I’ve had Sky Q since day one and still use it happily, despite the launch of Sky Glass and Sky Stream. However, I have worried that Sky Q will be mothballed in favour of the newer streaming-based services.
However, it looks as though Sky Q may be in a better position than I thought, with Sky signing a new deal with SES to use its satellite capacity to deliver broadcast TV into the next decade.
Satellite is still popular
Using SES’s satellite capacity at 28.2° East, the new deal extends a previously signed agreement that would have lasted until 2029. While a new end date hasn’t been confirmed, we’ll continue to see satellite TV until at least 2030 and, most likely, beyond.
In a world of streaming, this may seem odd, but satellite still has a strong following, and I’m personally a big fan- and I’m not the only one.
“As we give customers more choice in how they access Sky, satellite continues to play an important role in how we deliver our services to customers across the UK and Ireland,” said Nick Herm, Group Chief Operating Officer, Sky. “This agreement with SES provides the reliability, reach and service quality we need to continue delivering the viewing experience our satellite customers expect.”
For me, Satellite is a rock-solid way to distribute content that exists completely outside broadband and Wi-Fi speeds.
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Turn on the Sky Q box, select a channel or recording, and it’s instant TV. No buffering, no changes in broadcast quality as speeds fluctuate, no drop-out, and what I record is mine for as long as I want it, stored on my box until I delete it.
More reliable and less lag
Broadcast TV, including Sky Q but also encompassing Freesat and Freeview, is also better than streaming for live events, such as football. With the recent Euros, it was noticeable watching via iPlayer that my TV was anything up to 30 or 40 seconds behind the pub: I got the cheers (or boos) from the crowds at the pub long before my TV kept up.
Broadcast TV is as close to live as you can possibly get. And when it comes to 4K, you still keep that advantage, but with no pressure on broadband.
Sky’s Ultra HD Premier League broadcasts over satellite are brilliant: maximum quality and sharpness, delivered without delay and with no pressure on my broadband. In comparison, watching matches on HBO Max via TNT Sports, the difference is stark: the stream always takes a while to shift through the quality gears, moving from sub-SD quality up to 4K. Even at 4K, the stream is far behind the satellite one.
While broadband speeds have improved across the country, there are still plenty of areas with slow speeds and poor mobile connections; with Sky Q, as long as you’ve got somewhere the dish can go and be pointed in the right direction, high-quality TV is yours.
It’s not perfect
Sky Q isn’t perfect. The hardware is getting a little outdated (no Dolby Vision support, for example, and the Mini boxes only support HD, for example), but it does the majority of what most people need. Besides, the high cost of 4K packages for streaming services makes me think that most people are watching in HD at best anyway.
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But, despite this, Sky Q still delivers a different experience to streaming, and I’m pleased that it looks set to be around into the 2030s.