Sky Anytime’s main screen, from Digital Spy’s preview

Since I took the plunge a while back with a Sky HD box, I’ve had this service called Sky Anytime (or, as it’s known on the EPG, ‘Anytime TV’).

As an idea, it’s quite a clever way of competing with Virgin TV’s on-demand service. There’s a hidden bit of my hard-disc on my HD box: and magically the Sky system throws lots of programmes onto this box when I’m not looking. The theory is that this goes alongside my recorded programmes to give me additional choice - and it’s certainly video on demand, because it’s been downloaded to my box.

Anyway, we watched ‘The New Braniac’, with ex Virgin presenter Vic Reeves on it. I never really met Vic when he was working at Virgin, but he was a good presenter on this show.

Interestingly, the show had the ad-breaks properly edited out of it (no black screens, no double programme idents), and only had one ad (and one programme trailer) at the start: for Adidas. A longer advert feature was at the end of the programme. No interruptions in the middle. And cleverly, the HD box recorded the HD version of the programme for me (I’m presuming that standard boxes get the standard version). I’m impressed.

The only drawback is the lack of content: no BBC content, no ITV content, no Channel 4 content: not much, indeed, except for Sky, Turner, and Discovery Networks. I’ve no idea how the rights work here; but I do hope to see more on this service soon. (Oh, and radio would be good, too.)