Sky Snap launches with €9.90 flat fee

Parent Category: News | 12-12-2013

German pay-TV broadcaster Sky Deutschland has launched its online video library Snap: for a monthly all-inclusive fee of €9.90 Internet users can watch thousands of movies, series and children's programmes on various reception devices, for example titles from Walt Disney and HBO.

In contrast to Sky's other services, Snap is not restricted to Sky subscribers, but available to all Internet users in Germany and Austria. Sky customers pay a reduced fee of €4.90 per month. Snap can be tested free of charge until the end of 2013. Sky customers gain free access until the end of January 2014. The contract can be cancelled monthly.

The portfolio includes films such as Hangover, Batman Begins, Iron Man 2 and The Dark Knight, TV series like Boardwalk Empire, 24, Sex and the City and The Sopranos as well as children's programmes like Maya the Bee, Dumbo and Hannah Montana. The titles are available in HD and in the original language if desired.

Access is possible through PCs and Macs, laptops, iPads, Apple TV (via Airplay) and connected TV sets from Samsung. The iPhone and iPod touch will be added shortly. Snap can be used on up to two devices at the same time while four devices can be registered in total. On the iPad, the content can also be downloaded and watched offline at a later stage, even abroad.

"Sky pioneered the concept of a content rich, live and on-demand entertainment service with Sky Go, and as a result today Sky is the largest OTT pay-TV service in Germany and Austria. With Snap, we're taking the next step, giving Sky customers and all entertainment fans the chance to enjoy a new selection of top quality content from the Sky Collection," Brian Sullivan, CEO of Sky Deutschland, said.

"Snap will bring Sky's extensive editorial experience, outstanding programming quality and comprehensive partnerships with the world's leading providers - such as HBO, Warner, Fox, Paramount and Disney - to a whole new audience. And for Sky customers, Snap provides a much deeper catalogue, with a chance to watch great series from the very beginning, and an even wider collection of great movies - all at an unbeatable price - the perfect complement to Sky Anytime and Sky Go. We couldn't be happier to make Snap available just in time for Christmas, and rest assured, there is more to come in 2014."

With its price tag of €9.90 per month, Snap is more expensive that its competitors maxdome, LOVEFiLM and Watchever which offer flat fees between €6.99 and €8.99 per month. But the move ensures that Sky has a foothold in the growing German video-on-demand (VOD) market and is prepared for a possible launch of US provider Netflix.