Tag: atlantic

Sky One is coming back

Sky has announced the return of iconic TV channel Sky One. Launching later this month on channel 106, the all-new Sky One brings together showstopping new TV alongside much-loved favourites all in one place.

Sky One will become the home of Sky’s unmissable comedy and entertainment programmes, including new shows The Dyers’ Caravan Park and Gemma Collins: Four Weddings and a Baby, as well as fan favourites Rob & Romesh Vs.., The Paper and Ted. Customers will be able to tune in from Tuesday 24 February on channel 106.

The relaunched channel replaces Sky Showcase and Sky Max, bringing together a rich slate of entertainment in one place, making it easier than ever for viewers to find must-watch telly.

“Our goal is to make it easier than ever for Sky TV customers to find and enjoy the shows they love,” said Carli Kerr, MD of Sky TV & NOW. “Building on the iconic heritage of Sky One, the channel will be a one-of-a-kind destination that’s big, bold and bursting with energy, bringing together brand-new Sky Originals like The Dyers’ Caravan Park and returning favourites such as Rob & Romesh Vs…”

Sky One joins Sky’s family of channels offering a wide range of epic entertainment, including Sky Atlantic, Sky Comedy, Sky Witness, Sky Crime, Sky Nature and Sky Documentaries.

Sky One launches on channel 106 on Tuesday 24 February.

Sky Glass Air, the newest addition to Sky’s TV range

Sky has unveiled Sky Glass Air, the smarter TV for a smarter price. The stylish new TV comes with vibrant 4K picture quality, Dolby Audio, voice control, and Sky built in, all streamed over Wi-Fi, with no dish or box required. Designed to make Sky’s entertainment experience accessible to more households and for those wanting Sky TV in more rooms, Glass Air is available to buy from just €8/month (on 48-month interest free credit-sale agreement) with a Sky TV subscription from €18 a month for 12 months for new customers*, when it goes on sale Tuesday 10th June.
With a Sky Essential TV subscription starting from €18/month for new customers, which includes Sky Atlantic, Netflix, and discovery+, TV fans can enjoy a wide variety of entertainment along with the smart Sky Glass Air TV experience from €26/month.
Sky Glass Air runs on Sky OS, the smart software that powers Sky Glass Gen 2 and Sky Stream, making it a great option for a second TV in the home for existing customers.
4K picture meets Dolby Audio
 With a 4K HDR Quantum Dot screen, Sky Glass Air delivers a vibrant picture packed full of colour. Global dimming and contrast enhancement automatically adjust the display for sharp, true-to-life visuals, combined with a Dolby Audio speaker system for rich sound. The TV intelligently adapts to what’s on screen, bringing out the best in every moment, whether watching the latest series of The Last of Us or a nail-biting Premier League match.
Simple set up and sleek design
Available in three stylish colours – Sea Green, Carbon Grey, and Cotton White – and three sizes, 43”, 55”, and 65”, Air’s sleek design, slim frame and colour-matched remote and stand complement any room. It’s quick and easy to set up, with no tools required, it can simply be lifted onto the stand included in the box. It’s also compatible with universal wall mounts, as well as Sky’s own.
Caroline Donnellan, Marketing & Brand Director of Sky & NOW said, “With the launch of Sky Glass Air, we’re bringing the Sky TV experience to even more households in Ireland. Combining an elegant design, superb picture quality and rich sound from just €8 a month, Sky Glass Air is our smarter TV for a smarter price. It’s about giving our customers their favourite content with greater flexibility, without compromising on the quality our customers expect from Sky.”
Sky OS: The smartest way to watch
Sky OS does the hard work by bringing together entertainment from Sky and all the popular apps in one place, helping TV fans get to what they want to watch, faster.  And it keeps getting smarter, with regular updates and new features added.
With hands-free voice control, simply say “Hello Sky…” to turn on the TV, search for shows or genres from Sky and apps, adjust volume, add to Playlist and much more.
Sky OS learns what viewers like to watch, curating collections of the best entertainment based on viewing habits, so there’s always something new to enjoy. There are now 30 more genre rails on the homepage, which are personalised based on watch history and bring together suggestions of what to watch across Sky content, apps and channels. With collections including Hilarious sitcoms, Thrilling action movies, and Suspenseful crime drama, there’s something for everyone.
With personal Playlists, viewers can save all their favourites from Sky, live TV and apps in one place, ready to watch later. Plus, the Continue Watching rail allows customers to quickly pick up where they left off, whatever channel or app their show is on.
Premium entertainment for less
Sky Glass Air is available from just €8/month for the 43”, €12.50 for the 55” and €15.50 for the 65” on 48-month interest free credit-sale agreement. New customers can combine it with Sky Essential TV (€18/month for 12 months), to enjoy top-rated shows from Sky, Netflix, and discovery+, all on a smart new TV from just €26/month*.
Sky Essential TV offers customers a taste of Sky for an affordable price, with over 70 channels including Sky Atlantic, home to The Last of Us and Sweetpea, plus Netflix smash-hits like Stranger Things and Squid Game, and discovery+ for a wealth of reality shows, documentaries and adventure.
For those who want unlimited entertainment, upgrade to Sky Ultimate TV for an extra €7/month**, unlocking even more channels including Sky Max, Sky Comedy, Sky Documentaries, Sky Crime, Sky History, Sky Showcase, plus many more.
More choice for every home
Sky Glass Air expands the Sky Glass range, giving customers more ways to enjoy Sky’s award-winning entertainment experience in any room. Whether it’s the centrepiece of the living room, a second screen in the bedroom, or a stylish setup for renters, Glass Air offers premium design and performance at an incredibly accessible price.
Air joins the recently launched Sky Glass Gen 2, which offers the ultimate picture and sound experience, with a brighter 4K HDR screen and an enhanced seven-speaker Dolby Atmos® sound system built in, from €16/month.
Together, Sky Glass Air, Sky Glass Gen 2 and Sky Stream create a flexible family of products that work seamlessly together, or standalone, giving customers choice to suit every room and budget.
The new Sky Glass Air will be available to buy at Sky.com/ie, Sky stores and via Sky’s call centres from 10th June. It will also be on sale in Currys stores later in June.

