This morning, we’re pleased to unveil a new partnership with UK start-up zeebox, whose innovative social TV platform designed for mobile devices allows TV viewers to interact and engage with their favourite TV shows and friends in real time.

Thanks to the partnership, Sky will become the only TV platform in the UK to integrate zeebox’s innovative second screen technology into our range of popular apps, giving our customers an even richer and more interactive experience on mobile phones and tablets than ever before.

It means that by this summer Sky customers will be able to interact through social media networks as they watch their favourite shows, as well as receiving bespoke bonus digital content tailored to enhance the programme they are watching on the main TV screen. zeebox functionality will be integrated within apps such as the award-winning Sky Go and Sky+, bringing a new dimension to the apps and helping customers get even closer to their favourite programmes.

And today we can also reveal two other exciting developments to the Sky+ app in particular: from later on this year the Sky+ app will provide customers with access to their Sky+ planner on the move, so that they can manage their recording. And on top of that, we are also developing the app so that customers can use their iPads and smartphones as remote controls for their Sky+ set top boxes. This means that Sky+ will be the ultimate TV companion; it will enable customers to find what to watch, tune to the programme, pause and rewind TV, interact with additional content, chat with friends or see a live twitter feed relating to their programme.

We already offer our customers a choice of apps across smartphones and mobile tablets, including apps for Sky News, Sky Sports News and Sky Movies, with each one allowing our customers to engage more fully with our content. Adding this new layer of social media interaction marks a significant step change in how mobile innovation can add further value to a Sky subscription by enabling our customers to be part of a shared experience through their mobile devices.

Our motivation for continuing to invest in mobile innovation is very simple: providing rich mobile experiences is something that we know our customers really value. One of the most rewarding things about mobile innovation is the versatility it offers: our portfolio of mobile apps do everything from help our customer plan their viewing and record through the Sky+ app, watch live and on-demand TV through the Sky Go app and keep up to date with the latest breaking news, through apps including Sky News and Sky Sports News for iPad.

An increasing willingness to use different media and communications devices at the same time is also reinforced by Ofcom research which revealed that while on average Britons spend seven hours a day either watching TV, surfing the net or using a mobile phone, this actually equates to a total of nine hours’ worth of media use per person because of concurrent use on different devices. Recent stats from the US are even more stark, with 70% of tablet owners and 68% of smartphone owners saying that they regularly use their tablet or smartphone while watching TV.

Our Mintel research released last week also found that the average UK home now has a total of six screens. It’s a fascinating statistic that not only reflects the explosive growth of smartphones and mobile tablets, but also suggests that rather than risk compromising the quality of the main TV experience by making apps available through shared TV set, it makes sense to provide our customers will the flexibility to engage with our content on their own terms through personal second screens.

After all - as our customers tell us - the killer app on the main TV set continues to be great television, and thanks to this exciting partnership with zeebox, we’re confident we can significantly enhance that experience still further.