Sky will start Premier League streaming with key feature missing

Photo / AP

Sky says it will begin its Premier League streaming with some features missing.

It promises a "major upgrade" for its Sky Sport Now app that will add them by month's end.

But that hasn't stopped some fans from wondering aloud on social media why Sky - which won rights back in February - still hasn't got its act together.

Sky's Premier League coverage kicks off at 7am. Watching the build-up on both Sky Sport Now and Sky Sport on my decoder. The stream is 23 seconds behind.

Pretty standard streaming vs broadcast delay - but be wary of social media spoilers if you're on the app pic.twitter.com/wCqV08qNTZ

— Chris Keall (@ChrisKeall) August 5, 2022

A much-requested feature in a Herald reader Q&A, the option to "Watch from the start" if you tumble out of bed a bit late, will not be available until "later this month".

Sky says the pending upgrade to Sky Sport Now will also feature "easier navigation, multi-screening and a 30-second replay live action mode".

The Premier League 2022/23 kicks off at 7am Saturday NZT as Crystal Palace host Arsenal.

Another potential pain point is on-demand replays.

Former rights holder Spark Sport let subscribers graze highlights or full replays from any game in the season, at any point in the season.

Sky Sport Now will restrict full replays to within 24 hours of a match, and the platform offers only selected highlights. [UPDATE: Sky says: "Premier League matches - and all other sport content - will be available for 28 days on demand on Sky Sport Now." The change should have kicked in now.]

Those who take a more traditional Sky Sport satellite subscription will be able to record games to their decoder to watch at their leisure, or access Premier League on-demand options through Sky Go for up to 28 days.

Fans of 4K ultra high definition will have to tap their toes, too.

Sky originally planned to launch its new box, which supports 4K, from mid-year, but global supply chain issues have caused delays. A further update is expected next week as the pay-TV broadcaster reports its earnings.

Sky's current decoder, and the current iteration of Sky Sport Now, only support standard definition HD. (The same goes for Spark Sport, whose platform supports 4K streaming, although the feature has not been enabled in a safety-first approach to possible bandwidth glitches.)

The Premier League's production arm, Premier League Productions, will make 114 of the 380 matches available in 4K globally this season.