Moving into a new home is a big deal for all of us. But over the years, a home has become more than four walls in which to unpack our belongings.
In the connected world in which we live, the frustration of moving in after arranging the phone and broadband to be connected only to find it isn’t working as soon as we put the key in the door for the very first time may be a first-world problem, but nevertheless it is an issue for many.
So it has become increasingly important for housebuilders and developers to factor in the connectivity of the home from the very beginning of a development.
In recent years, TV and broadband services have become central to modern living and are now generally considered essential, not just desirable. Just as with other essential services and utilities, new homeowners need immediate access as soon as they move in.
Sky is working with developers to help ensure everything works as soon as you turn the key. Of course, there are a number of choices people can make when it comes to selecting a broadband and TV provider, but what housebuilders need to provide is the infrastructure to enable that choice.
But it is not merely about providing the connectivity to suit today’s requirements; developers need to future-proof the technological infrastructure. While most of us are familiar with smart TVs, our homes are increasingly becoming smarter in a whole host of other ways. While just a few years ago it seemed like science fiction to consider turning on our heating, lights or even our kettle before we even arrived home, all this is now within reach.
Demand for infrastructure
With more technology available, the demands on the infrastructure will only increase, and fast, over the next few years, and we work with some of the nation’s biggest developers to help them ensure their homes are not just ready for today’s technology, but also tomorrow’s.
Tomorrow is not far away, and with media packages such as Sky Q, the breadth of choice for households has never been greater. Sky Q allows you to record up to 350 hours of high-definition programming and record four programmes at once while watching another. It also brings a whole host of new interactivity and apps to the screen.
With the rise in private rented sector (PRS) housing, now is a time of huge opportunity for media providers and housebuilders to create homes in which to live, work and play.
Forward-thinking developers and managing agents are keen to invest in the latest technology to ensure their properties keep pace with current and future demands in order to meet these new customer expectations.
Ensuring efficiency
Our homes are more and more energy efficient, and we are working with housebuilders to make them entertainment efficient too. While we can turn on our appliances from our mobile phones, the vast majority of our technological needs in the home come from entertainment. It is predicted that by 2020 the global smart homes market will be a $100bn (£70bn) industry, and that entertainment will account for 80% of this.
There remain issues, particularly when we consider building the home ready for the ‘internet of things’ outside our major cities.
While the technological infrastructure of our cities does bring us the bandwidth and room for growth, we need to accommodate the growth in technology. A challenge for the industry and government is to ensure those living in the furthest reaches of the nation benefit from the same access to technology as those in the centre of our towns and cities.
For those who do not live in large cities, but in the countryside, a good broadband signal is hard to come by. So is everything we’re talking about here, in reality, only for those in well-connected cities? It most certainly shouldn’t be.
It seems inevitable that the government should part-fund the expansion of superfast broadband to the outreaches of our country alongside the private sector. Things are improving outside our cities, but with the increasing demands on the network there is still a lot to do to get those living in the countryside to truly experience all technology can offer our homes.
While there are challenges to bringing the world of entertainment to homes, those challenges are overcome with forward thinking and planning. Developers who think ahead will benefit from happier households.
About Sky Q
Sky Q is the next-generation home entertainment system from Sky and went on sale last month.
Sky Q went on sale with Sky’s lowest-ever setup cost for a brand-new premium product launch. Setup costs are from just £99. Customers can choose from two new bundles - the Sky Q Silver Bundle or the Sky Q Bundle. The typical monthly cost for existing Sky+ customers is around an extra £12 compared with the current Sky+ package. For new customers joining Sky, the ongoing monthly cost for Sky Q starts from £42.
Sky Q reinvents the viewing experience, giving you the option to pause in one room and carry on in another, as well as the number-one most requested feature from customers: the ability to take your recordings with you wherever you go - a first in the UK and Ireland.
The new family of products, Sky Q, Sky Q Silver, Sky Q Mini, the Sky Q touch remote, the Sky Q Hub and the Sky Q app, connect wirelessly to create an ecosystem that makes TV viewing seamless - called Fluid Viewing.
With 12 tuners, the Sky Q Silver box, which is Ultra HD ready, gives customers the ability to record four shows while watching a fifth live, putting an end to recording clashes. The all-new Sky Q touch remote makes it easier than ever to find your favourite shows with no need to point at the screen.
All customers who already have Sky broadband or who purchase Sky broadband when buying Sky Q will also receive the brand-new Sky Q Hub that turns Sky Q boxes into Wi-Fi hotspots, giving a supercharged Sky broadband experience with the strongest and best coverage throughout the home.
Sky Q installations will be phased, with Sky broadband customers receiving the product first, before very soon opening up to those with other broadband providers.
For more information visit www.sky.com/communaltv
Tim Dray, head of indirect sales and partnerships, Sky
About Sky
- Sky is Europe’s leading entertainment company, and the UK’s fastest-growing home communications provider, connecting millions of customers with TV, broadband and telephony services.
- Sky’s Communal TV department works closely with managing agents, landlords, housebuilders and developers to provide communal TV systems for multi-dwelling units.
- Sky’s Communal TV systems offer residents the very latest in TV technology and content. They are suitable for new or existing blocks of flats and residential developments, requiring just one dish for an entire building. The systems are installed simply and swiftly by a specialist network of Sky-approved installers.
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