New SkyQ box due in December 2025

[GardenZen]

Key word: expected. Let's see what ultimately gets decided. 

[Invisiblename]

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@GardenZen wrote:

Key word: expected. Let's see what ultimately gets decided. 

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It's not a case of waiting to see "what gets decided", the fact is that the satellite that is used to relay the signal to the the UK will fail in approximately 4 years and there is no planned replacement.  Consequently ALL satellite based broadcasting will end.

[Ronj]

@Invisiblename its clear no one is going to convince @GardenZen that the good old Astra satellites have always had since launch a limited lifespan which has already been pushe out further than expected. The streaming companies however 

[PandJ2020]

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@Ronj wrote:

@Invisiblename its clear no one is going to convince @GardenZen that the good old Astra satellites have always had since launch a limited lifespan which has already been pushe out further than expected. The streaming companies however 

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Given that Sky is owned by one of the largest cable-TV (not Satellite) firms and they've already signalled publicly their strategy to move to streaming it's unlikely they'll want to invest the billions in launching new satellites in a shrinking, highly competitive market

But, let's wait and see...

[TimmyBGood]

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@PandJ2020 wrote:

 it's unlikely they'll want to invest the billions in launching new satellites in a shrinking, highly competitive market

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Only about eighty to a hundred million apiece these days (including launch) but the point still stands.

[TimmyBGood]

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@GardenZen wrote:

 Is there any proof Q *can't* continue past 4 little years? 

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Gravity is reasonably well understood by now.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geostationary_orbit 

There are strategies which can be employed to extend  operational life (typically at the expense of signal strength) but ultimately physics wins every time.

https://rxtvinfo.com/2025/uncertain-future-for-satellite-tv-what-next-for-sky-q-and-freesat-users/ 

[GardenZen]

Even if they don't - if faces with losing half their customers they will though - at least we have Q  in place a few more years while the stream product is refined and improved. As of right now, stream is not a great product like Q. It's just good/average. 

[PandJ2020]

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@TimmyBGood wrote:

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@PandJ2020 wrote:

 it's unlikely they'll want to invest the billions in launching new satellites in a shrinking, highly competitive market

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Only about eighty to a hundred million apiece these days (including launch) but the point still stands.

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I'll take 2 of them then 😂

[TimmyBGood]

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@GardenZen wrote:

if faces with losing half their customers they will though 

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A couple of points there:

Historically Sky has never commissioned, launched or operated any satellite hardware at all: that's a very specialist industry.  The signals received into the Sky television platforms in the UK and RoI come from a trio of platforms owned by SES (Société Européenne des Satellites) operating out of Luxembourg.

Sky Group is now an overseas division of the Comcast Corporation, and a smaller one at that.  If Comcast chooses to, it can loose money on Sky Television indefinitely.

[nigea99]

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@GardenZen wrote:

Even if they don't - if faces with losing half their customers they will though - at least we have Q  in place a few more years while the stream product is refined and improved. As of right now, stream is not a great product like Q. It's just good/average. 

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I have no specific knowledge of numbers but,  personally, I suspect that Stream / Glass already counts more than 50% of their customers

Many customers don't like being tied to dishes & have sufficient internet speed to support Streaming.

Younger generations, in particular, but even many in  older demographics do not care about recording  & linear TV schedules - just being able to watch when they want

Whilst you and maybe many feel that Stream is still not refined enough there are many who find it does what they want.

By the time the Satellites do run out of fuel, even more will have switched

Of course there will be a core of customers who will not wish to switch - I will probably keep with Satellite as long as I can - but I suspect they will be the minority when the time comes

I must stress this is just my observation and thoughts

[GardenZen]

The more Q customers resist switching the better Stream will ultimately become. If the customer base is too responsive and happily migrates to an inferior product, then what's the motivation to improve Stream?

[nigea99]

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@GardenZen wrote:

The more Q customers resist switching the better Stream will ultimately become. If the customer base is too responsive and happily migrates to an inferior product, then what's the motivation to improve Stream?

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@GardenZen  I understand where you are coming from but, in reality, they do have a lot of motivation to improve Stream & Glass - they are their products going forward used not only in the UK but in  Europe and worldwide.

[GardenZen]

'Motivated' is a claim. What matters is the result. If Stream is improved, then Q customer will move.  

[Chodley]

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@GardenZen wrote:

Sky Q won't end that quickly. It's here for another decade or more. Even if a few hundred thousand customers refuse to transition and would go the route of buying free view boxes so they can keep using a dish, then that would represent a significant loss of business for Sky. Personally if they got rid of Q, I would get a free view box that could record live tv. It's very doable. Also, I am happy to pay extra to get Q over stream. 

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Freeview boxes don't use a dish. I assume you mean freesat? If so, they won't get the signal either once the satellites are decommissioned. We won't have a choice.