Author: Scott

BT Sport App Available On More Devices

Ahead of the start of the new Premier League season of football this weekend, BT have made their BT Sport app available on more devices.

The app can now be found on Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, and Roku devices, enabling BT Sport customers with a valid subscription access on more devices.

BT Sport is also available through BT TV, Sky, TalkTalk TV, and Virgin Media, along with mobiles, and tablets. Samsung smart TV, Now TV, Sony PlayStation, Xbox, Google Chromecast, and Apple TV devices can also access the service.

Additionally, for 4K devices, BT Sport Ultimate shows content in 4K with High Dynamic Range (HDR), offering enhanced picture quality.

All September Premier League Matches to Be Televised

With Covid-19 still forcing matches to be played behind closed doors, it has been confirmed that all September Premier League football matches will be shown live on TV.

Sky and BT Sport had already selected to show 17 matches, with a further 11 to also now be shown. Of these, Sky will show a further six, BT Sport will show a further three, with Amazon Prime and the BBC to show one each.

The BBC have confirmed that they will be showing Leicester City’s home fixture against Burnley, on 20th September (2020) with kick-off at 7pm.

It has not been confirmed if more Championship, League 1, and League 2 games will be televised.

Pluto TV Arrives on Web Browsers

Pluto TV is now available on web browsers, opening up the service to users of desktops, laptops, and other devices without a dedicated app.

Pluto TV announced the development yesterday (Monday 7th September 2020), with the move further expanding the number of devices that can access the service.

Pluto TV is an advert supported platform allowing users to stream over 100 channels for free. Most channels are based around a particular programming strand or series, emulating a traditional TV channel, and most are unique to Pluto TV.

Pluto TV is owned by ViacomCBS, who also own free-to-air Channel 5, and premium channel MTV.

Youtube Kids Arrives on Virgin Media

Virgin Media has added YouTube Kids to its V6 TV platform, allowing a child friendly platform for streaming Youtube videos.

The app can be set for different age groups, allowing parents to customise the experience so it is appropriate to their children.

The app is available to Virgin Media subscribers with the newer V6 box. Users of the previous generation Tivo box will not have access to the app at this time.

New Short-throw Projector from Samsung

Following in the footsteps of LG, Samsung has launched a new ultra short-throw projector. The new projector can be placed just in front of the projection surface, making it ideal for home use.

The projector is available in two sizes, 120″ (LSP7T), and 130″ (LSP9T). Both can deliver 4K image resolutions using laser technology, with the LSP9T also having High Dynamic Range 10+ certification.

Both have a ‘Filmmakers Mode’, and come with Samsung’s Smart TV options.

New Partnership Sees NFL on Channel 5

American football league National Football League (NFL), and ViacomCBS have agreed a three year deal that will see NFL coverage on ViacomCBS owned Channel 5. Coverage will launch on the 13th September.

The deal sees the return of Monday Night Football live on free-to-air TV. A new Sunday morning magazine programme called NFL End Zone will also air at 11.30am each Sunday, and will be filmed in a different US location each week.

The deal will also see NFL content air across MTVs digital platforms in the UK, with MTV also being owned by ViacomCBS.

Channel 5 was previously an NFL broadcaster from 1998 to 2009.

Court TV Launches Tuesday

Court TV is launching on Sky channel 179 this Tuesday (8th September 2020). The American channel owned by E. W. Scripps Company specialises in broadcasts from court rooms along with other legal related content.

The channel is currently broadcasting trailers ahead of its launch, and will only be available in standard definition (SD). There is no timeshift (+1) version. The channel is available in both the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

The channel is free-to-air, and although it has not officially launched on Freesat, the channel can be manually tuned into Freesat boxes.

Sony Pictures Television are handling the transmission of the channel on behalf of E. W. Scripps subsidiary Katz Broadcasting.

Free Content Offer From Netflix

Netflix has made some of its original content available for free, without the need to sign-up for an account.

Available only via desktop, laptop, or Android web browsers, the content is preceded by a 30 second long skip-able advert.

Titles available include some episodes of series including Stranger Things, Elite, When They See Us, and Love Is Blind. Additionally, some movie titles are also available, including Bird Box and The Two Popes.

Football Blackout Lifted

The Football Association (FA) has lifted the Saturday afternoon 3pm blackout for the upcoming football season, due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

The blackout was introduced in 1980s, preventing games with a 3pm kick-off from being shown live on TV. This is to encourage fans to attend matches, and promote participation at grassroots level.

The move should mean that all Premier League matches will be available on TV, although the platforms showing the additional matches are yet to be confirmed.

Games are still being played behind closed doors, although it is planned that limited numbers of fans will be allowed to attend from the end of October.

Sky Arts on Freeview, What We Know So Far

Helpfully, information has been rather drip fed, but more details have now been confirmed for Sky’s Freeview channels.

On Freeview, Sky Arts will be available on channel number 11, and will be broadcast on the COM5 multiplex, from the 17th September (2020) Sky Pick will move from channel 11 to channel 34, but will remain on the same multiplex. Depending on your equipment, a re-tune may be required.

It appears that Challenge is continuing, at the least for the time being. There is currently capacity on the COM5 multiplex, meaning that Sky Arts can be added without the need to close another channel.

Merit appears likely to close, once it has given Sky Pick the 34 channel number, but this has not been confirmed. Additionally, Sky Arts will also be available on Freesat channel 147.