Sky has now begun to remove its entertainment channels from older receivers, following news the pay TV company was killing off its first generation boxes.
- Channels including Sky Atlantic are now only available on more recent satellite receivers.
- Technical changes also affecting non-Sky branded sports channels.
Following the termination of standard definition (SD) copies of Sky Sports channels in the UK and SD copies of Sky Cinema channels in both the UK and Ireland, Sky has reached a further milestone this week.
While Sky isn’t about to drop the extra charge to watch entertainment channels in HD, it’s made sure some SD channels can now only be accessed on HD receivers, i.e. Sky+HD and Sky Q.
Sky Atlantic and Sky Witness+1 have become the first of Sky’s entertainment channels that have transitioned to the newer DVB-S2 standard on satellite, which isn’t supported by first generation Sky digiboxes. The first non-Sky operated sports channels have also followed with MUTV and this week, Eurosport 1 and 2 moving to DVB-S2.
During the summer, further entertainment channels will follow, leaving older SD boxes without access to channels.
As a result, the affected SD channels become explicitly available only to viewers with Sky+HD and Sky Q who refuse to pay extra for HD.
What Sky is telling affected subscribers
Viewers who refuse to upgrade will see their subscriptions to these channels being cancelled. In this case, the cancellation will occur without early termination charges.
Alternatively, Sky is urging users to accept a free upgrade to Sky Q, if you want to continue watching via satellite.
Your new box will be installed by one of our engineers on a date that suits you. You can then access all of the Sky channels in your Sky TV package. Affected subscribers in the UK can call Sky on 0333 759 5121. Current Sky HD, Sky+HD and Sky Q users aren’t affected.
By: Marc Thornham | Image: Sky Atlantic logo (C) Sky