Sky UK facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Sky UK Limited

Logo used since 1 October 2020
Formerly	British Sky Broadcasting Ltd (BSkyB)
Type	Subsidiary
Industry	Mass media
Founded	2 November 1990; 34 years ago (1990-11-02) (as British Sky Broadcasting)
Headquarters	London, England
Area served	United Kingdom Ireland
Key people	Dana Strong (CEO)
Services	Broadband Video on demand Broadcasting Satellite IPTV Internet Television production Mobile
Parent	Sky Group
Subsidiaries	Sky Ireland The Cloud Sky Broadband Sky Home Communications Now TV Sky Subscriber Services Sky In-Home Services

Sky UK Limited, known simply as Sky, is a big British company. It offers television, internet, and phone services to homes and businesses across the United Kingdom. Sky is part of a larger company called Sky Group, and since 2018, it's also part of Comcast.

Sky is the UK's largest company for paid TV services. By the end of 2019, it had 12.7 million customers for its digital satellite TV. Sky's main TV products are Sky Q and Sky Glass, which uses the internet. Its most popular channels include Sky Showcase, Sky Max, and Sky Atlantic.

The company started as British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) in November 1990. This happened when two companies, Sky Television and British Satellite Broadcasting, joined together. By the end of the 1990s, it became a huge media company. Sky became famous for owning the TV rights for the Premier League football and most Hollywood films.

In 2014, BSkyB bought Sky Italia and most of Sky Deutschland. Because of this, its main company changed its name to Sky plc (now Sky Group Limited). The UK part of the company also changed its name from British Sky Broadcasting Limited to Sky UK Limited, but it still uses "Sky" as its main name.

Sky UK Limited is fully owned by Comcast through Sky Group. Its main offices are at the Sky Studios in Isleworth, London.

How Sky Started and Grew

Early Days of Sky TV

Sky's story goes back to 1990. Back then, two companies, Sky Television and British Satellite Broadcasting, started encrypting their movie channels. This meant viewers needed special equipment and a subscription to watch.

After these two companies merged, subscribers could watch both movie channels. Two years later, the sports channel Sky Sports also became encrypted.

Sky and Premier League Football

In 1991, talks began for the TV rights to the Premier League football for five years, starting from the 1992 season. ITV already had the rights and tried hard to keep them. They offered £34 million per year.

BSkyB teamed up with the BBC to make a different offer. The BBC got the rights for match highlights. BSkyB paid £304 million for the Premier League rights, which gave them the rights to show all live matches. This included up to 60 games per year from the 1992 season.

Rupert Murdoch, who owned Sky, said that sports were a "battering ram" for paid TV. This meant sports would attract many customers. After the deal, ITV went to court, saying their bid details might have been leaked. But their efforts didn't stop the deal.

Sky kept the rights for the 1997–2001 deal, paying £670 million. Later, they had to pay £1.1 billion for the 2001–2004 rights, which gave them 66 live games a year.

After a long legal fight with the European Commission, Sky's full control over the rights ended in 2007. In May 2006, another broadcaster, Setanta Sports, got two of the six Premier League packages. Sky got the other four for £1.3 billion.

In February 2015, Sky bid £4.2 billion for 120 Premier League games for the three seasons starting in 2016. This was a 70% increase from the last contract. After this, Sky made some changes, like staff cuts and higher subscription prices.

Sky Multichannels: An Early TV Package

In September 1993, BSkyB launched Sky Multichannels. This was the old version of today's digital platform. It was a subscription package that included Sky's channels and channels from other broadcasters.

The service started on September 1, 1993. It was designed to make the company focus entirely on paid services. The new package included four channels that used to be free. Within two months, BSkyB gained 400,000 new customers. The service continued until Sky's old analogue service closed in 2001.

The Big Jump to Sky Digital

Sky's digital service, called Sky Digital, officially launched on October 1, 1998. It offered better picture and sound quality, more channels, and interactive services. Sky Digital competed with other services like ONdigital and cable TV.

Within 30 days, over 100,000 digital boxes were sold. Sky even started giving away free digital boxes and mini dishes in May 1999.

Many new channels were launched that were only available on Sky Digital. The change from analogue to digital TV happened quite fast. By late 1999, Sky Digital had more subscribers than the old analogue service.

