David Farnor | On 29, Jul 2016

Sky Store is adding TV and movie box sets to its growing library of Buy & Keep titles.

The online service, which first opened its doors in 2014, allows Sky customers and non-Sky customers to buy films in the UK and Ireland to stream. Now, it’s bringing TV into the mix too, alongside box sets of movie franchises.

Users can now own TV and Movie Box Sets three ways – on their TV, on their devices and on DVD. Indeed, Sky Store has developed a bizarre USP for people who are not yet ready to bid farewell to physical discs: as well as a digital HD copy available to stream on TVs and devices, Sky Store also sends users a copy of their film (or TV show) on DVD in the post – a sort of reverse of the UV code system, which offers free digital copies of films to people who buy participating DVDs and Blu-rays. As a result, Sky Store’s prices can be higher than some pay-per-view VOD services: Movie Box Sets start from £13.99 and TV Box Sets from £22.99.

The approach works: Sky Store has established itself as a regular number 1 digital retailer for new release movies, partly thanks to its large built-in library of customers: at the touch of a button, Sky TV uses have access to the digital Box Sets store directly on their TV via their Sky+HD and Sky Q box or on their devices via the Sky Store app. Non-Sky TV customers in the UK can watch on their main TV via a NOW Box, Roku or YouView box (on which the Sky Store app is available), while those in Ireland can watch via a Roku box. In the last year, Buy & Keep transactions have risen 86 per cent, with more than 3,500 titles now available on the service.

Director of Sky Store Kathryn Lacey says: “Sky Store Buy & Keep continues to be a huge hit and as the UK’s regular number 1 digital retailer for new movie releases it is a natural next step for us to provide customers with the opportunity to own their favourite Box Sets. Buy & Keep Box Sets is the first of many exciting initiatives we have planned for Sky Store.”

TV shows now available to own include House of Cards, Homeland, Breaking Bad and American Horror Story. These shows join favourites such as Downton Abbey, Sons of Anarchy, Modern Family, Blacklist, while Movie Box Sets include the Fast & Furious franchise, the Toy Story trilogy and Pitch Perfect.

More shows will be added each week to Sky Store to Buy & Keep. Brand new shows will be available for purchase on the service a day after the last episode is broadcast on linear TV, which means they can be accessed before the DVD is on sale in shops.

Buy & Keep customers can own and watch Box Sets the same seamless way as movies purchased on the service. Delivering brilliant flexibility, allowing them to download their purchases to watch offline via the Sky Store app, plus they can start watching favourite shows on one device, pause and then resume watching on another. For those who have already used the service, all purchased Box Sets will automatically appear in the My Library section in the app.

The service is available today on skystore.com and the Sky Store app on mobiles, tablets, NOW, Roku and YouView boxes. Box Sets in Sky Store are rolling out to Sky boxes and by the end of September all Sky customers will be able to Buy & Keep Box Sets in Sky Store.

Add to Watchlist