Sky warns thousands of customers that their box will lose channels next year – affected viewers can claim a free upgrade

SOME Sky boxes will effectively stop working next year as part of a major upgrade.

The broadcasting giant has warned affected customers that they will lose channels as a result of a technical change.

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Both BBC and ITV are removing their SD channels next year[/caption]

It comes as Sky and other broadcasters including BBC and ITV prepare to switch off old SD (standard definition) channels next year in favour of HD-only.

However, older boxes can’t handle HD channels, meaning households who still own one won’t be able to watch most channels anymore.

The BBC has already announced that its SD channels will disappear entirely from satellite early January, as have ITV.

Sky is expected to make changes to satellite broadcast signals in March 2024.

More recent kit like Sky+ HD and Sky Q can continue to access channels as normal.

Affected customers who don’t have a HD-capable box are being offered an upgrade at no extra cost.

They will get a free Sky Q box.

Impacted viewers should have received a letter, email, text or noticed a popup on their TV if their kit is affected by the changes.

The models that will become obsolete include:

• Digibox 4F01 to 4F08 (Amstrad)
• Digibox 4E01 to 4E05 (Grundig)
• Digibox 9F01 to 9F08 and 9F0A (Pace)
• Digibox 0F01 to 0F05 (Panasonic)
• Digibox 4E06 to 4E08 (Thomson)
• Sky+ 4F2001 to 4F2006 (Amstrad)
• Sky+ 4F2101 to 4F2118 and 9F2101 to 9F2137 (Amstrad or Pace)
• Sky+ 9F2001 to 9F2024, PVR2, 9F2201 to 9F2235, 9F2301 to 9F2339 (Pace)
• Sky+ 4E2101 to 4E2141 (Thomson)

If you’re unsure, there is a way to check on your box itself.

How to check if my Sky box is affected

The easiest way to check if you’re affected is by going to channel 101.

If you see BBC One HD you’re fine – if it’s BBC One SD then you’ll need to upgrade your box next year.

Another way to find out is by looking for the version number.

You can do this by pressing the Services button on your Sky remote.

Press 4, then 5.

Look at the version number and see if it matches with any of the models listed above.