Sky+ price reduction

Tony

Sorry for starting new thread on this, for some reason the existing thread did not show up.

The wholesale price for SKy+ has been dropped so retailers can now sell at the same reduced price as sky, currently €300.

Secondly a source who works for the wholesaler I use says the monthly charge is planned to be dropped from the end of this month although I've received no word from sky on this as of yet (they usually send an e mail the day after it happens).

Tony

Creamy Goodness

hope they drop the price of the monthly charge.

plus when are they going drop to monthly charge for getting two boxes! 20 euros to have a second box it's ****ing scaldalous

daveg

Secondly a source who works for the wholesaler I use says the monthly charge is planned to be dropped from the end of this month although I've received no word from sky on this as of yet (they usually send an e mail the day after it happens).

Someone else posted that a few weeks ago as well Tony. Hope it's true.

Mossy Monk

Originally posted by Tony
Secondly a source who works for the wholesaler I use says the monthly charge is planned to be dropped from the end of this month

fingers, toes, arms, legs, everything crossed

Tony

Originally posted by Cr3m0


plus when are they going drop to monthly charge for getting two boxes! 20 euros to have a second box it's ****ing scaldalous

Why is it scandalous? nobody puts a gun to your head to make you take it, you have the choice. Is the strong tone of your post really necessary?

Tony

Tony

Originally posted by daveg
Someone else posted that a few weeks ago as well Tony. Hope it's true.

There maybe something in the Uk press tomorrow about this.

Tony

Cloud

The posts I've seen on this usually mention that there may be a clause that you have to sub for top-level Sky World or something.

JaneyMackers

There has been a price reduction yes and the extra charge should be gone by October.

Tony

Originally posted by Cloud
The posts I've seen on this usually mention that there may be a clause that you have to sub for top-level Sky World or something.

This a non subsidy product John so you do not even need a sub to buy sky+ at this price, perhaps you mean that dropping the 15€ charge is dependent on a 12 month sub which is the case anyway on any sky sub. Could well be the case though that they only drop it for top tier sub, I certainly hope not.

Tony

Mredmond

If the subscription is dropped entirely, does it seem practical so that:

a) Sky + boxes will be issues as standard and

b) It would be wise for anyone considering ordering either Sky+ OR Mirrored sub to wait until then and kill two birds with one stone?


Just wondering.

DaithiSurfer

i would wait until they drop the sub charge regardless.

Tony

Originally posted by Mredmond
If the subscription is dropped entirely, does it seem practical so that:

a) Sky + boxes will be issues as standard and

This seems to be the long term plan but it i still some way off and its by no means certain that sky + box will become free.

Tony

robert muldoon

Originally posted by Tony
There maybe something in the Uk press tomorrow about this.

Tony

Thanks Tony for keeping us up to date

Tony

Originally posted by robert muldoon
Thanks Tony for keeping us up to date

No problem, did anyone see anything in UK press about this?

Tony

Creamy Goodness

okay maybe the strong tone isn't needed but i'm just trying to say how can they charge 15 euro a month for a service that records all your programmes digitally on to a hard disk and then go on the other hand and charge 20 euros for a second subscription to use a second box?

channelsurfer

according to this the sub price for skyplus is dropped if u take up a premium package and the second mirror sub is dropped to 10 sterling i suppose this applies to ROI as well .

Charles Slane

Here's the full story from Sky Digi Online -

"05/09/03 Sky+ monthly fee dropped

As exclusively revealed last month by Sky Digi Online, Sky have announced this afternoon that the monthly £10 fee to watch Sky+ will be dropped. As long as you subscribe to any two Sky Premium channels you will be entitled to have your £10 Sky+ subscription fee waived. Sky Family pack customers and those on lower subscription packages will continue to pay £10 per month Sky+ subscription charge. Sky also announced that the cost of a Sky mirror subscription is to reduced from £15 to £10. The new prices are in effect, as we reported, from the 1st of October 2003.

News Feed: Lakhvinder Baddhan Source: Sky, Plusworld News Break: 17:45 "

Mossy Monk

bad news for subscribers with no premium channels, good news for me as i have Sky World but when they say 2 premium channels would that be let's say Disney Channel and Toon Disney or would they count as 1 premium channel

Cloud

Originally posted by Cloud
The posts I've seen on this usually mention that there may be a clause that you have to sub for top-level Sky World or something.

Well it wasn't top-level but it's still annoying that there's a restriction as to what package you sub to

byte

As I said in a different thread, it will make the Sky World package a more appealing option and better value for money (if ya have Sky+).

If I could get away with not connecting a phoneline, I would seriously consider getting Sky+ from Tony and upgrading my sub to Sky World.

DMC

Hmmm. I do have Sky World.... hmmmmm. Its very tempting now...

eirman

Make sure you get one of the new " SKY+ II " digiboxes. They have 120 Gig HDs which give (I think) 60 hours recording. I'm sure there are many other improvements.

There is a pic of one here: http://www.skycards.net (Click on the SKY DIGIBOX link)

ShaneOC

Hi eirman,

Not sure where skycards got their info but according to here there is no technical difference between the two types of Sky+ box.

navi_5445

Can somebody clarify 'premium' channels i.e. how many are there? I'm assuming having all the movie channels count as one premium sub meaning that I would need to take a basic sport subscription in order to avail of not paying a Sky+ monthly fee, this is also assuming the offer will apply to RoI.

