Sky+
Sky+ (pronounced Sky Plus) is a discontinued personal video recorder (PVR) and subscription service from the satellite television provider Sky in the UK and Ireland. Launched in September 2001, it allows customers to record, pause and instantly rewind live TV. The system performs these functions using an internal hard drive inside the Sky+ set top box, an upgrade over the standard Digibox.
Sky+ logo, c. September 2003-January 2006 | |
A Sky+ set top box | |
Inception | August 2001 |
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Manufacturer | Sky Group |
Last production year | 2016 |
On 25 August 2001, the Sky+ demonstration was added to the Sky Guide demonstration, and was shown on Sky Welcome (Channel 998), which lasted for 15 minutes. A demo of the Sky+ box was shown on the Sky Customer Channel (Channel 999).
Originally a Sky+ subscription cost £10 per month - this fee was discontinued for subscribers from 1 July 2007. By July 2002 the service attracted 25,000 subscribers, and by 30 September 2009, there were 5.9 million customers with Sky+. Sky+ was also released in Italy, Germany and Austria.
During its lifetime its chief competitors in the UK market were Freeview+, Freesat+, BT Vision, and Virgin Media's V+ and TiVo. In the Republic of Ireland, Sky+ competed with Virgin Media Horizon TV and Saorview. In October 2016, Sky stopped selling the Sky+ subscription service, replacing it with Sky Q, although users of Sky+ can continue using their legacy box.