Those who today subscribe to Sky via Digital Terrestrial get ready for a small revolution: from April you change decoders, you need an Internet connection, but you pay less
From April 2022 the current Sky offer on Digital Terrestrial will disappear and will be replaced by a new “hybrid” solution based on the Internet that, among other things, also provides a parachute “to DAZN”. This is reported by the trade magazine Digital News, a reliable source also because it is connected to one of the most important Italian forums where thousands of installers and antenna manufacturers meet. The news for Sky subscribers via DVB, which we had already announced at the end of October, are therefore about to materialize and Sky is already ready to send to users already active a new decoder, the only solution to continue to see Sky channels without having to install a digital satellite system.
It is the new Sky Q box connected to the Internet and Sky will send it free to its current subscribers in digital terrestrial in the coming weeks. The solution chosen by Sky is a “do-it-yourself” type: it does not require the intervention of a technician but only an Internet connection. Those who do not have a good connection, or are not willing to adopt this new solution, will still be able to withdraw free of charge from the subscription to Sky on digital terrestrial by March 31, 2022. Even after that, it will be possible to withdraw for free, but those who decide to try the new solution will basically see their subscription changed and, fortunately, they will receive a discount of 5 euros per month for the first 18 months.
Why Sky is changing technology
Before explaining what will happen to Sky subscribers on Digital Terrestrial from April 1, 2022, it is necessary to explain why this change. The reason is simple: it is a consequence of the so-called “refarming” of frequencies.
As has already happened in Sardinia between mid-November and early December, and as is about to happen in 8 regions of northern Italy starting on January 3, all radio frequencies in the 700 MHz band will be turned off, taken away from television operators and assigned to telephone operators, who will use them for the fast 5G network.
Among these frequencies, in many areas of Italy, there are also those on which Sky channels present on Digital Terrestrial are currently broadcast. As a result, starting in April 2022, an alternative will be needed. Otherwise, as is easy to understand, Sky would have had to cancel all DVB subscriptions.
Sky on DVB with Sky Q: how it works
The solution found by Sky to allow its users to continue viewing Sky channels even without a frequency, and without the need to switch to satellite, is very similar to HbbTV, i.e. “hybrid” TV, partly over the air and partly over the Internet.
Existing subscribers will receive at home, free of charge, the new decoder “Sky Q via Internet”, thanks to which it will be possible to see the channels of Sky TV, Sky Calcio and Sky Sport in HD live. It will also be possible to access an on-demand catalog and, at the same time, it will also be possible to continue watching Sky Sport Uno and Sky Sport Calcio channels on digital terrestrial.
These two channels, then, will be used as a parachute in case of Internet connection problems during live sporting events, similar to what DAZN does today with the decoder DAZN TV Box and channel 409 on digital terrestrial (usable, however, only by those who live in areas without a good connection).
The new Sky Q via the Internet, therefore, will be used by users as the main decoder to watch the normal digital terrestrial channels and those of Sky, transmitted via the Internet. It will also be able to be used for streaming, as there are apps from Disney+, Prime Video, Netflix, YouTube, Mediaset Play, Spotify, VEVO and others.
All of this will have no additional costs for the user who, indeed, will see the monthly subscription price reduced by 5 euros for the first 18 months starting in April 2022.