By June 2000, Sky Digital had 3.6 million subscribers. Sky's analogue service finally ended in October 2001. After that, the digital service was simply called 'Sky'.

By June 2005, the number of digital subscribers grew to 7.8 million. In November 2005, Sky also launched Sky Mobile TV with Vodafone, which was the UK's first mobile TV service.

Sky in the 2010s

By 2010, Sky's satellite service reached 10 million homes. This was a big achievement for a paid TV platform in Europe. Sky said this meant their service reached 36% of UK households, with over 25 million viewers.

In 2016, Sky launched its new TV and entertainment service called Sky Q.

On March 1, 2018, Sky UK agreed with Netflix to offer Netflix's streaming service to Sky subscribers.

On September 22, 2018, Comcast, a large US cable TV provider, won an auction to take control of Sky UK. They outbid 21st Century Fox. By October 4, 2018, Fox sold its shares to Comcast, giving Comcast a 76.8% stake. Sky was removed from the stock market on November 7, 2018, after Comcast bought all remaining shares.

Sky in the 2020s

On September 17, 2020, Sky Arts became the first premium Sky channel to be available for free on Freeview.

On July 28, 2021, Sky announced that its main channel, Sky One, would close on September 1. It was replaced by two new channels: Sky Showcase, which shows a mix of content from other Sky Channels, and Sky Max, which features Sky's original shows and entertainment.

On October 7, 2021, Sky announced a new all-in-one TV set called Sky Glass. It streams Sky TV and other services over WiFi, so you don't need a satellite dish or a separate box. It launched on October 18, 2021, in three sizes.

Sky's Internet Service

How Sky Broadband Started

In October 2005, Sky bought an internet service provider (ISP) called EasyNet for £211 million. EasyNet had already invested a lot in connecting directly to local telephone exchanges. This gave Sky access to 232 exchanges.

EasyNet became part of a new Sky Broadband division. By October 2007, Sky had 1 million broadband customers. By September 2009, they had 2.3 million customers. By July 2012, Sky Broadband reached four million customers.

On March 1, 2013, Sky announced it would buy O2's and Be's broadband services from Telefónica for £180 million.

Sky's Internet Network

Sky offers broadband using the Openreach network. Customers connect to the network using different technologies like ADSL, FTTC (Fibre to the Cabinet), and FTTP (Fibre to the Premises).

Sky Talk Phone Service

Sky Talk is a landline phone service. You can choose to pay for calls as you use them or get a package with included call minutes.

NOW Broadband

NOW Broadband is a cheaper broadband option. It's linked to the Now TV streaming service from Sky.

Extra Services for Sky Broadband

Sky offers two security add-ons for Sky Broadband: Sky Broadband Shield and Sky Talk Shield. Sky Broadband Shield helps filter websites and provides security for your whole network. Sky Talk Shield helps block unwanted spam calls.

Sky Television Services

Digital Terrestrial TV (Freeview)

Sky first competed with the ONdigital digital terrestrial TV service (later called ITV Digital). ITV Digital failed for many reasons, including technical problems and Sky's strong marketing.

Even though Sky was a competitor to ONdigital, they later joined Freeview, which replaced ITV Digital. Sky owns an equal share in Freeview with the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Arqiva.

Before October 2005, three Sky channels were on Freeview: Sky News, Sky Three, and Sky Sports News. Sky Three later became 'Pick TV' in 2011.

Video on Demand

Sky also faced competition from phone companies offering TV services over internet lines. These companies could offer "triple play" packages: phone, internet, and TV.

To compete, Sky bought the internet provider Easynet in 2005. This allowed Sky to offer its own broadband service and a "triple play" package with satellite TV, landline phone, and broadband. Sky also offers some live TV channels that can be streamed to computers.

In early 2012, Sky updated its Sky Anytime service. This update allowed customers to buy and rent movies from the Sky Store.

On September 26, 2012, Sky renamed its "Anytime+" service to "On Demand." This service allowed customers to watch catch-up TV from channels like the BBC's iPlayer, ITV, Channel 4's All 4, Channel 5, and Sky's own channels.

Sky Go: TV on the Move

Sky Go is a free service for Sky TV subscribers. It lets them watch live and on-demand channels using an internet connection on a computer or mobile device.

