Could 2025 be the year that we finally see an upgraded Sky Glass television? Or a next-generation satellite set-top box to replace the ageing Sky Q?
It’s unclearwhat’s in the works from the team at Sky TV, but we’re pretty confident that something is on the way. Sky has started to tease the launch of a new product, promising something “smarter, brighter and better than ever” at a major event scheduled for February 2025.
GB News has received an invitation, so will be bringing you everything announced at the event.
“Hello from Sky,” the invite reads. “Be one of the first to see what’s next. Smarter, brighter and better than ever.”
Sky TV has sent-out invitations to a mysterious event in February, where it’s promising to unveil something “smarter, brighter, and better than ever” to add to its lineup
SKY TV PRESS OFFICE
The tease of new hardware comes hot on the heels of a busy few weeks for the UK broadcaster. Sky recently struck a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery to ensure HBO shows like House of the Dragon, The Last of Us, Euphoria, And Just Like That, and The White Lotus remain on Sky Atlantic. The upcoming Harry Potter series will also be broadcast on the channel, which was previously the only place to watch HBO shows in the UK.
That’ll no longer be the case when Max — the Netflix rival from parent company Warner Bros. Discovery — becomes available in the UK in early 2026 when the current exclusivity deal between HBO and Sky TV expires. A subscription to Max will be bundled with their existing subscriptions at no additional cost.
Just a few weeks after this blockbuster agreement was announced, Sky Glass and Sky Stream owners were treated to seven brand-new features.
The latest version of EntertainmentOS, the custom-designed software that powers Glass TVs and Sky Stream, lets viewers follow all films and series from an individual actor in their Playlist, skip an entire ad break with the push of a button, and AirPlay from an iPhone or iPad to the big screen.
Sky Stream has never been this affordable. The broadcaster has just launched an affordable new bundle of channels and on-demand services, dubbed TV Essentials. It includes its plug-and-play Sky Stream box, over 100 live channels including Sky Atlantic — the exclusive home of shows like Game of Thrones, And Just Like That, and The White Lotus. You’ll also find a subscription to Netflix and Discovery+ included too and can upgrade to Sky Cinema and Sky Sports at an extra cost.
Aside from the promise of something “smarter, brighter and better than ever,” Sky TV is staying tight-lipped about what to expect from its blockbuster event.
The current lineup from Sky TV offers three ways to access its paid-for content: the satellite dish-powered Sky Q, the all-in-one Sky Glass television, and the plug-and-play Sky Stream device that works with any telly.
Sky Glass and Sky Stream, which only require a Wi-Fi to stream live and on-demand telly, have become the go-to way to watch Sky TV, with statistics from the broadcaster showing that 90% of new customers choose a streaming platform. This shift lead Sky TV to make cutbacks across its satellite engineering division.
Sky Q, launched in early 2016, continues to serve thousands of viewers across the UK, but hasn’t received major updates in recent years. Those who prefer the satellite dish-powered box will be pleased that, despite the growing popularity of streaming solutions, Sky TV shows no signs of removing Sky Q from its shelves.
While Sky Q isn’t going anywhere …it seems unlikely that we’ll see a new set-top box that’s reliant on a satellite dish at the upcoming event from Sky TV. It’s pretty the Comcast-owned company wants to shift from traditional satellite broadcasting to internet-based viewing solutions.
Sky Glass was the first all-in-one solution launched by the satellite brand, with viewers offered the chance to repay the cost of the television each month alongside a subscription to its exclusive paid-for content
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The biggest shake-up to the Sky TV lineup arrived in 2021 with the launch of Sky Glass.
This all-in-one Smart TV shipped with everything you’d need to enjoy the latest Sky TV shows, sports fixtures, and movies: a QLED screen with 4K UHD resolution, Dolby Atmos-certified soundbar, hands-free voice controls, and everything you’d need to stream the complete Sky TV experience.
Sky Glass is an all-in-one solution that bundles a 4K QLED panel, Dolby Atmos-certified soundbar, hands-free voice controls, and everything you need to stream, pause, and rewind live television. With the Ultimate TV bundle, you’ll enjoy access to Sky Atlantic — the exclusive home of shows like Game of Thrones, And Just Like That, and The White Lotus, as well as a subscription to Netflix and Discovery+. Since everything is beamed via Wi-Fi, there’s no need for a satellite dish or an engineer appointment to get started. Usually £28, you can save £144 over two years when you sign-up for the Ultimate TV bundle today
Available in 43-, 55-, and 65-inches, Glass shipped in a choice of five colours designed to ensure the widescreen telly would fit with your home décor.
