YouView - the subscription free internet TV service that combines the UK's Freeview channels with on-demand content - is now available here thanks to Manx Telecom. YouView offers a huge number of digital TV and radio channels plus on demand content from the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5.
So, instead of having to view BBC iPlayer, ITVPlayer, Channel 4 OD, and Demand5 content on your PC, tablet device, or through a gaming console, YouView allows you to watch all of this on-demand content on your TV. There is no subscription, and as long as customers already have a broadband connection and TV aerial the only cost is the price of the YouView set top box. YouView also features NOW TV which allows viewers to pay monthly for unlimited access to Sky Movies, or rent a single movie on a pay-as-you-go basis.
YouView is a venture supported by some of the biggest names in TV and broadband including BBC, ITV, Channel 4, BT, TalkTalk, Arqiva, and Channel 5. When the project was launched in the UK in July, YouView Chairman Lord Sugar described it as a ‘great moment in British television’ and a ‘whole new way of experiencing TV’.
A key advantage YouView offers is that as well as being able to set the box to record programmes days or weeks in advance, you can also use YouView’s innovative electronic programme guide (EPG) to ScrollBack seven days to catch-up on programmes you have missed. You can watch in HD and record, pause, and rewind live TV and an easy-to-use search function lets you search for shows and films using a normal remote control.
YouView set top boxes go on sale at Manx Telecom’s store in Strand Street, Douglas, on Tuesday September 4 and staff will be able to show customers the advantages the new service offers. David Smith, Director of Marketing at Manx Telecom, says he is expecting a lot of interest in the YouView boxes which will be the first to go on sale on the Island. He said:
“The way we watch TV has changed dramatically in recent years, and YouView is a system designed specifically to allow viewers to watch what they want, when they want. The Isle of Man has a voracious appetite for on-demand TV so we are confident that YouView will appeal to customers who want to watch regular TV channels and on-demand content through their TV.”
Richard Halton, CEO of YouView said:
“We believe that YouView gives Isle of Man residents real choice when it comes to digital TV, and we’re delighted to work in partnership with Manx Telecom to bring this exciting new era in television to the Isle of Man.”
YouView is Manx Telecom’s latest venture into digital TV and the company is continuing to explore more ways to bring digital content to its customers. David Smith added:
“We believe YouView is the perfect platform to support local content and news and we are working with them in regard to additional content.”
In February the company launched MTTV - the Island’s first on-demand HD TV news service - which has now recorded more than 420,000 views according to Google Analytics figures. To coincide with the launch of YouView on the Island, Manx Telecom is also offering the Devolo Homeplug - a device which eliminates the need for your broadband router to be adjacent to the YouView set top box by your TV. It’s understood that a customer’s broadband router is not always close to the TV; the Homeplug enables complete flexibility and does away with any need for re-cabling. YouView costs ?299, but until the end of October it is available at an introductory price of ?279. A YouView set top box and Devolo Homeplug bundle is also available. This would usually cost ?379, but is available at an introductory price of ?349.
For more information about YouView go to www.manxtelecom.com/youview or visit www.youview.com.
