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Don't fancy ditching your trusty satellite dish in favour of a broadband-powered box from Sky TV? Good news — the broadcaster has struck a new deal to extend its satellite service until 2029 at the earliest.
The agreement comes as a surprise following news that Sky TV was dramatically downsizing its satellite division due to much lower demand for these traditional boxes from new customers. A substantial slice of the 1,000 roles culled from Sky at the start of this year was felt in the satellite engineering department, sources told LBC at the time. Sky confirmed that its all-in-one Sky Glass television, which ditches the satellite dish in favour of a Wi-Fi connection to stream live television, was the single best-selling Smart TV model in the UK last year.
In total, 90% of new customers who join Sky TV opt for broadband-powered kit, like the best Sky Stream deals.
Despite the majority of Britons looking to shift to Wi-Fi for their live television, Sky TV clearly isn't quite ready to turn its back on satellite dishes quite yet. The company has confirmed that it's signed a fresh deal with signal provider SES that'll guarantee Sky TV content will be beamed to homes via satellite until 2029 at the earliest.
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The move makes it pretty clear that Sky TV has no plans to shutter its satellite TV platform this decade.
This decision also has implications beyond those with a Sky Q or Sky+ HD box since it'll impact anyone with a Freesat box too as the deal ensures the continued availability of all satellite-based television services.
Sky Q was first announced back in 2015, but remains on-sale as the last set-top box from the UK broadcaster with a physical hard-drive and that relies on a satellite dish to beam live telly
SKY TV PRESS OFFICEExplaining the significance of the deal, Chief Business Officer at Sky TV, Nick Herm stated: "We’re pleased to continue our long-standing collaboration with SES, reinforcing our commitment to providing the best viewing experience to all customers – whether they’re watching on our much-loved Sky Q satellite platform, or over our IP products, Glass and Stream.
"This contract renewal provides us with the reliability we need to continue to deliver our market-leading TV offer and broad mix of channels to Sky Q customers across the UK and Ireland."
Outside of Sky Q and older Sky+ HD boxes (anyone with an older non-HD versions of Sky+ lost access to live channels in a dramatic shake-up from the broadcaster over the summer) Freesat is used by over 2 million homes in the UK. Owned and operated by Everyone TV — the same organisation behind Freeview and the all-new Freely service, which shares a number of features with Sky Glass — Freesat carries over 170 free-to-air channels from the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and others via satellite.
Norbert Hölzle, Global Head of Media at SES, added: "This important contract renewal with Sky reflects our ongoing commitment to deliver the highest levels of performance, service reliability and reach to our customers.
"As one of Europe's leading media and entertainment companies, Sky trusts our satellite network to provide its viewers with a premium TV experience. This extension underscores the value satellites continue to deliver in the evolving media landscape to broadcasters and audiences alike."
First revealed in 2015, Sky Q was a direct successor to the immensely popular Sky+ HD and introduced features like 4K Ultra HD, voice controls, and video on-demand apps like BBC iPlayer, Spotify, and Netflix.
With the latest announcement, homes with a Sky Q box can rest easy in the knowledge that everything will continue to work for at least another 5 years.
In the almost-decade since the announcement of Sky Q, the UK broadcaster has launched two new devices for viewers — Sky Glass and Sky Stream, which both scrap the satellite dish in favour of a wireless or wired broadband connection. Live channels and on-demand content is streamed to the device, with an aerial only needed as a back-up in case you suffer an internet outage.
Without the need for a satellite dish affixed to the outside of your home, Sky Glass and Sky Stream can appeal to more people, including those in rented accommodation, high-rise flats without a communal satellite dish, and those living in areas with poor visibility of satellite dishes.
Sky Q remains the only box sold by Sky that still includes a physical hard drive for your recordings. Glass and Stream rely on catch-up services like BBC iPlayer, ITVX, My5 and others for programmes that you’ve marked in the TV Guide to watch another time.
That means you’ll be subject to the expiry date of these services, so you’ll never be able to catch up on multiple episodes of Match Of The Day after a holiday with these new streaming-focused solutions from Sky, for example.
However, one glance at the Sky website will tell you which way the wind is blowing.
Until late 2022, Sky would actively promote Sky Stream and Sky Q across its website. There would also be several bundles with Sky Cinema and Sky Sports promoted front-and-centre on the store.
That’s no longer the case, with only a single listing for Sky Q under the TV tab of the website. At £31 per month compared to the £20 per month to watch the same channels via Sky Stream, it’s unlikely to appeal to anyone other than those who can only watch via satellite.
Sky Stream and Sky Glass are both powered by EntertainmentOS, a new operating system built from the ground-up to watch live television, catch-up, and use fitness apps and other services via Wi-Fi
SKY TV PRESS OFFICESky Stream offers access to 50+ channels unavailable on Freeview in 1080p High Definition (HD) as standard, something that costs extra for those with a Sky Q box.
When news of the job cuts broke earlier this year, a spokesperson for Sky told GB News: "The launch of Sky Glass and Sky Stream represents a shift in our business to deliver TV over IP (Internet Protocol) rather than satellite. Customers are choosing Sky Glass and Sky Stream which don’t require specialist installation, leading us to change the number of roles needed to deliver our services."
Sky isn’t the only company with a focus on broadband-powered telly.
Last year, EE announced a partnership with Apple to bring live television to the Apple TV 4K via an EE TV app and custom-designed remote. This has been followed with an exclusive deal to stock the Sky Stream box on the EE Store, where it can be added to full-fibre broadband and pay monthly contracts.
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Meanwhile, TalkTalk broadband customers can bundle a set-top box with access to Freeview channels as well as Sky TV content via a deal with NOW, formerly NOW TV. Virgin Media customers can opt for its TV 360, which uses traditional cable TV to connect viewers to hundreds of channels. However, it also offers the Virgin Stream box, which is much closer to Sky Stream and Apple TV, offering access to the most popular apps.
Earlier this month, Virgin Media rebranded its Stream television service with little fanfare.
