topic Re: Pin protection in Sky Q

Pin protection

Mangofire2 — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 10:34:49 GMT

Why has most of the film channels become pin protected? I have the age restriction set to none. I have recently been watching the sky animation channel and all of a sudden the films now require a pin like cloudy with a chance of meatballs and kungfu panda? These are kids films and only the other week they had an entire channel decided to kungfu panda with no pin required, so what's going on?

Re: Pin protection

xenon81 — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 10:57:14 GMT

Films rated 12/15/18 must be PIN protected before 9pm, even if you have disabled PIN protection.

However there seems to be a problem with some films on Animation listing the wrong age rating. The film on now (Smallfoot) is only PG, but is listed as 18, triggering the PIN requirement.

Mr Bean's holiday currently showing on Sky Family is also a PG wrongly listed as 18.

Re: Pin protection

TimmyBGood — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 11:29:14 GMT

@xenon81 wrote:

Mr Bean's holiday currently showing on Sky Family is also a PG wrongly listed as 18.

Must be the controversial Directors Cut ; )

Re: Pin protection

Johnag4004 — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 21:09:08 GMT

I'm having the same problem, I've even tried unplugging the box, left it for an hour, plugged it back in and its still the same...

Re: Pin protection

PandJ2020 — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 21:18:08 GMT

@Johnag4004 wrote:
I'm having the same problem, I've even tried unplugging the box, left it for an hour, plugged it back in and its still the same...

Those actions won't change the metadata. It can only be fixed at source...

Re: Pin protection

KevNewMedia — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 11:54:52 GMT

Hi Everyone

Thanks very much for highlighting this problem.

Our support teams have confirmed that the issue is now resolved.

I'm going to mark this post as the current answer, so that everyone has the most up-to-date information.

Re: Pin protection

Jen641 — Sun, 25 Jan 2026 16:11:23 GMT

Unfortunately I am still struggling with this issue, and have been asked to enter my pin multiple times during a single episode of a programme. I did not have this problem with BT!

Re: Pin protection

MightyQuinn — Sun, 25 Jan 2026 16:19:24 GMT

@Jen641 wrote:
I did not have this problem with BT!

Hi @Jen641 Did BT show pre-watershed content before 9:00pm?

Re: Pin protection

Jen641 — Sun, 25 Jan 2026 17:43:11 GMT

Hi. I haven't really changed my viewing habits much, so am watching pretty much the same type of programme. Just find it odd that I was never once asked for a pin by BT and now it's become a regular occurrence. As I said, sometimes more than once during a programme. It is what it is, I guess, but that and a few other irritations have led me to decide that I won't be staying with Sky, just got to survive the next 18 or so months of the contract.

Re: Pin protection

TimmyBGood — Sun, 25 Jan 2026 19:04:33 GMT

@Jen641 wrote:

Just find it odd that I was never once asked for a pin by BT and now it's become a regular occurrence.

As a regulated broadcaster Sky is obliged to apply Mandatory Daytime Protection to 'post-watershed' content transmitted before 21:00

Given BT/EE TV is only distributed online their lawyers may have decided that the particular section of the Broadcasting Code doesn't apply: that's between them and Ofcom.

As I said, sometimes more than once during a programme.

That shouldn't happen unless you are changing channels. Changing back to an MDP channel will trigger a PIN challenge even if one was entered previously.

On Sky it's usually Atlantic, Documentaries and Comedy which will have a PIN challenge, plus many of the Cinema channels.