topic Re: PIN number for certain channels in Sky+

PIN number for certain channels

Shirley+boyd — Sun, 10 Sep 2023 13:08:07 GMT

why is it you have to keep putting your pin in to watch sky crime and other channels it's annoying I pay enough every month anyone else had this issue

you used to be able to Switch channels no problem now it's enter pin on this channel enter on that channel then I get annoyed so give up watching all together

many thanks

Alison

Re: PIN number for certain channels

SKY1992bf — Sun, 10 Sep 2023 13:09:28 GMT

@Shirley+boyd If you are watching age restricted content pre watershed then it'll always ask for the pin regardless of your settings

it's an ofcom regulation requirement that Sky must adhere to and cannot be override by sky or the customer

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/consultations-and-statements/category-2/mandatory-daytime-protection#M1014

certain channels like Sky Atlantic and Sky Comedy are taking advantage of a rule change that allows them to broadcast age restricted content pre watershed providing they apply Mandatory daytime protection , that cannot be overridden by the the customer , it seems that Sky have decided to apply this rule to each individual program that the rules apply to rather than the channel, so this means that if you have entered the pin to access the channel and the following program is also age restricted you will be asked to enter the pin again when that program starts even though you are already on the channel

Re: PIN number for certain channels

Mark39 — Sun, 10 Sep 2023 13:15:03 GMT

@Shirley+boyd yep, everyone has the same issue, for the reasons posted by @SKY1992bf . It has nothing to do with how much you pay each month. Blame the nanny state!

Re: PIN number for certain channels

Shirley+boyd — Sun, 10 Sep 2023 13:33:40 GMT

Omg it's so annoying that you are watching the channel but having to keep putting the pin in

Re: PIN number for certain channels

Annie+UK — Sun, 10 Sep 2023 13:46:30 GMT

@Shirley+boyd wrote:

Omg it's so annoying that you are watching the channel but having to keep putting the pin in

Change your PIN to something easy like 1111 or 2222 etc...

Re: PIN number for certain channels

AdoP — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 12:51:26 GMT

Surely it should be understood that if I add the pin one minute and change channel a short while later it is the same user. There should be a 15 minute pin lifespan across all channels.
As household of only two adults feels like OFCOM is treating us all as children. They need to come up with a more 21st century way of thinking and to apply rules

"Channel hopping" is a way of life, to add a pin in every few seconds is ridiculous

The hypocrisy is that channel 106 will be unrestricted, yet e.g. 113 will be restricted and is broadcasting the exact same program and episode

There are now pins on programs that have in the past have been broadcast at all times of day.. it appears that additional sensoreship is being applied?

Re: PIN number for certain channels

Mark39 — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 13:35:41 GMT

@AdoP wrote:

As household of only two adults feels like OFCOM is treating us all as children. They need to come up with a more 21st century way of thinking and to apply rules

I agree with you. Sadly it's symptomatic of the nanny state imposed on us, where, apparently people need to be protected from themselves and their own actions, by others who are obviously wiser than we are..

Re: PIN number for certain channels

TimmyBGood — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 18:26:21 GMT

@AdoP @Mark39

I'd observe that current regulation dates from the 1980s and subsequent governments have not seen fit to grant Ofcom powers to reduce MDP restrictions: the 'nanny state' in question is that of four decades ago.

@AdoP wrote:

There are now pins on programs that have in the past have been broadcast at all times of day.. it appears that additional sensoreship is being applied?

Those are likely to be errors in how MDP is implemented: censorship is when content isn't available at all.

Re: PIN number for certain channels

Cjmurphy — Sat, 01 Mar 2025 07:09:31 GMT

Yes I'm getting this aswel. Its even asking for a pin after every show on sky crime, especially Road wars, its frustrating.. No age restrictions are on, pin request are off under parental controls but still its requires a pin to view every show on sky crime after 6am

Re: PIN number for certain channels

Annie+UK — Sat, 01 Mar 2025 09:39:01 GMT

Take a look at the link below:

See question Q27 in my Sky Plus F⋅A⋅Q

Re: PIN number for certain channels

GaryG1 — Sun, 21 Sep 2025 10:34:48 GMT

I get the reason why it asks for my pin but I'm getting asked for it to watch the WSL on Sky Sports + but the same program is on other Sky Sports channels and it doesn't ask for the pin to watch those channels. Make it make sense, please.

Re: PIN number for certain channels

Cjmurphy — Sun, 21 Sep 2025 10:47:42 GMT

Think it depends on the data protection and consent terms and conditions of the different channels.. sky witness and sky crime ask for pins after 7 if showing Motorway cops or any police shows of a similar nature but the channel 5 channels don't on free to air who's shows like police interceptors are more graphic and violent..

Re: PIN number for certain channels

TimmyBGood — Sun, 21 Sep 2025 13:37:15 GMT

@Cjmurphy

Historically there's been no method of implementing a PIN on PSB channels received into television tuners: that's why the watershed exists in the first place, with broadcast channels expected to schedule early evening content accordingly.

Appropriate scheduling should be judged according to:

the nature of the content;
the likely number and age range of children in the audience, taking into
account school time, weekends and holidays;
the start time and finish time of the programme;
the nature of the channel or station and the particular programme; and
the likely expectations of the audience for a particular channel or station at a particular time and on a particular day

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and-on-demand/broadcast-standards/section-one-protecting-under-eighteens

PIN control was invented for the Sky satellite platform and applied to subscription Cinema channels a long time ago, then extended to non-film content only in 2019: this is what permits, for example, non-stop GoT episodes on Sky Atlantic. It's easy to forget that up until then daytime television was unbelievably dull...

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and-on-demand/broadcast-standards/mandatory-daytime-protection

Re: PIN number for certain channels

oj01 — Sun, 21 Sep 2025 15:20:47 GMT

@GaryG1 wrote:
I get the reason why it asks for my pin but I'm getting asked for it to watch the WSL on Sky Sports + but the same program is on other Sky Sports channels and it doesn't ask for the pin to watch those channels. Make it make sense, please.

As far as I know, no Sports channels are PIN protected so something is amiss with your system.