Category: Connected TV and Online Streaming

This category includes online based streaming services such as TV Player and Pluto TV, along with connected TV platforms such as BT TV and TalkTalk TV, which combine terrestrial channel line ups with additional channels delivered via broadband.

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 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.

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.

UK Launch for Fox News International

Fox News International will launch in the UK on the 17th September (2020), and is a new live streaming service of Fox News Channel and Fox Business for international viewers.

The service will be available on iPhone, Android/Android TV, and Apple TV from launch with Amazon Fire TV and Roku to be added at a later date.

There is a charge for the service, but the UK price has not been confirmed.

Increase in iPlayer Demand

BBC’s iPlayer catch up and streaming service saw an increase in demand, with a record breaking number of viewers.

During January to June, 3.1 billion requests to stream programmes were made, an increase of 47% when compared with the same period the previous year.

April to June of this year saw 1.6 billion requests, marking a new best ever quarter. This is an increase of 59% compared to the same period in 2019.

iPlayer viewing had already increased prior to lockdown, with the first quarter (January to March 2020) seeing an increase of 34% compared to the same quarter in 2019.

Ofcom Reports Major Increase in Screen Time

Media regulator Ofcom is reporting a significant increase in the amount of time spent watching TV. During April 2020, viewers spent an average of six hours and 25 minutes watching TV, an increase of 31% compared to last year.

Subscription streaming services saw an even larger increase, more than doubling to 1 hour 11 minutes in April 2020 each day, compared to 34 minutes the previous year.

It has also been reported that an estimated 12 million adults in the UK signed up to a new subscription streaming service during lockdown. 3 million of these had never used such a service before.

More statistics can be found in Ofcom’s Media Nations 2020 report.