UK YouView Broadband IPTV Service Picks Sony for First Integrated TV

The broadband based YouView video-on-demand and catch-up TV (IPTV) service, which is being bundled by a number of ISPs (e.g. BT and TalkTalk) in the United Kingdom and can also be brought separately at retail, has officially branched out into the integrated TV market with Sony’s new 2015 BRAVIA range becoming the first to benefit.

YouView is a Joint Venture project between the BBC, ITV, BT, Channel 4, TalkTalk, Arqiva and Channel 5 (Five). But some might recall that between 2013 and early 2014 there was some tension between the partners concerning the platforms future direction and it being dominated by BT and TalkTalk’s customers (here).

At the time some reports suggested that the big TV broadcasters wanted the platform to branch out and open up via a “multi-device strategy”, thus today’s announcement indicates that their wish has finally been granted and Sony will become the first manufacturer in the UK and Ireland to include the on demand TV service.

Richard Halton, CEO of YouView, said:

“We are thrilled to announce a major collaboration with Sony on our first ever project to make YouView available on TVs. This exciting YouView and Sony partnership will create a deep integration of YouView’s functionality within the new Sony TV range, built on the Android platform. It will offer everything you’d expect from YouView including our iconic seamless and easy to use TV guide, giving customers simple access to the live and catch up TV they love.”

John Anderson, Sony UK and Ireland Country Head, said:

“The way we watch TV is changing, with more demand than ever for a large range of content, when we want it, how we want it. We’re delighted to be the first manufacturer in the UK to announce the addition of YouView to our range of TVs. We believe that our new BRAVIA range now has an unparalleled combination of Sony’s fantastic picture quality, fantastic design and the widest choice of content ever complete with Sony High Resolution Audio.”

One interesting question to stem from this development is whether or not today’s move will, over time, devalue BT and TalkTalk’s offer to include the cost of a YouView powered IPTV set-top-box with their broadband bundles (assuming more TV manufacturers adopt the integrated solution than Sony). After all if you’ve got YouView integrated into your TV then having a second solution underneath in a separate set-top-box might seem like a less attractive situation.

Apparently the first of Sony’s new YouView equipped TV sets will ship during the summer 2015 period.