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Telco tempts prospective customers with six months of free Netflix, BT Sport.
Vodafone Ireland on Thursday launched an IPTV service packing a host of high-end features, including a mobile app that lets customers stream content and manage recordings stored on their set-top-box (STB).
Reports emerged in February 2015 that Vodafone was considering rolling out a TV service by the end of the year, but while the company admitted it was exploring its options in that respect, nothing materialised before December’s end.
It has now though.
Called Vodafone TV, the service is bundled with the telco’s fixed broadband service. The entry-level package costs €40 per month for the first six months, rising to €70 for the remainder of the 18-month contract. During that first six months, customers can pick between free access to Netflix or BT Sport.
The high-end package, called Vodafone TV Plus, is also priced at €40 per month for the first six months of the 18-month contract, but increases to €80 thereafter. For the extra cost, customers get to choose two added extras for the first six months: multiroom – which can wirelessly stream Vodafone TV to another STB – Netflix or BT Sport. TV Plus customers also get a greater choice of channels.
"This is a significant move for Vodafone in the Irish market, offering a full TV service to our customers for the first time," said Ciaran Barrett, head of consumer fixed at Vodafone Ireland, in a statement.
Vodafone TV also comes with a new app called TV Anywhere, which lets customers stream content and manage recordings on their STB via their mobile phone.
"We are delivering great content with an excellent experience that brings convenience and seamless viewing from the home into the hand," Barrett said.
As is the norm with TV services, customers can also pay extra for more channels, which in Vodafone’s case includes Sky Movies, Sky Sports, and Setanta Sports.
The STB comes with features that consumers are becoming accustomed to, such as access to catch-up TV services and video streaming services, and the ability to record several hundred hours of content.
There is one catch though: because Vodafone TV is IP-based, customers require a fixed broadband speed of at least 40 Mbps to access the service.
