topic Re: Apple TV Option for Sky Stream in Sky Stream

Apple TV Option for Sky Stream

Anonymous — Mon, 05 May 2025 16:56:15 GMT

Seen a few posts on here, bemoaning the only current hardware that is available for Sky Stream. I personally have no issue with the current hardware but plenty do apparently. I wonder in the future if Sky would offer Sky stream on a native app, bit like Now Tv or even via a dedicated app on Apple TV - such as EE tv offer. When I think about it, it does seem fairly limited only to offer access to Sky stream via one singular box

Re: Apple TV Option for Sky Stream

SKY1992bf — Mon, 05 May 2025 17:00:23 GMT

@Anonymous Sky already has an app it's called now tv , if customers don't want the streaming hardware but still want sky tv then now tv is the way to go

there is no need for another app

Re: Apple TV Option for Sky Stream

Dazzasky — Mon, 05 May 2025 17:09:05 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Seen a few posts on here, bemoaning the only current hardware that is available for Sky Stream. I personally have no issue with the current hardware but plenty do apparently. I wonder in the future if Sky would offer Sky stream on a native app, bit like Now Tv or even via a dedicated app on Apple TV - such as EE tv offer. When I think about it, it does seem fairly limited only to offer access to Sky stream via one singular box

It would be nice if they did a dedicated app that was the same interface as Sky stream that also included the live tv channels but somehow I don't think they will. Not any time soon in the near future anyway.

Re: Apple TV Option for Sky Stream

Anonymous — Mon, 05 May 2025 17:16:16 GMT

Sky stream doesn't have a dedicated app. The purpose of Sky stream is everything in one place, Now Tv doesn't and will never offer that. An app with exactly the same interface as Sky stream offers now, with full EPG, app third party apps and playlist. It's possible

Re: Apple TV Option for Sky Stream

BenJoBanjo — Mon, 05 May 2025 17:20:07 GMT

@SKY1992bf wrote:
@Anonymous Sky already has an app it's called now tv , if customers don't want the streaming hardware but still want sky tv then now tv is the way to go

there is no need for another app

Exactly.

Comcast have spent a fortune on designing hardware and their own OS. They're not going to abandon that for an app which can never have the same functionality as a full OS on custom hardware. It's simple mass-market economics.

They might in the future decide to partner with other TV manufacturers to put their SkyOS on them, as a competitor to FireTV, LG's WebOS, or Samsung's Tizen for example. It wouldn't really make them as much money though, and the whole lack of functionality without paying for a subscription will only cause frustration for buyers.

Sky need to keep control of their own hardware basically.

NOW TV works perfectly well for those that just want the odd Sky show on alternative hardware. There's no need for a Sky Stream app whatsoever.

Re: Apple TV Option for Sky Stream

Anonymous — Mon, 05 May 2025 18:05:37 GMT

Why could an app never offer exactly the same functionality as the sky stream box does ? An app only acts as a conduit to a server

Re: Apple TV Option for Sky Stream

BenJoBanjo — Mon, 05 May 2025 22:19:59 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Why could an app never offer exactly the same functionality as the sky stream box does ? An app only acts as a conduit to a server

Control mainly.
Think about it. An app hosted on a Sky server like Netflix or Disney+ can't be opened from within another app otherwise what's the point of the OS of the host device? Apple wouldn't want Comcast's app opening its own server hosted apps instead of the same apps installed on tvOS for example. It would make the Up Next/Continue Watching feature of tvOS pointless, when in actual fact it's one of the best features of tvOS.
If a Sky Stream app on tvOS was to open the third party apps on the Apple device instead, whenever the app was exited the customer would be taken back to the tvOS Home Screen, not the Sky Stream Home Screen, which is where Sky want you to be.
It just won't work.
NOW works because it's just Sky content. It operates on whatever OS the app is run on. No third party apps have to interact with it.
Sky Stream needs an OS not an app. It's the same on the Xumo Stream box in the USA. It has tons of third party apps but they're all on the Comcast server and it's all controlled by their version of SkyOS. There's a Xumo Play app for tvOS but it doesn't show any of the third party app content, just selected live channel streams & on demand content. Just like NOW.
TV streaming services, content aggregators, need to operate from an OS. You can't do everything from within a single app, at least not without a lot of costly & complicated negotiation between providers, broadcasters, streamers and advertisers.
Sky will continue to provide their full TV service via their own hardware because then they have full control. Same as Virgin provide their TV service on their own hardware so they retain full control. It's a competitive market place. Bunging everything on a single app just isn't going to work or make any sort of economic sense.

Re: Apple TV Option for Sky Stream

Richardr1 — Tue, 06 May 2025 10:53:02 GMT

@BenJoBanjo wrote:
@SKY1992bf wrote:
@Anonymous Sky already has an app it's called now tv , if customers don't want the streaming hardware but still want sky tv then now tv is the way to go

there is no need for another app
Exactly.
Comcast have spent a fortune on designing hardware and their own OS. They're not going to abandon that for an app which can never have the same functionality as a full OS on custom hardware. It's simple mass-market economics.
They might in the future decide to partner with other TV manufacturers to put their SkyOS on them, as a competitor to FireTV, LG's WebOS, or Samsung's Tizen for example. It wouldn't really make them as much money though, and the whole lack of functionality without paying for a subscription will only cause frustration for buyers.
Sky need to keep control of their own hardware basically.
NOW TV works perfectly well for those that just want the odd Sky show on alternative hardware. There's no need for a Sky Stream app whatsoever.

Given they push Sky Glass at all opportunities, I would imagine the chances of the software being licenced to other TV manufacturers is equally nil.

Re: Apple TV Option for Sky Stream

Anonymous — Thu, 08 May 2025 05:55:35 GMT

@SKY1992bf wrote:
@Anonymous Sky already has an app it's called now tv , if customers don't want the streaming hardware but still want sky tv then now tv is the way to go

there is no need for another app

Apart from Now TV is a completely different product with a different channel offering so no comparison there.

It would be a great idea to do something similar to EE and have a dedicated app on AppleTV, that provides the interface and channel offering on reliable hardware that can also be used for other purposes.....

They could then link with native apps on AppleTV without the need of server streaming app related content.

But it won't happen because sky aren't forward thinking, they think there model is the right one not looking to the future it's all very 2000's

Re: Apple TV Option for Sky Stream

RC2023 — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 15:52:17 GMT

Apple tv is a far superior product however it is much more expensive & lasts alot longer . Unlike the sky stream boxes that seem to last only a few years.

I saw an offer for now tv £4.99 per month for 12 months which could be ok for some