Sky has started rolling out new Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) features, including ‘smart’ series link which will automatically record shows when a new season begins.
The update, which will phased over the coming months, also adds personalised recommendations based on a customer’s past viewing habits, recordings and on-demand downloads.
A new Sports tile has also been added to the Homepage, providing quick access to all the live sporting events, while new DVD cover art for Sky Movies On Demand and Sky Store will make it easier for customers to recognise the movies they are looking for.
The complete list of new features:
• Suggestions: customers will find shows that they might enjoy, based on recordings or downloads in their Planner.
• Smart Series Link: customers will never miss the returning series with Smart Series Link, as it is now updated to remember to record all the future new series
• DVD Cover Art: instantly-recognisable DVD cover art will be seen in the Sky Movies and Sky Store sections
• Sports: a new tile for the homepage will be introduced showing all live sports on any TV channel at that moment in time and all the sports channels from the TV Guide
• Combined SD and HD options: easily choose between HD & SD when downloading TV shows or movies from any on demand section.
• HDMI One Touch: the Sky button on the remote now turns on the latest Sky+HD box and a compatible TV in one go from standby. It tunes the TV to the correct HDMI input if they’ve been using another device so there’s no need to pick up the other remote control.
• Sky Store: customers can now access Sky Store from Sky Box Office.
• Simplified Card Pairing: customers will now be able to easily pair their viewing card without calling Sky; it just takes one press of a button on the Sky remote.
• Entertainment shows: the Lifestyle tab has been merged into the Entertainment tab in the TV Guide
• Homepage images: will be updated on a regular basis to showcase the latest and best movies and TV shows.
Luke Bradley-Jones, Sky’s Director of TV Products, said: “We know customers love the new Homepage as it puts catch-up, box sets and movies at the heart of their TV viewing.
“That’s why we’re introducing even more features to help discover more TV they really want to watch. Get recommendations for shows we think you’ll enjoy based on your recordings, and never miss a returning season ever again with Smart Series Link. It’s all part of our commitment to make Sky+ the ultimate entertainment experience.”