In a last-minute twist to Sky’s ongoing transition from Standard Definition (SD) to High Definition (HD) broadcasting, the company has announced that two of its SD channels – Sky Sports News and Sky Sports Mix – will not be closed as previously planned.
The announcement comes after an observant Sky subscriber pointed out that these channels are part of the Sky Signature bundle, which requires a paid HD upgrade to access HD channels.
This realization prompted Sky to re-evaluate its plans, ensuring that customers without the HD upgrade can still watch these popular sports channels without incurring additional costs (see full details below).
However – 14 channels are still set to shut down this week.
Sky Shutting Down SD Channels
As we recently reported, Sky recently announced its decision to close many of its SD channels, as viewers have increasingly come to expect the improved picture quality and enhanced visual experience that HD offers.
Major broadcasters, such as the BBC and ITV, have been leading this transition (a bit too late, some would say), shutting down most of their SD channels on satellite platforms earlier this year.
The BBC, in particular, has taken significant steps to embrace HD broadcasting. In 2022, the corporation made all of its channels available in HD, including regional news on BBC One.
Subsequently, in January 2024, the BBC accelerated the switch-off of its SD channels on Freesat and Sky, moving all its broadcasting to HD due to the low demand for SD channels (On Freeview, the SD channels are staying put, for now – but alongside the HD versions).
Following the lead of the BBC and ITV, Sky announced its own plans to phase out SD channels, with older SD-only boxes set to lose functionality in 2024.
The first stage, completed in March 2024, saw the removal of all BBC SD channels from Sky’s satellite platform. The HD versions of these channels replaced their SD counterparts on the Electronic Program Guide (EPG).
The second stage, taking place on May 29, 2024, would see customers with older SD boxes lose access to several key Sky channels, including Sky Sports, Sky Cinema, and the MUTV channel.
Subscribers to these channels will have their subscriptions automatically cancelled unless they upgrade to an HD box.
Sky offers affected customers the option to either cancel their subscriptions altogether without incurring early termination fees or continue watching without the affected channels.
The third and final stage of the transition is scheduled for August 2024. At this point, SD box users will no longer be able to access all of Sky’s channels.
While viewers could theoretically continue watching non-BBC and non-Sky channels that remain available in SD, it would make little sense to pay for a Sky subscription without access to Sky’s channels.
To ensure a smooth transition for customers, Sky has been offering free upgrades to its Sky Q box for those affected by the SD switch-off.
The company has emphasized that customers who upgrade will not face any changes to their existing TV packages or pricing – which made the planned closure of Sky Sports News and Sky Sports Mix a bit confusing – but those plans have now changed.
Sky Sports News SD and Sky Sports Mix SD Staying Around
Today, Sky announced that two of its SD channels – Sky Sports News and Sky Sports Mix – will not close as previously planned (or at least as previously announced).
This decision comes after a keen-eyed Sky Community forum user pointed out that these channels are part of the Sky Signature bundle, which requires a paid HD upgrade to access HD versions of the Signature channels.
This is different from channels that are part of the Sky Sports bundle, which are already available in HD to subscribers without the need for the HD upgrade.
Had Sky gone ahead with its original plan to close the SD versions of these two channels, customers without the HD upgrade would have been forced to pay extra to continue watching Sky Sports News and Sky Sports Mix, even after upgrading their box to an HD-compatible model.
This realization prompted Sky to reconsider its decision and keep the SD versions of these channels on air.
Sky Sports News is a 24/7 sports news channel that provides viewers with up-to-the-minute coverage of breaking sports stories, live press conferences, and expert analysis.
Sky Sports Mix is a channel that offers a diverse selection of sporting content drawn from Sky Sports’ extensive portfolio. The channel features a mix of live events, documentaries, highlights, and archive footage, catering to a wide range of sports enthusiasts.
In other words, these two channels offer “basic” Sky subscribers a taste of some of the sports (and sports news) they can get on the full Sky Sports bundle.
For customers who have subscribed to the HD upgrade, Sky Sports News and Sky Sports Mix will continue to be available in high definition – however, they will STILL need to upgrade their box, as even existing SD channels will no longer be supported on Sky’s old, non-HD boxes.
