Sky's Now TV service comes to Roku streaming boxes in the UK
Sky's Now TV service is continuing its uphill battle against the armies of Netflix and Lovefilm today, setting up camp in Roku's streaming boxes. Matching its Xbox 360 launch offer, you'll be able to try the service for 30 days without charge, but it's added another enticing deal for the Roku launch -- pay a reduced price of £8.99 for the first three months before the regular £15 per month fee kicks in. As well as boasting its exclusive Harry Potter catalogue suitable for a holiday marathon, we've been told Sky Sports will finally be coming to Now TV "in a few months." Sky 1, Sky Atlantic, Sky Arts and Sky Living will also eventually be added to the service, but there's still not even a loose date for those. Now TV might not reach all the hardware it intended to before the end of the year, but at least with this latest launch, Roku can start showing Sky it was worth all that cash.
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NOW TV Continues to Extend Reach with Roku Launch
-NOW TV on Roku streaming players available from today-
-Free 30 day trial available-
-Access to more of the latest and biggest movies-
NOW TV, the internet TV service powered by Sky, is now available on Roku® streaming players. NOW TV offers instant access to Sky Movies – the UK's most popular subscription movies service – with no contract, set-up costs or installation. New customers can take advantage of a free 30 day trial of the service, plus also benefit from a three-month introductory offer of £8.99 a month.
Roku users will, from today, be able to find NOW TV within the Roku Channel Store and once registered for NOW TV online will be able to access the movies they choose instantly. Once they have connected their Roku box to their TV and home WiFi network, NOW TV customers will be able to watch their favourite movies on their main TV, as well as continue to watch them out and about through their smartphone, tablet or laptop. NOW TV is already available on PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, selected Android smartphones, and other connected devices.
NOW TV customers can enjoy blockbuster releases around six months after they have ended their run in cinemas. Each month, customers can enjoy access to up to 20 new premieres –at least 12 months before they become available on Netflix or LOVEFiLM Instant. Sky Movies is also offering exclusive access to the most successful movie franchise ever, with customers able to enjoy all 8 Harry Potter films on-demand throughout the Christmas holidays. Other top titles which customers can enjoy in the next few weeks include In Time, Young Adult, Jack and Jill and Contagion.
More great Sky content will also be added to NOW TV, with Sky Sports due to be introduced in the next few months. This will enable NOW TV customers to enjoy live action from the Barclays Premier League, UEFA Champions League, England Test cricket, Heineken Cup rugby, ATP tennis, F1™, Masters Golf and much more. The introduction of Sky Sports will be followed on NOW TV by must-see shows from Sky 1, Sky Atlantic, Sky Arts and Sky Living, including home-grown drama, original comedy and US shows.
Roku streaming players are known for their low prices, ease of use and quality selection of entertainment. NOW TV is available on compatible Roku LT and Roku 2 XS boxes. Both are available in the UK for suggested retail prices of £49.99 and £99.99 respectively.
Both models feature more than 300 channels of streaming entertainment including on-demand films and programmes; live and on-demand sports from MLB.TV and Ultimate Fighting Championship organisation; music from Rdio; photos and videos from Facebook and Flickr; news and entertainment on WSJ Live from the Wall Street Journal, FoxNews.com and others from around the world – as well as casual games like Angry Birds.
Simon Creasey, Director of NOW TV, comments: "More and more consumers are demanding easy access to a greater choice of high-quality entertainment over internet-connected devices – and NOW TV is here to meet that demand. Following today's launch on Roku, our customers now have another way of streaming their favourite movies to their main TV screen, while continuing to enjoy access out and about via iPad and smartphones. At the same time as we're rolling NOW TV out to new platforms and devices, we're also preparing to increase the range and choice of great Sky content that our customers can access."
Clive Hudson, Roku Vice President and General Manager, Europe, adds: "NOW TV is a tremendous addition to the growing selection of entertainment available from Roku. NOW TV is a really compelling content proposition for UK consumers who want to enjoy watching the latest movies from Sky, and with no long-term contract."