Alexion and Hometree launch three year partnership to accelerate reintroduction of Atlantic Rainforests in Ireland

Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease, today announced a partnership with Hometree, an environmental charity, to accelerate the regeneration of Atlantic rainforests in Ireland. Launched at Hometree’s site in Avoca, the partnership includes a €90k investment from Alexion to support the reintroduction of rainforest ecosystems across eighteen acres of agricultural land in the Maam Valley, Connemara, Co. Galway.

Once covering 80% of Ireland, natural forests have experienced significant decline over the centuries from agriculture, fuel, and timber industries, leading to significant deforestation. Today less than 1% of Ireland’s ancient woodland cover remains and with only a few fragments of that being Atlantic rainforest, this project will help to restore this globally important habitat.

Within five years of starting the project, early signs of woodland regeneration are expected to be visible, alongside restored peatlands, heath, and species-rich grasslands. After fifteen years, the landscape is predicted to increasingly resemble its original natural state, the most striking feature being the abundance and lushness of mosses, liverworts (collectively known as bryophytes) and ferns.

As the rainforest returns, rocks and boulders will be covered in a luxuriant, vibrant mat of mosses and liverworts or Filmy Ferns (Hymenophyllum species), as will the trunks and branches of the trees. This will, in turn, encourage the animals once native in the area to return, such as the pine marten, wood mouse, and tree creeper.

The partnership reflects Alexion’s commitment to sustainability in Ireland, local communities, and its workforce operating across Dublin and Athlone. Recognising the connection between a healthy planet and healthy people, and as part of an overall sustainability strategy, the company is committed to proactively managing its environmental impact, and investing in nature and biodiversity.

The forest regeneration partnership with Hometree, complements AstraZeneca’s global AZ Forest commitment to plant and maintain 200 million trees across six continents by 2030. Working in partnership with planting experts, local communities and governments, AZ Forest projects are designed to build ecological and community resilience.

