Tata Sky, one of the largest DTH operator in India has now announced that their Everywhere TV feature which allows users to stream 80 live channels on the go is now available for free. This latest move by Tata Sky however seems to be triggered by the launch and the hype surrounding Netflix in India.
We tried activating the service and a dialog in Tata Sky’s Android app confirmed that a free version has been activated on the device. Tata Sky sent an SMS confirmation with a zero rupee charge upon entering the subscriber ID in the app, when we activated the Everywhere TV feature.
According to the FAQs, Everywhere TV can be used on a maximum of two devices per subscriber ID, due to stipulations by content providers.
Consumers can only view channels that are a part of their subscription on their primary Tata Sky set top box. Tata Sky’s catalogue includes Hindi and English news, entertainment and movie channels, sports, music, and regional and national content.
What is Tata Sky Everywhere TV?
Everywhere TV was launched in 2013. Earlier, this service was available for monthly charges of Rs 60 per month. The service is integrated in Tata Sky’s app, which is available for Apple and Windows PCs, and Android and iOS smartphones and tablets. The Everywhere TV service features channels you have subscribed on your Tata Sky connection.
How to start
First you need to download the Tata Sky app from the app store. To subscribe, you have to log in with your registered mobile number or Tata Sky account number. The app will prompt you to give a device name. Tap on the Everywhere TV section on the home page. Tata Sky will then send you a confirmation message on your registered mobile number for the activation of the service.
Features
The Everywhere TV feature isn’t really intuitive in terms of interface. You can check the timings of shows of different channels. Once you tap on a program, a preview box opens that has the video followed by synopsis of the show. To watch it in full screen, tap on the preview video. Navigation between full screen to different channels or for that switching from one category to another is bit cumbersome.
You can set the video quality on low, medium and high. Though, the app auto changes the resolution depending on the network speed. You also have option to pause a video.
The application runs smoothly on 3G and 4G networks. I assume the experience will be much better on a faster Wi-Fi network.
Why activate Everywhere TV
Well, first of all it’s available for free. Even though you can always download official applications of different channels to access older episodes, the Everywhere TV lets you live stream content from these channels. This is quite useful when you want to see live coverage of a sports event or news.
It could also be a good alternative for a second screen at home, when you want to watch something else than what everyone else in the family is watching.
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