarly joining the Sky Q family. From the spring (date TBC), Spotify will launch on Sky Q in the UK and Ireland, as well as the Sky Soundbox, bringing 35 million songs to the platform. This is a real boon for Sky as being able to stream music from apps to your TV is a major plus point for Apple TV, as an example.
Customers will be able to listen to Spotify for free, with ads, or log in to their premium account. It won’t be included as part of the Sky Q bundles, though, so you’ll still need to pay that £9.99 monthly fee. In addition to it being available on Sky Soundbox, you’ll be able to stream to TV speakers via AirPlay or Bluetooth, too.
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On Sky Q itself, the broadcaster is adding more personalised features, based on your household’s viewing habits, to “ensure customers are served content most relevant to them”. This means you’ll get more tailored recommendations and Sky will automatically set up more appropriate Series Links for upcoming shows. Sky Q’s Voice search is also getting an upgrade to support this and you’ll be able to ask for recommendations such as “show movies for me”.
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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 afterwards.
Prices have not yet been announced, and won’t be until nearer the time Netflix launches on the platform, according to Sky. The deal does not extend to Sky+ customers and Netflix shows will not be available on the Sky Q app.
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The agreement with Netflix also extends to Sky’s contract-free streaming services. In the UK and Ireland, Sky will launch Netflix as a standalone app on Now TV devices including the recently launched Now TV Smart Stick. Sky Ticket in Germany and Austria, and Now TV in Italy, will launch a standalone app on their devices in due course.
Commenting on the news, uSwitch’s Dani Warner said: “Sky Q’s mission statement to ‘re-imagine TV’ has taken another step forward today with customers now being able to access Netflix directly through the platform.
“While this one-stop shop for programming – as well as the allure of a single bill – will appeal to a range of customers, we’re still a little hazy on how this will hit the price point or what this integration will look like for viewers as it doesn’t seem to be the app itself, but, rather, a ‘first of its kind’ partnership.”
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