Update Brings More Adverts to Sky’s Stream and Glass TV Service

Sky UK (Sky Broadband, Sky TV etc.) has reportedly rolled out a new update for their broadband-based Sky Stream and Sky Glass TV services, which means that customers of the service will now see even more adverts appearing both before on-demand shows start and mid-show during breaks.

Both IPTV services are special in that they make it possible to stream all of Sky’s live Pay TV channels and on-demand content over your existing broadband connection, without the need for you to install a satellite dish. But this also places them into competition with a different segment of the market – premium streaming services, where using adverts to generate extra revenue is less common.

However, Sky’s customers will already be familiar with ad breaks, and indeed their Sky Stream and Sky Glass products have had them since launch. But according to Cord Busters, ads on Sky’s native on-demand content were only visible before the start of shows and films – and even then, they were quite minimal. The recent update apparently changes that by adding ad breaks, with some on-demand shows/films now taking ad breaks several times an hour.

Customers can partially resolve this annoyance by paying an extra £5 per month for Sky’s Ad Skipping service (if you took their Sky Ultimate TV subscription then this was included free for the first 18-months of service). But this merely gives you the ability to ‘fast-forward‘ (up to x30 speed) through adverts, rather than completely remove them.

A Sky Spokesperson told ISPreview.co.uk:

“Since Sky Glass’ launch we’ve been gradually rolling out the capability to show adverts on Sky’s on demand content, just as we do on Sky Q, and most customers on Sky Stream and Sky Glass should now be seeing them.

For customers with Sky’s Ad Skipping pack, you can fast forward ads to get to the TV you love, faster across Sky channels, ITV hub, STV Player and All 4 – it does not remove adverts from content.”

The move is likely to annoy customers and, as we said earlier, it sits in stark contrast to the many other premium streaming services where adverts are not used or only used to help offer a cheaper subscription plan. On the other hand, if you’re familiar with Sky’s linear TV services of old, then it’s not a radical departure.