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U.K. incumbent’s TV customers will finally be able to stream content to mobile devices, but not until next summer.
BT on Friday announced plans to overhaul its YouView TV service and launch a new app that will finally allow users to stream content on mobile devices.
Customers will have to be patient though: while the upgrade to YouView will be rolled out as a free software update to set-top-boxes (STBs) in early 2017, but the new app won’t be available until next summer.
The U.K. incumbent said it is changing YouView’s interface to make it easier for customers to find their desired content, whether it is linear programming or video-on-demand.
BT said it will also begin using Dolby Atmos – a new surround sound format that creates the impression of sounds playing above the listener’s head – for select events carried by its BT Sport 4K ultra-high-definition (UHD) channel. Again, this will be available in early 2017 at no extra cost.
The announcement comes not long after a Telegraph report in September claimed that BT has grown frustrated that YouView is falling behind the likes of Sky and Virgin Media when it comes to functionality.
Earlier this year, Sky launched Sky Q, which among other things allows customers to pause a TV show on one device and pick up where they left off on another. Not to be outdone, Virgin Media unveiled in August a new STB, the V6.
Both offerings give customers access to UHD content, as well as the latest playback and recording features.
Originally called Project Canvas, YouView is a joint venture between BT, TalkTalk, infrastructure provider Arqiva, and the U.K.’s public TV broadcasters, namely the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5.
Despite a nifty interface that enables customers to access up to seven days of catch-up content directly from the TV guide, YouView is beginning to show its age, with no multi-screening features, and a dearth of UHD channels.
According to September’s Telegraph report, BT was in talks to take full control of the venture, in a deal worth up to £60 million (€69 million), in a bid to speed the development of new features.
"In 2017 we’re going to further shake up the market by releasing our new viewing experience across our TV guide and on-demand, our new TV app, and on our BT Sport channels, provided as a free upgrade for our customers," said Delia Bushell, managing director of BT TV and BT Sport, in a statement on Friday.
In addition, BT also announced it will begin showing live boxing on Saturday nights from next year, thanks to a new partnership with BoxNation.
"We are taking the fight to our rivals in 2017 and we’ll be in great shape," Bushell said.
