Sky To Provide Content Via Internet Downloads

BSkyB has announced plans to allow movie and sports content via the internet, moving the company into direct competition with London-based HomeChoice and the fledgling on-demand services of the nation’s cable companies.

A spokesman for the satellite superpower confirmed newspaper reports of the new service, which will mark the company’s first steps towards offering truly on-demand content to its customers.

The new service is expected to be launched in the autumn, putting pressure on on-demand broadcasters and DVD rental companies alike, with Sky’s service seeking to cement its core customer base of sports and film buffs.

The development is likely to build on the company’s current Sky-By-Wire brand, currently employed to provide Sky’s sports and movie channels to HomeChoice customers via their broadband connection (see Sky Boosts Audience Reach With HomeChoice Deal).

Elsewhere, Sky’s cable rivals, ntl and Telewest, look set to provide a more united front again’s the broadcaster, with the companies believed to be preparing a merger (see Cable Giants Begin Merger Talks), as well as developing on-demand film and TV services of their own (see Cable Giants Launch On-Demand TV And Movie Services).

Telewest in particular has been actively shifting its focus to premium products in order to tempt current Sky customers, with the launch of its on-demand services bolstered by numerous new content deals (see Telewest Signs Content Providers To On Demand Service), and the launch of a dedicated cable PVR system, specifically targeting Sky’s premium Sky+ service (see Telewest Targets Sky With PVR Set-Top Box).

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