Sky Channels Shutting Down On May 29
The updated list of SD channels that WILL be closing on May 29, 2024, is:
Cinema Channels Shutting Down
- Sky Cinema Premiere SD (Satellite 301/848) closes permanently – HD service remains at 301 in the UK and ROI
- Sky Cinema Greats SD (Satellite 304/849) closes permanently – HD service remains at 304 in the UK and ROI
- Sky Cinema Family SD (Satellite 306/850) closes permanently – HD service remains at 306 in the UK and ROI
- Sky Cinema Action SD (Satellite 307/851) closes permanently – HD service remains at 307 in the UK and ROI
Sports Channels Shutting Down
- Sky Sports Box Office SD (Satellite 491) closes permanently in the UK and ROI
- Sky Sports Main Event SD (Satellite 401/859) closes permanently in the UK only – HD remains at 401 – no changes to ROI
- Sky Sports Premier League SD (Satellite 402/860) closes permanently in the UK only – HD remains at 402 – no changes to ROI
- Sky Sports Football SD (Satellite 403/861) closes permanently in the UK only – HD remains at 403 – no changes to ROI
- Sky Sports Cricket SD (Satellite 404/862) closes permanently in the UK only – HD remains at 404 – no changes to ROI
- Sky Sports Golf SD (Satellite 405/863) closes permanently in the UK only – HD remains at 405 – no changes to ROI
- Sky Sports F1 SD (Satellite 406/864) closes permanently in the UK only – HD remains at 406 – no changes to ROI
- Sky Sports Action SD (Satellite 408/865) closes permanently in the UK only – HD remains at 408 – no changes to ROI
- Sky Sports Arena SD (Satellite 412/867) closes permanently in the UK only – HD remains at 412 – no changes to ROI
Other Changes
- Sky Sports Box Office HD (Satellite 492) moves to 491 in the UK and ROI
- Sky Sports Football ROI SD launches on satellite at 861 in ROI only – swapping with the existing HD ROI service at 403
- MUTV SD (Satellite 418/875) closes permanently – HD remains at 418
How Do I Know If My Sky Box Is Affected?
To check if your Sky Box is SD-only (and will therefore lose access to the cinema and sports channels next week), Sky suggests you:
- Select Channel 105 on your remote.
- If you see Channel 5 HD, you’re not affected. If you see Channel 5 in SD, you are, and you’ll need to upgrade your Sky box.
Note that Channel 5 isn’t affected by these changes – it’s just a way to check whether your box is currently capable of showing HD channels.
Alternatively, you can:
- Press Services on your Sky remote
- Press 4 ,then 5
- Check your box’s version number, as seen here:
The affected Sky boxes are:
Digibox:
- 4F01 to 4F06 (Amstrad)
- 4E01 to 4E05 (Grundig)
- 9F01 to 9F08 and 9F0A (Pace)
- 0F01 to 0F05 (Panasonic)
- 4E06 to 4E08 (Thomson)
Sky+:
- 4F2001 to 4F2006 (Amstrad)
- 4F2101 to 4F2118 and 9F2101 to 9F2137 (Amstrad or Pace)
- 9F2001 to 9F2024, PVR2, 9F2201 to 9F2235, 9F2301 to 9F2339 (Pace)
- 4E2101 to 4E2141 (Thomson)
These changes will not affect Sky customers with newer Sky boxes, such as Sky Q, or the streaming-based devices, Sky Glass and Sky Stream, where Sky’s channels are already HD by default.
How Can I Upgrade My Sky SD Box?
If you have one of the affected, older Sky SD-only boxes, Sky is offering to upgrade you to Sky Q at no extra cost.
Once you sign up, one of Sky’s engineers will install the new Sky Q box on a date that works for you.
At that point, you’ll be able to watch all the BBC and ITV channels in HD, as well as all the Sky channels that you are subscribed to.
To start the upgrade process, Sky customers can call 0333 759 5121 or upgrade online via this link.
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I don’t know sure about Sky+HD?
Sky+HD should be fine (that is, you can watch HD channels, as well as the remaining SD channels)