Sky Mix is set to become the first free-to-air channel from Sky that’s available permanently in HD on satellite.
- Tests have begun, with the UK and the Republic of Ireland each having their own free-to-air HD stream.
- Sky Mix replaces Pick on Wednesday 18th October.
Free-to-air tests have begun this week ahead of the official launch of Sky Mix on the 18th October. Sky Mix will become the latest incarnation of Sky’s free-to-air entertainment service, which has undergone a number of rebrands since launching as Sky 3 in 2005.
The new service will continue with much of Pick’s current schedule. Sky Mix will feature recent Sky Originals and acquired series in the evenings.
Pick was previously briefly made available in HD in the UK only, when the channel showcased a number of free-to-air Premier League games during lockdown. However, Sky has never permanently offered a free-to-air channel in high definition before.
For viewers who would like to manually tune in the service on their free-to-air satellite receiver, the tuning parameters are available below. Sky Mix (Pick) HD is broadcast on the UK spotbeam, which means it won’t have the same wide coverage as the current Pick SD service.
Sky Mix HD takes up transponder capacity previously used by STV HD regional channels, which have now moved to new frequencies.
Meanwhile, Sky has confirmed Sky Mix will also be available on Freeview channel 11 from 11:00am on 18th October, coinciding with this month’s Freeview channel update. However, on Freeview, the channel is standard definition only.
Manual tuning information:
Sky Mix HD (UK)
Showing Pick HD until 18th October
Satellite: Astra 2F (28.2°E) Frequency: 12227 Polarisation: Horizontal Symbol Rate: 27500 FEC: 2/3 Service ID: 5831
Sky Mix HD (Republic of Ireland)
Showing Pick HD until 18th October
Satellite: Astra 2F (28.2°E) Frequency: 12168 Polarisation: Vertical Symbol Rate: 27500 FEC: 2/3 Service ID: 5052
One more HD channel…
Meanwhile, a further channel has commenced HD testing on satellite. HobbyMaker HD is currently testing on the Astra 2E satellite. A launch date for Sky has not been confirmed.
Satellite: Astra 2E (28.5°E) Frequency: 11387 Polarisation: Horizontal Symbol Rate: 29500 FEC: 8/9 Service ID: 53735
Information correct as of 15:09 BST. 11/10/2023. Test transmissions are subject to changes, cessation or encryption at short or no notice. Not all test transmissions result in an inclusion on the Sky EPG.
Marc Thornham