The UK may not have a joint “TV Everywhere” initiative like that in the US – but subscription satellite TV and broadband operator BSkyB is seeing mobile viewing boom despite (or perhaps because) of that.
“We are seeing … a third of our customer base using ‘TV everywhere’ every month,” says BSkyB‘s business developer VP Hilary Perchard, who is one of the execs recently posted by the satcaster to the San Francisco Bay Area to build connections with startups. “We’re getting 1.2bn viewing sessions on our ‘TV everywhere’ and connected TV experience – that’s doubled year-on-year.
“‘TV everywhere’ is a lot easier in the UK,” Perchard adds. “There is only one app – it’s our app, the Sky Go app – it’s a much simpler authentication process, no 15-digit passcode.
“Sky Go” is the brand name for BSkyB’s mobile, tablet and connected TV apps that allow core satellite subscribers, who log in using their platform username and password, to view their programming on digital devices. “You can watch across four different devices,” says Perchard. “It’s a much simpler experience for the consumer, which means they’re using it a lot more.”
We interviewed him this week at the TV of Tomorrow conference. You can find more videos of our coverage here.
