Comcast Enters Smart TV Market with Launch of Sky Glass in Europe

Comcast Corp. announced Thursday it has built a smart TV that will run on its own operating system, the company’s latest response to the streaming war.

Broadband smart TV, called Sky Glass, will be available to UK customers of Sky, Comcast’s European pay-TV unit, later this month and in other European markets next year. The company wouldn’t say if a Comcast-powered smart TV would launch in the United States anytime soon.

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Comcast has been working on smart TV development for some time, as part of its efforts to become a dominant player in the streaming market. Last November, the Wall Street Journal reported that Comcast was working with Chinese maker Hisense and Walmart Inc. to develop smart TVs.

Sky Glass, which integrates Comcast’s technology platform and Sky content, will mark the first time in the UK, where Sky is based, that customers can receive Sky without a satellite dish.

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The company said Sky Glass was built in such a way that it could be used by other pay-TV operators. Sky said on Thursday that Australian pay-TV company Foxtel Group will use Sky Glass. Comcast has a similar partnership with Cox Communications Inc. in the United States with its cable and streaming boxes. Foxtel is part of News Corp, the parent company of Wall Street Journal publisher Dow Jones & Co.

Comcast has done more to integrate its operations with Sky, which it acquired in 2018. In July, the Philadelphia-based company announced it would offer NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, to Sky’s 20 million subscribers. across Europe at no additional cost.

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Comcast has also partnered with ViacomCBS Inc. in recent months to join forces in international markets. The companies have reached a deal that makes Paramount + free to Sky Cinema subscribers in Sky markets including the UK, Switzerland, Italy and Germany. The agreement also extends to the broadcast of ViacomCBS channels on Sky’s pay-TV systems.

The two US media giants also announced that they are joining forces with SkyShowtime, a subscription streaming service they plan to launch next year in more than 20 European territories outside of Sky’s footprint.