Sky to launch new service Sky Glass in August

Sky Ireland has officially announced the much-anticipated, long-awaited Irish launch of its new TV, Sky Glass. 

The brand new service will be available to consumers to order from Thursday, 25th August - however the option to pre-register for Sky Glass is now open.

The telecoms provider only recently launched Sky Q Lite for Irish customers.

But what exactly is Sky Glass? What can consumers expect? And how much will it cost? We take a look at some of the key features below.

What is Sky Glass?

Sky Glass, as the company says, is a TV with Sky inside. Customers who sign up for the service can get Sky TV over WiFi, with everything you need built in.

Unlike its TV service customers are used to, Sky Glass removes the need for a satellite dish, set-top box, or similar external hardware - it’s all contained within your telly!

Speaking about its launch, Sky Ireland CEO, JD Buckley said:

Following its hugely successful launch in the UK, we are thrilled to announce that Ireland will be the second market to launch Sky Glass. The launch of Sky Glass here marks a significant milestone in Sky’s 25-year history in Ireland and follows our recent announcement that Sky Mobile is coming to Ireland in 2023, as well as the opening of our four new flagship retail stores. 

“Investing in the best technology, the best content and the best customer experience are always our top priorities and Sky Glass is the most innovative product we have developed yet. It opens the world of Sky to customers who may not have been able to access Sky TV before now. 

The look

The Sky Glass TV comes in a choice of three sizes: 43” (small), 55” (medium) and 65” (large).

It also comes in a choice of five colours: ocean blue, ceramic white, racing green, dusky pink, or anthracite black, with matching remote. 

When it comes to integration within your home, Sky Glass can be mounted on a wall using the built-in bracket, or stood on a display case with the colour-matched stand.

Sky Glass has only one plug, so no more worrying about wires and connections from set-top boxes.

The feel

In terms of specs, Sky Glass looks fairly impressive at first glance.

The TV incorporates a 4K Ultra HD Quantum Dot screen with a 10-bit HDR resolution that supports HLG, HDR10 and Dolby Vision®. In layman's terms, viewers will get vibrant, intense colour clarity, with all the high resolution goodness.

What’s more impressive, Sky Glass responds to what you’re watching and changes your sound and picture settings for you. So if you’re watching tennis, and then a movie afterwards, Sky Glass will optimise your viewing experience.

Sky Glass also has a total of six integrated speakers, eliminating the need for a soundbar - especially considering Glass has a sub-woofer built in.

Here’s a closer look at the specs in detail.

The content

Sky Glass requires a Sky Ultimate TV subscription, so customers will have access to all Sky Originals and Sky Exclusives.

The new all-in-one service from Sky brings together all your favourite shows, third-party apps and channels in one place, including content across Sky, Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+, Prime Video, Spotify, and more!

A great new benefit of Sky Glass is that it eliminates wasted time trekking from app to app. All one needs to do is search for any show and Sky Glass will find it for you.

And with the new plus button on the Sky Glass remote, you can create your own personal playlist, regardless of what platform the content is on.

Now, on to the important factor of price.

How much does it cost?

Sky Glass can be bought outright for €755 for the small, €999 for the medium, and €1,299 for the large 65". 

Customers can choose to pay via a monthly, interest-free payment plan if they wish.

Monthly payment plans come on a 24 or a 48 month contract and both require an upfront payment of €31 (see fig. 1.1).

Customers will also need to pay monthly instalments for their Sky Ultimate TV subscription, which is required for those looking to purchase Sky Glass.

Sky Glass starts from as little as €15 per month for the 43” Sky Glass TV should you be looking to pay per month. 

However, for €5 more, you can increase the size of your TV to a 55”, or you can choose the 65” Sky Glass TV for €26 per month. However, this would be on a 48 month (4 year) contract.

See the table below for the full pricing list.

Figure 1.1: Sky Glass TV cost

So if you buy Sky Glass on a 24 month contract and are looking to pay monthly (TV subscription included), you’re looking at €60 per month for the first year. That’s based on an Ultimate TV subscription that costs €30 per month for the first year and €51 per month thereafter. 

For those of you that enjoy watching Sky in multiple rooms at home, it’s possible to get the Whole Home pack too. This uses the Sky Stream Puck (an extra €60 one-off cost) which enables you to watch Sky from any TV for €19 extra per month.

Sky Glass comes with a full two-year warranty and a free delivery service that includes unboxing and packaging removal.

Watch outs 

Broadband is an essential component of the Sky Glass service. However, customers don’t need to have a Sky broadband service to sign up for Sky Glass. 

Your broadband connection will need to have a minimum speed of 10Mbps though (higher for UHD content), which most people should have at this stage.

As well as a broadband connection, customers will also be required to sign up to a Sky Ultimate TV subscription.

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Let us know what you think!

Do you like the look of Sky Glass? Would you consider signing up? Or is it too pricey? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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