Single Sports Action subscribers & Sky sports+

[Shashie]

How the introduction of Sky Sports + is adversely affecting those with a current Sky Sports Tennis subscription only. 

I have Sky Q and for the last 12 months have paid £18 a month for the Sky Sports Tennis rolling subscription. This just gets me one channel, Sky Tennis 407 (& not Main Event or Arena channels). However I could access all tennis matches from both ATP & WTA tours being streamed on the Red Button service...well I WAS able to...

until not long after midnight today on Wed 7th Aug 2024. I clicked the red button on Sky Sports Tennis Channel 407 and the new Sky Sports + app appeared. First I'd heard of it. When I tried to select a match I was told "To watch this, you need to upgrade your subscription". I am directed then to the Upgrade page where I am told I need to either commit to a 2yr contract at an EXTRA £18/month or take out a rolling contract at £23 a month EXTRA for Sky Sports. 

Is this "extra" £18 on top of the £18 I already pay for Sky Tennis package? So basically paying double for some slightly fancier red button service?

Or does it means I pay £18 in total for Sky Sports and the Sky Sports Tennis subscription at £18/month stops? On the My Sky app and on my TV it just says I pay EXTRA £18. 

It is very confusing but either way I lose out either paying £36 instead of £18 month or paying £5 a month more for the same rolling package I have now. 

Anyone else with a Sky Tennis Subscription noticed this too? I feel I should just have been automatically moved onto the new Sky Sports +  without the need to change or take out a new contract. Really annoyed as wanted to watch the WTA1000 match on the red button service tonight but I am locked out of it unless I agree to a new contract. 

Thanks for reply, Sharon

Moderator note:  Amended title to better reflect query

[GD1]

@Shashie  Sky sports+ is only available yo those who already take out the FULL Sky sports package, you don't therefore you shouldn't get it, you would need to upgrade to the full sports pack to benefit.

Sky can't just move you the the full sports package as you need to tell them if you want to change your subscription.

[nigea99]

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@Shashie wrote:

How the introduction of Sky Sports + is adversely affecting those with a current Sky Sports Tennis subscription only. 

I have Sky Q and for the last 12 months have paid £18 a month for the Sky Sports Tennis rolling subscription. This just gets me one channel, Sky Tennis 407 (& not Main Event or Arena channels). However I could access all tennis matches from both ATP & WTA tours being streamed on the Red Button service...well I WAS able to...

until not long after midnight today on Wed 7th Aug 2024. I clicked the red button on Sky Sports Tennis Channel 407 and the new Sky Sports + app appeared. First I'd heard of it. When I tried to select a match I was told "To watch this, you need to upgrade your subscription". I am directed then to the Upgrade page where I am told I need to either commit to a 2yr contract at an EXTRA £18/month or take out a rolling contract at £23 a month EXTRA for Sky Sports. 

Is this "extra" £18 on top of the £18 I already pay for Sky Tennis package? So basically paying double for some slightly fancier red button service?

Or does it means I pay £18 in total for Sky Sports and the Sky Sports Tennis subscription at £18/month stops? On the My Sky app and on my TV it just says I pay EXTRA £18. 

It is very confusing but either way I lose out either paying £36 instead of £18 month or paying £5 a month more for the same rolling package I have now. 

Anyone else with a Sky Tennis Subscription noticed this too? I feel I should just have been automatically moved onto the new Sky Sports +  without the need to change or take out a new contract. Really annoyed as wanted to watch the WTA1000 match on the red button service tonight but I am locked out of it unless I agree to a new contract. 

Thanks for reply, Sharon

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hi @Shashie 

I would not expect you to get an upgrade message to watch what  you could previously access via the red button -  I suspect it may just be a glitch with the new app.

I suggest you give SKY a call to see what they say.

[ftballman]

Wow I hadn't even thought of the impact on solely tennis subscribers. I wonder did sky forget too.

PS why has the rebrand of arena quietly been dropped from the first post here?

[xenon81]

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@Shashie wrote: I am directed then to the Upgrade page where I am told I need to either commit to a 2yr contract at an EXTRA £18/month or take out a rolling contract at £23 a month EXTRA for Sky Sports. 

Thanks for reply, Sharon

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It's not £18/£23 on top of your existing subscription, it replaces your current subscription. Imagine you're paying £15 for Sky Sports Tennis only. You replace that £15 subscription with an £18 subscription for the full Sky Sports package so the cost is just an additional £3.

[Alex_F]

I have exactly same issue so far I've rung them 3 times and no one understands their own subs set up. Totally useless, as usual

[Martym890]

@Alex_F 

Was considerate of them to make this significant change a couple of weeks before the US open - the one tennis event of the year where multi court coverage is pretty essential.  All you will presumably get with the Sky arena/tennis package is one linear tv channel - essentially Arthur Ashe or a British player - and see nothing else.

Also while they offer 31 day rolling contracts for Sky sports tennis/arena on line – as you say the full Sky sports package (needed to get Sky sports+) is only offered to me at least as a 24 month contract to existing customers. So I cannot simply sign up for the US open – and then cancel.

Sky can of course do this – but what is the point of the standalone Sky tennis/golf/cricket channel package if it doesn’t offer multi court/event coverage for those sports only?

[Alex_F]

Indeed what is the point, but until very recently multi-court coverage WAS available on the standalone (tennis) subscription, (red button on Sky Q ), but their set up now has removed that, so there's only, as you say, their own usually ludicrous choice of main coverage. 

[Alex_F]

There's nothing in the online 'offers' about it being a *replacement*, so how can anyone access that?