If you're watching television on an ageing Sky+ box — you're now a few weeks away from losing a slew of popular channels, including Sky Sports, Sky Cinema, and MUTV.
If you haven't upgraded to a newer box by August, you'll lose access to every Sky TV channel. The roadmap announced by the satellite broadcaster was confirmed months after a decision to drop 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.
The shake-up from Sky TV will arrive in three stages. From today (March 26), Sky will wipe all Standard Definition BBC channels from its Sky+ boxes.
These channels stopped broadcasting in January but still appeared in the TV Guide menu. As the latest update rolls out to viewers nationwide, that should slowly be rectified.
Sky Q launched back in 2016, with the broadcaster halting new sales of Sky+ HD to customers later that same year
SKY TV PRESS OFFICEStarting in May, Sky will pull access to all 11 channels included with Sky Cinema, 9 dedicated Sky Sports channels, and MUTV. "Without the upgrade, any subscriptions you have to these channels will be cancelled," Sky has informed customers, so you won't need to worry about being charged for channels you can no longer watch.
In August, 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.
The writing has been on the wall for some time, with all Sky Sports Red Button content for Golf and F1 stripped out of Sky+ boxes in December 2023 as the broadcaster transitioned the technology that powers this additional content to a new platform optimised for newer Sky Q, Sky Stream, and Sky Glass hardware.
However, there is some good news. Sky+ owners are eligible to switch to a new set-top box at no cost.
Sky confirmed to GB News that all Sky+ and Sky+ HD customers can upgrade to Sky Q for free by calling the Sky Customer Service helpline on 0333 759 5121.
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.
However, if you see BBC One broadcast in Standard Definition (SD) then you will be impacted. Liekwise, if you see a warning screen from the BBC that reads "This service is now closed," you'll also be affected.
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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.
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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The affected boxes are:
Digibox
Sky+