In May 2009, Sky Go became available on the Xbox 360. In November 2011, Sky made a deal with Sony to bring some of its shows to the PlayStation Store. Sky Go also became available on the PlayStation 4 in December 2014 and the PlayStation 3 in January 2015.

Sky Store: Movies to Buy or Rent

Sky Store has a library of movies from Sky Cinema that you can rent or buy. You can do this through an app or even get physical DVD/Blu-ray copies by mail. Sky Store is available on Sky Q boxes and through apps on other devices. You don't need a Sky TV subscription to use Sky Store.

NOW: Flexible Streaming TV

NOW is a TV streaming service from Sky that doesn't require a long-term contract. You can watch it on a NOW device or through an app on computers, mobile devices, and smart TVs. NOW is separate from the main Sky TV service.

Sky Mobile Phone Service

On October 21, 2016, Sky announced its new mobile network, Sky Mobile. It started taking pre-registrations on October 31, 2016. Sky Mobile uses the O2 network infrastructure.

On January 5, 2017, Sky Mobile launched to the public across the UK. It focuses on data plans rather than traditional calls and texts. For example, 1GB of data cost £10 per month, while 5GB cost £15 per month. Unlimited calls and texts are free for Sky TV customers.

Since its launch, Sky has lowered the cost of its plans. As of March 2021, 2GB starts at £6 per month. They also added a "piggybank" feature, allowing customers to use saved data to lower their phone costs.

Sky Mobile plans to launch in Ireland in the second half of 2024 and also in Italy.

As of March 30, 2017, Sky Mobile also offers phone deals from brands like Samsung, Sony, and Apple.

Sky TV Boxes and Products

Sky Digibox: The First Digital Box

Sky first launched with a set-top box called the Sky Digibox. Later, they introduced Sky+, which was a digital video recorder (PVR). This allowed viewers to pause live TV and record shows.

Over time, the Sky+ box and then the Sky+ HD box replaced the original Digibox. Sky launched HDTV services in May 2006. All Sky+ HD boxes have a hard drive to record shows in high definition.

Sky+: Recording Made Easy

Sky used to charge an extra fee for using a Sky+ PVR. But from July 1, 2007, Sky+ was included for free with any Sky package. Customers who don't subscribe to Sky channels can still pay a monthly fee to use Sky+ features. By March 31, 2008, Sky had over 3.3 million Sky+ users.

In January 2010, Sky stopped selling the original Sky+ Box. They started giving the Sky+ HD Box as standard to all new customers.

Sky+ HD: High Definition TV

Sky launched its HDTV service, Sky+ HD, on May 22, 2006. Before its launch, 40,000 people had signed up for the HD service. By March 31, 2012, over 4.2 million homes had Sky+ HD.

In early 2012, Sky updated its Sky Anytime service to include buying and renting films from the Sky Store. In June 2012, Sky launched a new TV guide (EPG) for Sky+ HD boxes, with a new look and better features. By October 1, 2012, Sky Anytime was renamed Sky On Demand.

Sky 3D: A New Dimension

Sky started showing programmes in 3D in April 2010. This included new 3D channels like Sky Sports 3D and Sky Movies 3D. Sky had already tested 3D broadcasting by showing an Arsenal vs Manchester United football game live in 3D in some pubs.

Sky Q: The Next Generation of TV

On November 18, 2015, Sky announced Sky Q, a new set of products and services for 2016. The Sky Q range includes three set-top boxes (Sky Q 1TB, Sky Q 2TB, and Sky Q Mini), a broadband router (Sky Q Hub), and mobile apps.

Sky Q boxes have a new user interface, Wi-Fi hotspot features, and a new touch remote control. Sky Q Mini boxes connect to the main Sky Q boxes wirelessly or through power lines. This allows all boxes in a home to share recordings.

Sky Q became available to order on February 9, 2016. Unlike older Sky boxes, Sky Q boxes remain Sky's property and must be returned when your contract ends.

4K UHD: Super Clear Picture

The Sky Q 2TB set-top box can show 4K UHD broadcasts, which have super clear pictures. HDR (High Dynamic Range) was added on May 27, 2020. UHD broadcasts started on August 13, 2016, with a Premier League football match. UHD broadcasts are free for Sky Q 2TB customers with certain other subscriptions.