The compact Sky Stream device followed, offering the same streaming capabilities in a smaller puck-shaped unit that could connect to your existing telly.
In recent weeks, Sky launched its most affordable package yet — dubbed Sky Essentials, priced at £15 per month, which includes the Sky Stream set-top box, over 100 channels including Sky Atlantic, plus Netflix and Discovery+. It misses some of the other exclusive Sky TV channels, like Sky History, Sky Crime, as well as MTV, TLC, included with its pricier Ultimate TV package, which costs £22 per month.
With built-in support for 4K Ultra HD, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and other flagship picture and audio settings, it’s unclear what Sky TV could do to improve its Sky Stream hardware.
Sky Stream brings the same experience as Sky Glass to any flatscreen via a HDMI connection. Its EntertainmentOS supports the most popular streamers, including Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, Apple TV+, Disney+, and Netflix — with the software intelligently recommending new series and films based on your viewing habits SKY TV PRESS OFFICE
While it’s true that Stream is a little bulkier than rival gadgets from the Roku and Fire TV Stick lineup, we’re not sure shaving off a few pounds with a second-generation box would fulfil the promise of the “smarter, brighter and better than ever” tagline from the invite.
However, it’s much easier to see how a brand-new Sky Glass television would fit the bill.
The original Sky Glass television hasn’t been refreshed since its debut in October 2021, making it a prime candidate for an upgrade. This theory is supported by comments made in last summer by Fraser Stirling, Global Chief Product Officer for Sky and Comcast, who confirmed that “new versions of Sky Glass” were coming “down the line” in an interview with gadget magazine, T3.
Sky Stream has never been this affordable. The broadcaster has just launched an affordable new bundle of channels and on-demand services, dubbed TV Essentials. It includes its plug-and-play Sky Stream box, over 100 live channels including Sky Atlantic — the exclusive home of shows like Game of Thrones, And Just Like That, and The White Lotus. You’ll also find a subscription to Netflix and Discovery+ included too and can upgrade to Sky Cinema and Sky Sports at an extra cost.
The use of “brighter” in the event invitation particularly suggests a television-focused announcement. Some early reviews of the first-generation Sky Glass were critical of its QLED display, with the switch to a brand-new panel an easy upgrade for any potential successor.
The firm could switch to OLED technology, which offers more vibrant colours and deeper blacks, although that would potentially increase the price tag of a follow-up to Sky Glass.
Sky Glass is designed as an all-in-one solution with everything you need to enjoy the best live and on-demand content that Sky TV has to offer — from a QLED panel, 4K Ultra HD resolution, Dolby Atmos-certified soundbar, and hands-free voice controls so you can forget the remote control
SKY TV PRESS OFFICE
Of course, the invitation also teases something “smarter” is incoming, which could hint at an entirely new product line from the broadcaster. Since the launch of the first Sky Glass, the company has expanded into other product categories, most recently with the arrival of its own home protection gadgets.
Finally, “better than ever” suggests that we’ll see something at the event that’s an upgrade to a product that already exists.
Since the launch of the original Sky Glass, the firm launched an accessory — dubbed Sky Live — that adds a 4K webcam to the top of the all-in-one telly that enables at-home workouts with coaching based on your movements, motion-controlled games for the whole family à la Nintendo Wii, and video chat and watch-along parties from the comfort of your sofa with friends and family anywhere in the country.
Sky Live snaps to the top of your Sky Glass television using magnets, and immediately unlocks a wide array of interactive games — with more added all of the time
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Sky Live is sold as a separate accessory… but future iterations could be integrated into the bezel of the next Sky Glass, or be a standalone unit that’s compatible with Sky Stream as well as Glass TVs.
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Rounding out the possibilities for the first major announcement in years, it’s worth remembering Sky TV also owns and operates NOW, formerly NOW TV, which offers contract-free access to exclusive shows, sports, and films from Sky across a wide range of devices.
Sky Glass and Sky Stream both offer one month rolling contracts, enabling the same flexibility as NOW packages …so we could see a revamp of the latter to differentiate it from the rest of the lineup.