Sky has agreed a deal with Apple to make its Sky Mobile TV platform available on the iPhone, enabling users to watch live Premier League matches on the go.

From today, iPhone and iPod Touch owners can download an application from the App Store to stream a range of live channels – including the Sky Sports portfolio, ESPN, Sky News, Sky Sports News and At The Races – over the Wi-Fi connection. However, there are no entertainment or film channels currently on offer.

The Sky Mobile TV app is free to download from all 3G mobile networks which support the iPhone, including O2, Vodafone, Orange and T-Mobile.

Subscription to the service costs £5 a month. A mixed sports and news package is available for £6 per month, and all users will need to set up a Sky ID first.

“In less than a year we’ve already seen millions of downloads of Sky’s various iPhone apps. Now, by launching our new Sky Mobile TV app, we are able to combine the demand for great live TV on the move with the quality of experience offered through the iPhone and iTouch,” said Sky general manager for mobile David Gibbs.

“Sky Mobile TV offers more choice, control and flexibility for customers ensuring they can access the content they want, at a time that’s convenient to them, on the screen of their choosing.”

The Apple deal is part of Sky’s ongoing strategy to bring its live and on-demand content to a range of different IP-enabled platforms. The firm recently launched its Sky Player service on Xbox Live and will also bring the platform to IP Vision’s Freeview+ FetchTV receiver next year.

Discussing the strategy, Sky’s head of on demand Griff Parry said that a process of carefully selected IPTV platform expansion is the “way forward” for the satcaster.

“We will extend Sky Player to any platform that can basically protect the content and give a good experience for users. However, every implementation needs to meet a certain level of requirements and expectations of what Sky TV means,” said Parry.

“The Xbox implementation, though, will remain the best implementation of Sky Player because of the user interface and power of the device. But you should definitely expect to see Sky Player on other devices.”

Orange and T-Mobile are in talks that could end up with them becoming merged with a customer base of over 28.4 million and a 37% mobile market share throughout all mobile networks within the UK, overtaking the likes of O2.

France Telecom’s Orange and T-Mobile owned by Deutsche Telekom AG have stated that the integration would cost around £600-£800 million, this would cover decomissioning phone masts, streamlining operations and cutting back on their joint network of high-street shops.

Orange and T-Mobile said their deal – due to be signed by November – would “bring substantial benefits to UK customers”, and promised expanded network coverage, better network quality and improved customer services.

However it is likely that competition authorities in the UK and EU will probe the deal.

The Amazing LG Watch Phone

Orange has announced that the LG Touchscreen Watch Phone will go on sale in the UK in its Bond Street Station shop tomorrow (August 27).

Available only for a limited time, customers will be able to purchase the product for £500. A limited number of devices will also be made available from mid-September via the Orange online shop.

The technically advanced Watch Phone will be available on a first-come-first-serve basis to those who visit the store in person, with customers only able to purchase one watchphone each.

The 3G+ device comes with a scratch resistant touchscreen interface, built-in speaker and MP3 player. To make a call, consumers can use the voice activation feature and flick their wrist to activate the call. Other features include a VGA camera, Bluetooth and eight different watch faces.

More information to come soon…