Sky drops monthly Sky+ subscription

[gem]

Missed this from VNU Publications

Sky drops monthly Sky+ subscription

At least £20m a month wiped off the books
Matt Chapman, vnunet.com 25 May 2007

Sky is dropping the £10 subscription charge for its Sky+ service for those customers who subscribe to one of its TV packages.
The Sky+ service reached two million subscribers in January 2007, which means that the satellite broadcaster will be writing off at least £20m revenue a month, or £240m a year.
The move has prompted rival cable firm Virgin Media to react with what the company's chief operating officer, Neil Burkett, referred to as an "imminent" price change.
Burkitt did not confirm whether the V+ subscription charge would be scrapped altogether or offered at a lower price.
Sky+ boxes work like regular Sky television receivers, but allow users to pause live TV and include an 80GB hard disk to record programmes.
"As of 1 July 2007, the Sky+ subscription charge of £10 will be removed for all Sky customers subscribed to any Sky package," said the online announcement by Sky.
"You will not have to pay a subscription charge for Sky+ after 1 July regardless of which Sky package you subscribe to or how long you've been a customer with us."
However, those customers who stop subscribing to a Sky package but wish to continue using all the features of Sky+ will see the £10 monthly subscription added to their bill again.
Sky HD customers, who pay £10 a month for the high definition channels, already have the Sky+ subscription charge waived.
The move does not mean that Sky will be handing out free Sky+ boxes to new subscribers, and there will still be a one-off £99 charge for anyone choosing a 12-month subscription as well as a £30 installation charge.
"Many of you have said that you want Sky+, but that it needs to be more affordable," said a statement from Sky.
"We believe that removing the Sky+ subscription cost for Sky Digital customers will mean that more of you are able to enjoy the benefits of Sky+."

And I've just cancelled my Sky+

[Worldlife]

I enjoy Sky Digital with a huge range stations (similar to Freeview) free of charge. By adding an 80Gb hard disc recorder for about £110. am able to record from the receiver (free as I had one year minimum subscription then about £6.50 for the basic).

Am I right in thinking that although with these new proposals one gets the free installation you are paying over the odds for equipment in the long run?

That's unless you really have the need to subscribe to premium channels.

[gem]

.... Am I right in thinking that although with these new proposals one gets the free installation you are paying over the odds for equipment in the long run? ....

Originally Posted by Worldlife

Um, debatable. You can currently get Sky+ for £199 (if you are lucky, £99) and after one year the box is yours. Now, under the old arrangements, if you stopped paying the £10 a month Sky+ bit then you 'lost' the ability to record. That's £120 a year for a recorder, which is a lot BUT, of all the PVR's (I have a Panasonic PVR with 80Gb and Freeview) around it's agreed that the Sky+ box is the best. I can vouch for that.

In the end it really depends on what you want and whether you are prepared to pay for it.

Up to the end of June we have two Sky+ boxes with all the Sky channels (my son has one in his room so we share the subscription). We pay £10 on top of the full subs for the two boxes but both get free Sky+ bit.

From 1 July (when we will have both moved) we will be left with two Sky boxes and Freesat so I will us our box in the bedroom for the TV AND (as I have a Sky Gnome) for radio around the apartment. The apartments are wired for Sat ( and Freeview, Digi radio and well as analogue radio and TV) and we plan to get a new Sky+ box for the main TV.

[Worldlife]

Do you reckon an new Sky+ receiver will tune more accurately than my original Sky unit?

The reason I ask is that at the moment Sky New is nearly always tunes in spot on but other stations do not. A particular problem is Classic FM TV that seems to drop out briefly and from time to time pixelate.

Or is the problem originating from Classic FM rather than the satellite reception?

[gem]

I've have the, what I call, second generation of Sky+ boxes - the one before the current version which has the larger HD.

I've not had any trouble with tuning of any stations including radio. As I said above, I use a Sky Gnome to listen to radio around the house (including the garden and garage).

The only time I've had drop outs and pixelation is during a VERY heavy thunder storm. The same cannot be said of Freeview! So I would suggest that the box or, as a slim possibility, the setting of the dish. Whether it's worth doing anything about is for you to judge given the cost etc.

[jetmizter2]

Does this mean you can now get Sky + for the same price as ordinary sky?

[gem]

As I see it, that's yes and no!

Yes to no extra charge to using Sky+ but no to having to pay for the Sky+ box, which is dearer than the standard box.

[jetmizter2]

So if youre gonna get a new one it may as well be HD do you think?

[gem]

I have a 28inch flat screen Toshiba TV but it's not good enough to get any benefit of HDTV - plus the additional monthly cost of the HD service - so I'll wait for a year or so when we should know how we are actually viewing (we are moving soon) and I'll make a decision then.

I very much like the idea of having HDTV though.

And you?