Sky News Begins Streaming Its Live TV Output Free-of-Charge Online

BSkyB's Sky News arm has begun streaming its TV output live, free and 24/7 on its Web site, http://www.skynews.com. It has also launched a new, higher-bitrate video player on the site, which it says will provide visitors with a "richer and more immediate" video experience: Sky News's online team worked with BSkyB's Sky Player arm to develop a login-free version of the latter's broadband video platform, which is accessed via a tab on skynews.com's main story carousel. The player, which does not require viewers to have a Sky account, can be accessed by anyone in the UK or the Republic of Ireland. Among other things, it provides viewers with suggestions for related videos in-stream as they watch, and offers them more clips to view at the end of each play. "The enhancements we have launched today on skynews.com reinforce our total commitment to video on the site," Julian March, senior executive producer for Sky News Online, said in a prepared statement. "Breaking news in video is right at the top of our offering. We're delighted to showcase the great quality of Sky Player, and to give non-Sky customers access to just one of the many channels available to subscribers. With Sky News now available on more platforms than ever--on TV, online, on mobiles, through iPhone and iPod touch apps, at train stations and on planes--there's barely a screen in Britain where you can't access Sky News." Added Sky's director of on-demand, Griff Parry: "I am delighted that Sky Player is working with Sky News to deliver their TV channel on skynews.com. This launch is another example of the core business using the Sky Player platform to offer new and innovative ways to access great Sky content."

In other BSkyB news:

• The Guardian is reporting that the operator will today (Thursday) announce a deal with London-based IP Vision to offer its Sky Player broadband TV service on the latter's hybrid DTT/OTT service, FetchTV, which is delivered via a broadband-connected Freeview set-top box. 
• At an industry event in London, Wednesday, Sky's Griff Parry announced that Sky Player will launch on the Microsoft Xbox 360 console on October 27th. Sky Player on Xbox 360, which was first announced in May (see the article published on itvt.com, May 29th) and which will feature a range of live and on-demand programming, will require an Xbox Live Gold subscription, and will also require users to be subscribed to Sky movie and sports programming packages in order to view any programming from those packages. When Sky Player on Xbox 360 was first announced, Microsoft and Sky promised that it would provide a range of "unique interactive services." Among other things, Sky Sports' live coverage is expected to be supplemented by a range of interactive TV applications, including apps that allow viewers to use Xbox LIVE avatars to communicate with one another in voice or text in a shared virtual environment in real time via their broadband connection while watching a sports broadcast, and apps that allow them to check news, league tables and other information. The service is also expected to provide interactive TV apps in association with other genres of programming, and to feature Twitter and Facebook applications.