Sky Mobile TV , the streamed mobile television operation of BSkyB, will be launching a football service next season that will show FA Premier League matches live, on mobile phones, for the first time. Sky confirmed to Tech.co.uk. that it's also planning to show Football League matches on its Mobile TV service in an expanded suite of football offerings.
At a briefing at 3GSM in Barcelona to outline Sky's mobile TV strategy, a Sky spokesperson told Tech.co.uk that it is currently planning football packages as part of its overall mobile content and Sky Mobile TV streaming service, available on 3G handsets.
Sky's new multi-platform three-year live rights deal with the FA Premier League, which starts from the 2007/8 season and cost £1,314 million, includes the live screening of up to 92 FA Premier League games. It also has rights to show all Football League games.
As well as live matches, Sky is planning to stream highlights shows (like Football First), a selection of simulcast football programmes, including Soccer Saturday and Soccer AM, and will continue to screen Sky Sports News.
In addition, Sky's football content for mobiles will include downloadable video clips of FA Premier League games - both short summaries and extended highlights, in-game clips of goals, UEFA Champions League highlights and clips from other football-related shows.
Details of pricing are not yet available - Sky is currently in discussions with UK network operators about both this and the composition of packages. Sky Mobile TV is now available to Orange, 3 and Vodafone 3G customers in a selection of multi-channel subscription packages. The broadcaster also announced a deal earlier this week with Motorola to offer a network-independent service via selected Motorola handsets.
