Sky UK Launches Mobile DVR Service

CIO Today writes that "Sky, a provider of satellite television in the UK, has rolled out a service that lets customers control the recording capabilities on their set-top boxes through a mobile phone.Those signing up for Remote Record access it by text message, simply sending the show title, channel, date, and time to a Sky number. The company will then return a confirmation message and route the recording instructions to the set-top box."

According to the article, "Sky customers who have smartphones can sign up for a similar Sky service, download the necessary software, and access a seven-day TV guide directly on the phone to configure recording options."

Matt Hatton at Yankee Group said, "It's a very appealing proposition, but Sky still has to get its customers to sign up for the service and get mobile operators on board. It is one more feature they can offer their customers that they can't get elsewhere and may help with retaining their subscribers."

Hatton suggested that "putting a program guide on smartphones is more user-friendly than having people manually type in the information via text message." he said, "This is a concept that could be used by other satellite or cable TV operators, but it requires a smart set-top box. Phones have become converged devices that can be used to handle ATM banking functions, for example, and there are many other opportunities out there."