‘Magic Million’ Reached by Sky News iPhone App

Last Updated on Monday, 11 January 2010 13:38 Monday, 11 January 2010 13:38

Sky News’ app for the iPhone and iPod touch has been downloaded over one million times, it has been revealed today.

And the news comes on the same day that Sky News announces a new Mobile internet service.

The iPhone/iPod touch app, which was launched in May last year, delivers breaking news by text, images and video and features different categories for users to choose from including: top stories, UK news, sport, business, world news and showbiz news. It passed the landmark download figure at the beginning of January and is showing no signs of slowing down in its popularity, consistently appearing in the top free download chart from Apple’s UK and Ireland App store.

Sky News’ new Mobile internet service is targeted at the increasing number of people accessing the internet via their mobile device. The service has been designed to deliver the best experience specific to the user’s mobile device.

The new Mobile internet service is available free of charge to users accessing the service through m.skynews.com on their mobile device.

Smartphone users will automatically be directed to a version of the Sky News Web Mobile internet site which carries text, pictures and videos as well as being to access Mobile TV via their operator or direct via their iPhone or iPod Touch.

There is also a standard service for those with more basic devices, which will offer a text only version of the service, but will mean that users can quickly and easily access the latest news headlines, without waiting for large video or picture files to load that aren’t suitable to their phone.

And at an intermediate level, Sky News will be offering an ‘enhanced’ version of the standard service with text and thumbnail pictures, again allowing fast and easy access for the appropriate capability level of user’s phones. The news content will be exactly the same across all levels of the service, and will mirror the content offered on the iPhone app.

“In less than a year we've already seen millions of downloads of Sky's various iPhone apps and the Sky News has been an important factor in this" said David Gibbs, the general manager for mobile at Sky. "Now, by launching our mobile internet service beginning with Sky News, we are able to provide a tailored experience to the increasing number of customers looking to access Sky News via their mobile”

James Weeks, executive producer, new media for Sky News, said: "The feedback for our iPhone app has been overwhelmingly positive since day one, and we’re delighted that it has reached the magic million download mark. And the launch of the new mobile web service for users of non-iPhone mobile devices demonstrates our total commitment to delivering Sky News to anyone who wants to access it, wherever they are and however they want to access it.”