EE customers can upgrade to to Sky Stream as part of a one-of-a-kind new partnership with Sky TV starting on October 15. It's the second landmark agreement with UK broadcasters announced in recent days to shake-up the television industry.
For the first time, EE will let you bundle Sky Stream — the most recent set-top box developed by the teams at Sky TV — to their full-fibre broadband and mobile contracts. It comes just a few weeks after EE became the first nationwide broadband firm to launch a next-generation Wi-Fi 7 router.
Last year, BT TV boxes were rebranded to EE TV with a software update to existing customers as part of a major overhaul of the brand. EE also introduced the ability to purchase games consoles, home security, and other consumer electronics from its stores.
And now, the flagship set-top box from Sky TV will be available to buy in EE retail and online stores, as well as with EE representatives over the phone.
Sky Stream, first introduced as a standalone product two years ago, is a plug-and-play box that delivers Sky's extensive entertainment live and on-demand catalogue to any television via Wi-Fi — with no need for a satellite dish. The device provides access to over 100,000 hours of content, including more than 150 channels and support for 50 popular entertainment apps such as Disney+, Apple TV+, ITVX, and BBC iPlayer.
For the first time, Sky Stream will be available to pair with full-fibre broadband from a rival supplier at checkout
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Sky Stream is 4K HDR-enabled with support for Dolby Atmos. There's no internal storage, so nothing is physically recorded to the device — unlike older Sky Q and Sky+ HD boxes, but you can add upcoming shows and films to a playlist. This queue will be updated as new shows air, and also brings together past episodes from a swathe of on-demand libraries. You'll need to spend an extra £5 to fast-forward ad breaks when watching on-demand.
The team at Sky has developed an all-new operating system for Sky Stream and its all-in-one Smart TV solution, dubbed Sky Glass, known as EntertainmentOS. As well as built-in apps for streamers like Netflix, Prime Video, and others, it also has a variety of games and regularly receives updates — with almost 300 delivered in one year alone, bringing new features and redesigns.
The latest shake-up builds upon EE's existing TV portfolio, which includes the EE TV Set Top Box Pro and the EE TV app on Apple TV 4K. EE worked with the teams at Apple to design a custom remote control to complement the live television streaming its app delivers to this small set-top box.
While Sky Stream is already available from other retailers like Currys, this marks the first time EE customers can bundle it with a broadband package from a rival brand at checkout. The collaboration is part of EE's strategy to partner with leading brands and offer customers a wide range of choices.
For Sky, this is clearly an opportunity to bring its premium channels to a broader audience through one of the UK's largest mobile networks.
Speaking about the new partnership, EE CEO Marc Allera said: "As part of our strategy for new EE, were continually looking to partner with some of the worlds leading brands to provide our customers with the very best in entertainment. Extending our partnership with Sky allows us to give customers even greater choice, so they can take a TV service that best suits their lifestyle, matched with EEs great new home broadband offering."
When this landmark partnership kicks-in on October 15, new customers looking to upgrade to Sky Stream will have three choices: order directly from Sky with the option to pair with Sky broadband; order from EE to pair with its own full-fibre broadband or pay monthly phone deals; buy the set-top box from Currys and set-up a contract for paid-for television channels at a later date.
Chief Consumer Officer at Sky TV Sophia Ahmad said: "Sky Stream offers a transformative viewing experience, making it even easier for customers to access Skys market-leading entertainment offer, with no dish required.
"We're excited to be partnering with EE to take the benefits of Sky Stream into the front rooms of even more customers, bringing them one of the highest standards in viewing experience combined with the best live sport and award-winning Sky Originals all in one place."
Marc Allera — who heads up EE and BT's consumer division — heralded the new deal as a continuation of the reimagining of the EE brand, which was introduced one year ago
EE PRESS OFFICEIf you're looking to compare the best Sky Glass deals with the best Sky Stream deals, we've put together comprehensive guides on pricing for both of these Wi-Fi-only devices, which have become so popular that Sky has started to dismantle its satellite engineering departments.
Analyst Paolo Pescatore, of PP Foresight, commented the new deal, stating: "This latest tie-up is part of a wider strategic collaboration between both companies. It is a logical move that makes sense for both parties given their respective positions and aspirations.
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"Fits in nicely with the BT Group strategy for EE consumers. One of the areas of focus is to extend its presence in the home, by working with partners to provide its customers with a broad range of compelling products and services. For Sky, this further cements its position as a leading provider of pay-tv services in the UK. Significantly, this is the first time we will see a Sky product being marketed and sold by EE — beyond NOW, at least.
"Others will be looking at this deal with interest and potentially seeking to replicate it."