Shane Doyle, Senior Vice President, Global Head of Operations and Sustainability, Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease said: “Whilst we don’t commonly associate Ireland with rainforests, they are a vital part of our heritage, and restoring these ecosystems is essential for the well-being of both present and future generations. Through this partnership with Hometree we are underscoring our commitment to sustainability in Ireland, and taking affirmative action to reinstate ecosystems that will improve biodiversity, human health, and restore our cultural heritage.”

 Matt Smith, Chief Executive of Hometree said: “I am thrilled to announce our partnership with Alexion, AstraZeneca to restore Atlantic rainforests in Ireland. Their investment fuels practical action, enabling Hometree to restore ecosystems that benefit us all. There is more investment needed and partnership between industry and not-for-profits is central to that, but today we have made a strong start to building a sustainable future, grounded in real impact.

The partnership is timely and follows the passing of the EU Nature Restoration Law which set a target for the EU to restore at least 20% of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030 and all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050.”

The partnership will also provide Alexion and AstraZeneca employees across Ireland with an opportunity to engage with Hometree through educational programs and volunteer opportunities, fostering a sense of stewardship and environmental responsibility among its 1,200 strong workforce across its Dublin and Athlone sites.

Revolut challenger Atlantic Money launches in Ireland

New international money transfer provider, Atlantic Money, today announces its official launch in Ireland, continuing its expansion in Europe after Belgium and Germany. For the first time, consumers in Ireland can make international money transfers for a fixed fee of €3 at the current exchange rate for transfers up to €100,000. The low-cost transfers can be made via the Atlantic Money iOS App.

The firm, co-founded by Patrick Kavanagh and Neeraj Baid, early employees at trading giant Robinhood, drastically undercuts established providers, such as PayPal, Revolut and Wise. For example, someone sending €3,500 to GBP would see at least 75% savings, with larger transfers up to 99% cheaper. Despite the cost of sending money internationally being largely fixed per transaction, these providers have a variable pricing model meaning the more you send, the more you pay.

Atlantic Money is particularly cost-effective for people that regularly transfer large amounts abroad such as Ireland’s estimated 30,000 cross-border workers, its growing immigrant population and residents with overseas commitments such as tuition fees, holiday homes and credit cards.

Atlantic Money’s app is the most simple, slick and cost-effective way of moving money across borders. Users simply download the app, go through a one-minute verification process, and can immediately begin transferring money. They can select standard delivery or opt for express delivery for a small additional fee of 0.05% – a €1,000 express transfer costs just €3.05.

Customers can send money from Ireland in EUR into eight currencies including USD, GDP, AUD, CAD, SEK, NOK, DKK, and PLN, with new currency corridors and advanced product features being added continuously post-launch.

Patrick Kavanagh, co-founder of Atlantic Money, said:

“The first generation of cross-border payment fintechs did a great job initially, but their flexible pricing models penalise people that have to send significant amounts of money abroad regularly and they’ve lost focus in their quest to build the next superapp. We are disassembling this approach by being laser-focused on doing one thing better than anyone else – getting people’s money from one currency and country to another, as efficiently as possible. We are grateful to our current and new investors for their continued support and excited to provide consumers in Ireland with a best-in-class customer experience and unmatched cost savings.”

Neeraj Baid, co-founder of Atlantic Money, said:

“We are already seeing some fascinating use cases and delivering substantial cost savings for our customers. For example, one of our customers transferred €100,000 to GBP which arrived in minutes for the price of €3.05, a 99% saving compared to Wise or Revolut.”

Atlantic Money was founded in 2021 and has been operating in the UK since March 2022, where it is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). In June, the company received its official EU licence from the National Bank of Belgium (NBB), the first company to do so in a year, and will soon launch in other European countries besides Germany and Belgium.

Atlantic Money is backed by investors Amplo, Ribbit, Index Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, Elefund, 20VC, Day One Ventures and the founders of Robinhood, who invested a total of USD 7.5 million in the seed funding round.

Atlantic Money is currently available as an iOS app. Android will follow in the coming weeks.