Sky has no immediate plans for Netflix app on new NOW TV box

No Netflix on NOW TV
Where's the extra app lovin'?

With Sky's new NOW TV box announcement came a statistic from the company that suggested that 40% of its users used Netflix - but don't think that makes it likely that an app for the streaming device is on the way.

TechRadar understands that Sky has no plans currently to please almost half of its audience by giving the new NOW TV box the Netflix app, or the 20% of users that are streaming from Amazon Prime.

You can understand the logic of not initially offering a (subsidised) box that allows users to stream rival services, but Sky has often confounded expectations in this area so hopes remained that the Roku-made box would begin to open up to more third-party apps from competitors.

NOW TV - earned its stripes

NOW TV - earned its stripes

Sky's decision to make Sky Go and, to an extent the NOW TV service, largely platform agnostic has been a major factor in making the service an oft praised boon for the company.

But opening up its own TV box platform to Netflix and Amazon - streaming services that act as direct competitors - remains off the table for now.

It's a second blow in the day for British TV fans who like their content, with the news that BT will have exclusive rights to Fear The Walking Dead making it necessary to subscribe to four different platforms to watch the big hitting US shows when they premiere.

Patrick Goss

Patrick Goss is the ex-Editor in Chief of TechRadar. Patrick was a passionate and experienced journalist, and he has been lucky enough to work on some of the finest online properties on the planet, building audiences everywhere and establishing himself at the forefront of digital content.  After a long stint as the boss at TechRadar, Patrick has now moved on to a role with Apple, where he is the Managing Editor for the App Store in the UK.