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Sky will begin cancelling TV subscriptions for anyone still using its oldest Sky+ boxes from October. GB News first reported on the plan to remove channels from this ageing hardware in late March.
At the time, Sky+ viewers were told that all Standard Definition (SD) quality channels would vanish this month — but that deadline has since been pushed back until October. Despite the extension, those still persisting with a Sky+ box have already seen the likes of Sky Sports, Sky Cinema, and other popular channels disappear.
BBC and ITV stripped their channels from these older set-top boxes back in January as part of the transition from Standard Definition (SD) to High Definition (HD) nationwide. Over recent weeks, Sky TV has slowly wound down its own live channels on Sky+ boxes, leaving viewers with just a handful of channels left.
Sky Q launched back in 2016, with the broadcaster halting new sales of Sky+ HD to customers later that same year
SKY TV PRESS OFFICEFrom October, when all remaining Sky TV-owned channels vanish, Sky+ viewers will be left with a handful of non-Sky owned subscriptions, like Comedy Central, Cartoon Network, GOLD, and some free-to-air channels.
Sky+HD boxes will not be impacted by the changes, since these support HD broadcasts.
The good news? Anyone stranded with a Sky+ box can upgrade to Sky Q free of charge. Sky TV has confirmed to GB News that it will offer a free swap to the newer-generation of satellite set-top box, which supports HD as well as 4K Ultra HD, Dolby Atmos, and streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, and many more.
If you'd like to organise an upgrade, call the Sky Customer Service helpline on 0333 759 5121.
If you fail to upgrade to Sky Q or another set-top box compatible with HD broadcasts, Sky TV will automatically cancel your television package or credit your account. Sky+ boxes will still be able to tune-in to SD quality channels that still broadcast in that quality... although that list is getting smaller by the day.
The shake-up from Sky TV is part of a larger industry trend to move away from Standard Definition (720p) to an improved picture quality than most viewers now expect, either High Definition (1080p) or 4K UHD (2160p), which are only available on newer hardware, like Sky Q, Sky Stream, and Sky Glass.
For Sky+ viewers, the writing has been on the wall for some time now, with all Sky Sports Red Button content for Golf and F1 stripped out of these older set-top boxes at the end of last year.
And while those with Sky Glass TVs and Sky Stream, both powered by Sky's custom EntertainmentOS system, have enjoyed 300 software updates in the last year alone with a slew of new features, Sky+ hasn't enjoyed the same treatment.
Almost exactly one year since the decision to pull Red Button content from Sky+ and everything will vanish from these decades-old set-top boxes.
This represents a pretty dramatic shake-up from the satellite broadcaster. As such, we can only assume that very few customers are still tuning into SD-quality broadcasts with Sky TV. Ahead of the announcement of its latest blockbuster EntertainmentOS update, the UK broadcaster confirmed that 90% of all new customers signing up with Sky TV were taking out a broadbrand-powered product, like Sky Stream and Sky Glass, which both offer HD quality as standard at no extra cost.
The roadmap was announced by the satellite broadcaster back in March, just a couple of months after its move to ditch access to BBC and ITV channels from the set-top boxes. It's the latest push to remove Standard Definition (SD) broadcasts from older hardware and follows similar decisions from Freesat and Freeview.
"We’re changing how we deliver our TV services. This means if you have an SD box, you'll need to upgrade to continue watching Sky channels," the telly company confirmed in a new post on its online Help pages.
From October, those who are still persisting with an older Sky+ box will lose access to all Sky channels.
Your Sky+ box will still work and you could, technically, continue to enjoy channels that aren't provided by Sky or BBC on the hardware ...but that really doesn't seem like value for money when you're paying a monthly subscription to Sky TV.
Sky says it will not change the cost of your Sky TV package (or the selection of channels) when you switch to a newer box ahead of the deadline. Without this scheme, switching to newer hardware can incur extra costs.
Sky has provided instructions to work out whether your Sky+ box will be impacted by the switch-off in May and August this year. First up, it suggests heading to Channel 101 on your Sky remote. If BBC One HD appears as normal, you're watching on a set-top box that is not affected by the latest shake-up.
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However, if you see BBC One broadcast in Standard Definition (SD) then you will be impacted. Likewise, if you see a warning screen from the BBC that reads "This service is now closed," you'll also be affected.
Following the instructions from Sky will launch the above screen on your Sky+ box, which reveals the model number of the box
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Another way to check is to press the Services button on your Sky remote, then press the 4 and 5 numbers on the keypad. This will load up a little-known menu that shows the version number of your box.
If the number matches any of the below, then you will lose access to Sky Cinema and Sky Sports within the next eight weeks.
The affected boxes are:
Digibox
Sky+
