Comcast’s Sky Group will introduce a new sports-focused streaming platform later this year that will allow subscribers of its premium sports package to access even more live events over the Internet.
The service, called Sky Sports Plus, will be included in the cost of Sky Sports, the premium multiplex sports network offered on Sky satellite and through various cable and streaming platforms in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Sky Sports Plus will have the ability to offer more than 100 live events at the same time, unlocking even more choice for Sky Sports subscribers, the company affirmed in a statement on Wednesday. The product comes on the heels of a new distribution agreement between Sky and the English Football League (EFL), which will allow Sky to distribute more than 1,000 EFL and Championship games per season.
“Exceptional sport, covered in an innovative and compelling way, has been a big part of our history,” Jonathan Licht, the Managing Director at Sky Sports, said in a statement. “With the introduction of Sky Sports Plus, we are now able to offer sport fans more choice and an even better experience when watching the live action, at no extra cost.”
Licht affirmed that Sky Sports Plus will offer “every game live from across the EFL on the opening weekend,” which he described as a “huge moment for football fans up and down the country and is a fitting way to kick off our ground-breaking new partnership with the EFL.”
“And this is just the beginning,” Licht continued. “Sky Sports Plus unlocks the potential for us to keep evolving and finding new ways to deliver brilliant sport to our customers.”
For live events, Sky Sports Plus will offer a slate of interactive features, including the ability to start live events from the beginning, and pause and rewind live sports as they progress.
Sky Sports Plus will also debut a slate of original programming, including a forthcoming documentary called “Darts,” which will stream via the platform a full two weeks before it is offered on linear television.
The Sky Sports Plus app will debut on Sky connected set-top boxes and TVs in August, to include Sky Glass TVs, Sky Stream boxes, Sky Q set-top boxes and Now TV devices. A mobile app is also being developed and will launch at a later date.
Customers who don’t have Sky satellite or Sky Sports through a cable provider can sign up for a Now Sports Day or Now Sports Month pass, which will allow them to watch the same programming from Sky Sports Plus when it launches in August.
