Sky to launch UHD set-top box in Germany, Italy this autumn

Sky Q

Sky is due to launch a new set-top box with Ultra HD capabilities in Germany, Austria and Italy this autumn, the company has confirmed.

The new box, which was already in development prior to the UK release of Sky Q earlier this year, will be an upgrade on the current generation of Sky+ box and will be released ahead of a planned international rollout of Sky Q.

The new hardware will be named Sky+ Pro in Germany and Austria, and MySky in Italy, and will be UHD-ready, have built in WiFi and a 1TB hard drive.

A Sky spokesperson confirmed to DTVE that Sky’s UHD-ready next generation entertainment service, Sky Q, will launch in Germany, Austria and Italy at some point during 2017.

Announcing its results for the 12 months ended June 30, Sky said that the new box rollouts are part of bigger development plans for each of its non-UK markets.

Sky stated that its first priority for German and Austria is to “broaden the business in 2016/17 by developing entertainment for the whole household” – and will do so by launching its Sky 1 and Sky Cinema Family channels there this autumn.

The Sky+ Pro set-top box release is Sky’s second priority for its German-speaking markets, while its third priority is the launch of new streaming service, Sky Ticket.

This is a rebranded version of the current Sky Online proposition, offering customers a flexible streaming service that builds on Sky’s experience with Now TV in the UK and Italy.

“Sky Ticket will enable us to tap further into the pay lite segment in Germany and Austria, with an enhanced customer offer that includes, for the first time, Sky Sport day, week and month passes,” said Sky.

In Italy, Sky said it has three strategic priorities: to provide the “very best TV experience”; to offer its services on a choice of platforms; and to drive revenue growth across subscription and additional revenue streams.

“In 2016/17 we will progress this further, delivering new shows including The Young Pope and 1993; innovations including Sky Go Extra, the Sky Kids App and improving the MySky proposition with our next generation box with HD on demand content,” according to Sky.

It also said that it will expand its Now TV online service in Italy by launching on more devices there the first quarter, having first rolled out Now TV in this market in June. It will also introduce Sky AdSmart to Italy.