Vodafone is entering the UK television-platform market with Vodafone TV, a new internet-delivered entertainment service combining live television, Netflix, HBO Max, apps and more than 300 cloud games through a single Android TV box.
Vodafone has officially unveiled Vodafone TV, a new UK entertainment platform launching in October that puts the mobile and broadband provider into an increasingly competitive television market alongside Sky, Virgin Media and EE.
Rather than simply adding another streaming device to the market, Vodafone is positioning its new box as an all-in-one entertainment hub. Live television, streaming subscriptions, on-demand content, games, music and Google Play apps are all brought together through one interface.
The hardware supports 4K, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, while Vodafone is also promising personalised recommendations and Smart AI search designed to find programmes across different services without repeatedly opening individual apps.
What do you actually get with Vodafone TV?
One of Vodafone TV’s biggest attractions is the amount of entertainment being brought into the platform from launch.
Netflix and HBO Max will be included, although Vodafone’s own announcement confirms that the bundled tiers are Netflix Standard with Ads and HBO Max Standard with Ads.
Customers will also be able to choose alternative HBO Max tiers through Vodafone’s Subscription+ platform, including Standard and Premium options.
Freely is also built directly into Vodafone TV. That provides more than 70 live channels alongside thousands of hours of on-demand programming from broadcasters including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5.
Crucially, Freely means those channels can be received without a traditional television aerial or satellite dish.
Vodafone says its platform will then add more than 150 additional live channels, broadening the live-TV element beyond the core Freely offering.
The set-top box runs Android TV and is powered by 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, with access to thousands of applications through the Google Play Store and Google Assistant built into the experience. Vodafone says the box supports 4K, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, with those formats available on selected content.
There is also a new Vodafone Box Office, allowing films to be rented or purchased directly through the platform.
Vodafone TV is also a cloud-gaming box
Perhaps the most unusual part of the proposition is gaming.
Vodafone says customers will have access to more than 300 cloud games, with play supported using a smartphone or Bluetooth controller.
That pushes Vodafone TV beyond the conventional television and streaming-box model and closer to becoming a general family entertainment device.
Exactly which games will be offered, how the catalogue will be managed and what level of network performance will be required for the best experience have not yet been detailed in the announcement.
Smart search could be just as important as the content
Having more streaming services does not necessarily make television easier to use. In many homes, finding something to watch now means moving between Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, terrestrial catch-up apps and several other services.
Vodafone is trying to tackle that problem through Smart AI search and personalised recommendations.
Search results and recommendations span live television, streaming services, gaming and applications rather than being confined to a single provider.
A companion Vodafone TV app will also synchronise profiles, recommendations, favourites and gameplay between devices. Vodafone says selected programmes can be started at home and continued while away from the television.
Who can get Vodafone TV?
Another important difference is eligibility.
Vodafone TV will not only be offered alongside traditional fixed broadband. Vodafone says it will be available in October to new and existing customers with Vodafone home broadband, 5G Broadband or a mobile plan.
That means a Vodafone mobile customer could potentially take the television service without having to move their home broadband to Vodafone.
Vodafone is entering a crowded TV market
Vodafone’s approach is not entirely unfamiliar. Sky, Virgin Media and EE already compete for households that want live television and streaming services brought together through a single platform.
Where Vodafone is trying to differentiate itself is in the combination of Freely, Android TV, Google Play apps, mobile availability and cloud gaming.
Readers comparing dedicated streaming hardware can also see our guide to the best streaming devices, while our Apple TV 4K experience after leaving Sky looks at a very different way of building a modern TV setup.
We still don’t know the price
Vodafone has not announced what Vodafone TV will cost.
That makes it impossible to judge the platform’s value against established alternatives properly.
We also do not yet have the precise October launch date, the complete channel list, the detailed cloud-gaming catalogue or the full package and contract structure.
Those details could ultimately be more important than the specification of the box itself.
Tech Torque Verdict
Vodafone TV looks like a surprisingly serious first attempt at a modern television platform.
Freely removes the aerial requirement, Android TV provides a large application ecosystem and 4K, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos give the hardware the right foundations for a premium home-entertainment setup.
Adding Netflix, HBO Max, more than 150 additional live channels and over 300 games gives Vodafone plenty to talk about too.
The bigger question is not whether Vodafone TV has enough features. It is whether Vodafone can price all of this aggressively enough to persuade households to choose it over established alternatives.
And until Vodafone reveals that price, that is the most important specification still missing.