Sky Glass: TV Without a Dish

On October 11, 2021, Sky announced its own smart TV range called Sky Glass. It has a 4K screen, built-in Dolby Atmos speakers, and voice controls. It's designed to stream video over an internet connection, so you don't need a satellite dish. It also has a backup Freeview tuner. Sky Glass was released on October 18, 2021, in the UK.

Sky Stream: A Streaming Box

On September 27, 2022, Sky announced a new streaming box called Sky Stream, which launched on October 18, 2022. This service works with any broadband company, but the box is linked to a specific home.

Sky's TV Channels

Sky and its partner companies run many channels in the UK and Ireland. Some are joint ventures with other companies.

Channels You Can Watch Now

Entertainment Channels

• Sky Showcase (+1 hour delay available)
• Sky Max
• Sky Atlantic (+1 hour delay available)
• Sky Comedy
• Sky Witness (+1 hour delay available)
• Sky Replay
• Sky Sci-Fi
• Sky Mix
• Comedy Central (+1 hour delay available)
• Comedy Central Extra
• Challenge

Lifestyle Channels

• Blaze (part-time +1 hour delay available)

Factual Channels (Documentaries and More)

• Sky Arts
• Sky Crime (+1 hour delay available)
• Sky Documentaries
• Sky History (+1 hour delay available)
• Sky History 2
• Sky Nature
• Crime & Investigation (+1 hour delay available)

News Channels

• Sky News
• Sky News Arabia

Sports Channels

• Sky Sports Main Event
• Sky Sports Premier League
• Sky Sports Football
• Sky Sports Cricket
• Sky Sports Golf
• Sky Sports F1
• Sky Sports Action
• Sky Sports Arena
• Sky Sports Darts
• Sky Sports Mix
• Sky Sports News
• Sky Sports NFL
• Sky Sports Racing
• Sky Sports Tennis

Movie Channels

• Sky Cinema Premiere
• Sky Cinema Select
• Sky Cinema Hits
• Sky Cinema Greats
• Sky Cinema Animation
• Sky Cinema Family
• Sky Cinema Action
• Sky Cinema Comedy
• Sky Cinema Thriller
• Sky Cinema Drama
• Sky Cinema Sci-Fi Horror

Kids Channels

• Sky Kids

Channels That Are No Longer Active

• Eurosport
• Sky One
• Sky Living
• E!
• Now
• The Power Station
• The Sports Channel
• The Comedy Channel
• The Movie Channel
• Sky Scottish
• Sky Soap
• .tv
• PremPlus
• Sky News Ireland
• The Amp
• Sky Travel
• Sky Real Lives
• Bravo
• Bravo 2
• Channel One
• Sky 3D
• Challenge Jackpot
• Merit

How Sky Markets Its Services

Sky (once called Sky Digital) is the name for Sky Group's digital satellite TV and phone services in the UK. Sky has used slogans like "What do you want to watch?" and "Entertainment your way". Their current slogan is "Believe in Better".

Sky has also made TV ads featuring characters from popular movies like Toy Story (for Toy Story of Terror! and Toy Story That Time Forgot), Minions, Inside Out, Kung Fu Panda 3, The Secret Life of Pets, The Lego Batman Movie, Despicable Me 3, and Monster Family.

How Sky Broadcasts TV

Sending the Signal

When Sky Digital launched in 1998, it used the Astra 2A satellite. This satellite was in a different position than the one used for the old analogue service. More Astra satellites joined later, allowing Sky to offer hundreds of TV and radio channels. The new satellite position became mainly used for channels broadcasting to the UK.

New Astra satellites were added in 2000 and 2001, increasing the number of channels. In early 2006, most channels got new numbers in the TV guide.

Sky was the most popular digital TV service in the UK until Freeview took over in April 2007.

As of 2019, Astra 2E, 2F, and 2G are the only satellites Sky UK uses. Some services are sent using narrow beams focused only on the UK. Others are sent with a wider beam that covers more of Europe.

Receiving the Signal

Sky provides a special part for the dish called a LNB. This LNB is fitted to the dish and points at the correct satellites. Most digital receivers can pick up the free channels.

Some broadcasts are free and unencrypted. Some are encrypted but don't need a monthly subscription (called free-to-view). Others are encrypted and need a monthly subscription, or you pay per view. To watch encrypted content, you need a special Sky receiver.

Sky's standard definition broadcasts use DVB-compliant MPEG-2. Sky Cinema and Sky Box Office channels sometimes include Dolby Digital sound. Sky+ HD content uses MPEG-4 and the DVB-S2 standard.

Sky's TV Guide (EPG)

How the TV Guide Works

Sky has an electronic programme guide (EPG) that shows information about upcoming shows and a list of channels. TV channels on Sky have a three-digit number. You can type this number on your remote to go to the channel. Radio channels have four-digit numbers.

The TV guide changes depending on where you live. This makes sure you get the right local BBC or ITV region, for example.

All channels are put into categories based on what they show. Sky sets the rules for where channels are placed in the EPG.

Sky doesn't have a say in whether channels can be on their TV guide. Any channel that can get space on a satellite at 28° East can be listed on Sky's EPG for a fee.

In October 2007, Sky said they couldn't accept new channels on their EPG. This was because older digital boxes had limited memory.

In June 2012, Sky launched a new EPG called "Darwin" for its Sky+HD receivers. It had a more modern look and better features. Newer Sky Q UHD receivers use different software.

Changes to Channel Numbers

The EPG channel numbers often change when new channels launch or get new numbers. Sometimes, the EPG has been changed a lot. For example:

• In early 2006, most channels got new numbers. This change split the original ten categories into sixteen. For instance, some channels moved from 'Entertainment' to a new 'Lifestyle & Culture' category.
• After Living TV Group joined Sky in 2011, many channels closed, freeing up popular spots. This was a big change in EPG positions. Many channels like MTV and Comedy Central moved to more visible places.
• On May 1, 2018, Sky changed the channels again. Documentaries and entertainment channels were merged, moving many documentaries to more prominent spots.

Competition and Disputes

Sky and Virgin Media Dispute

Virgin Media (which used to be NTL:Telewest) started offering an high-definition television (HDTV) box. However, for a while, it only had one HD channel, BBC HD. Virgin Media said other HD channels were "locked up" by Sky.

In 2007, Sky and Virgin Media had a disagreement about carrying Sky channels on cable TV. Virgin Media removed Sky's basic channels from its network on March 1, 2007. Virgin Media claimed Sky had greatly increased the price for the channels. Sky denied this, saying their new deal offered "much more value" by including HD channels and Video On Demand.

Sky then ran TV, radio, and print ads urging Virgin Media customers to switch to Sky. The broadcasting regulator Ofcom found these ads broke their rules.

The dispute lasted for 21 months. Both companies took each other to court.

Finally, on November 4, 2008, they announced an agreement. Sky's basic channels, including Sky One, Sky Two, Sky Three, Sky News, and others, returned to Virgin Media. In return, Sky would continue to carry Virgin Media Television's channels.

Sky and Discovery Networks Dispute

On January 25, 2017, Discovery Networks announced a dispute with Sky UK over payment fees.

Discovery threatened to remove their channels from Sky, including Eurosport, Discovery Channel, TLC, and Animal Planet. They wanted Sky to agree to "fair pricing." Sky said they wouldn't give in, and the channels might become unavailable from February 1, 2017.

Discovery said Sky was paying less for its channels than it did ten years ago, even though Discovery's viewership had grown. Sky responded that they had been "overpaying Discovery for years."

The channel blackout would have also affected NOW TV.

However, on January 31, 2017, Sky UK announced that they would continue to broadcast the Discovery Networks Channels. This meant all those channels would remain available.

Legal Cases Involving Sky

In July 2013, a court in England found that Microsoft's use of the name "SkyDrive" was too similar to Sky's "Sky" trademark. On July 31, 2013, Sky and Microsoft settled. Microsoft agreed not to appeal and to rename its SkyDrive cloud storage service.

Hello Games was in legal talks with Sky for three years over the trademark on the word "Sky" for their video game No Man's Sky. The issue was settled in June 2016, allowing Hello Games to keep the name.

Awards Sky Has Won

Year	Association	Category	Nominee(s)	Result
2017	Diversity in Media Awards	Broadcaster of the Year	Sky	Won

Images for kids

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  Sky Group logo used since 2020