If I upgrade to Sky+ can I use my (S2) FTV card for ITV/C4 i.e. is it married to my original box?

ShaneOC

I am not sure how Sky will define premium channels regarding the Sky+ "free" subscription.

Your FTV card should work fine in the Sky+ box, however I would suggest that you think about using your current box as a dedicated FTV box. You will have the spare outputs from the quad LNB that comes with the Sky+ installation. You could either use it in the same room as the Sky+ or with a different TV in another room.

The Sky+ remote uses different frequencies to the regular remote so there is no interference when using the two of them side by side.

With all the recording that you'll find yourself doing you won't want to be taking out the main sub card .

navi_5445

Good point Shane.

FWIW I phoned Sky..the 0818 number...and they say it's €399 for the box, €75 installation and €20 sub. I asked about the monthly fee being waived and she had no knowledge of such an offer.

ShaneOC

Originally posted by navi_5445
Good point Shane.

FWIW I phoned Sky..the 0818 number...and they say it's €399 for the box, €75 installation and €20 sub. I asked about the monthly fee being waived and she had no knowledge of such an offer.

Get your hands on the lastest magazine and ring them again. Sky+ is now being sold for €300. The installation is €75. The sub is €15 per month for the Sky+ functionality. The €20 is for a mirror subscription (if you want one).

Sky are supposedly sending out letters to their customers on the 10th of September detailing the new Sky+ charging structure. It looks like it will definately be free for those on the top package - not sure about people with sports or movies only.

navi_5445

Monkeys!

Seeming as you can sub to Sky Premiere and Sky Moviemax individually then maybe that counts as two. Same goes for Sky Sports 1 and 2.

DaithiSurfer

I have the movie world package.
This comprises movies knowledge etc.
I hope this qualifies.

robert muldoon

Originally posted by navi_5445
Can somebody clarify 'premium' channels i.e. how many are there? I'm assuming having all the movie channels count as one premium sub meaning that I would need to take a basic sport subscription in order to avail of not paying a Sky+ monthly fee, this is also assuming the offer will apply to RoI.

If I upgrade to Sky+ can I use my (S2) FTV card for ITV/C4 i.e. is it married to my original box?

Just to confirm the FTV 2 card works perfectly with the new Sky+ box I change them around quite frequently

DMC

Well, according to this article, anyone in the UK who spends over £30stg is what you'll need.

BSkyB cuts price of Sky Plus in bid to drive sales
http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,7493,1037761,00.html

Claire Cozens
Monday September 8, 2003

BSkyB is to slash the price of its personal video recording service, which allows viewers to pause programmes during live transmission or automatically order a complete series of one show, in an effort to triple the number of subscribers.
The broadcaster is scrapping the £120 a year subscription fee to Sky Plus for customers spending at least £30 a month on its subscription channels

The move, which BSkyB hopes will persuade another 200,000 customers to trade up to Sky Plus set-top boxes by June 2004, is part of a drive by the chief executive, Tony Ball, to increase the amount each customer spends on their Sky package.

Just 105,000 of BSkyB's near seven million subscribers have bought the Sky Plus set-top box, which allows viewers to record programmes on to an in-built hard disk.

It was launched as Sky's answer to the American system, TiVo, but the initial £400 outlay has proved prohibitive for the vast majority of viewers.

Prices of the set-top box were slashed to £199 but growth in the service has still been slow.

BSkyB believes customers have been put off by the hefty subscription fees, which come on top of a £199 charge for the Sky Plus box and a £50 installation fee.

Under the terms of the new offer, which will be accompanied by a major marketing push, customers will be able to use their Sky Digibox in a second room in the house for a £10 a month fee compared with the existing charge of £15 a month.

Extra revenues from Sky Plus would help the satellite group to achieve its target of raising an average of £400 per subscriber every year.

"Five years after launching the UK's first digital TV platform BSkyB is as committed as ever to bringing its subscribers the most advanced television services," said Jon Florsheim, the sales and marketing director of BSkyB.

"By reducing the cost of Sky Plus ownership for our most valuable customers we aim to increase penetration, further stimulate take-up of premium channels and ensure that Sky remains the leading brand in multichannel TV."

The technology, which also allows viewers to pause and rewind live programmes and record every episode of a particular series at the touch of a button, is seen as a key part of its strategy to persuade customers to pay more and remain loyal.

Separately, Sky Digital is also planning to relaunch its movie channels before Christmas.

Genghis

Originally posted by DMC
Well, according to this article, anyone in the UK who spends over £30stg is what you'll need.

BSkyB cuts price of Sky Plus in bid to drive sales
http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,7493,1037761,00.html
Separately, Sky Digital is also planning to relaunch its movie channels before Christmas.

Going OT here, but what, relaunch them again?

Originally posted by robert muldoon
Just to confirm the FTV 2 card works perfectly with the new Sky+ box I change them around quite frequently

Do you or anyone with the sky plus features switched on have the sky plus box connected to your phone line??
Did or Do Sky insist on that??

I know they would have to of course, if you were taking out a mirror sub for any spare digibox that you might be using once you have a sky plus box.

It's just that for to connect my Sky plus box to the phone ( features not enabled yet ) would require a long, a very, very, very, long phone cable;) and the walls are too thin for drilling...
Plus I'd be afraid the dog would chew the loose cable, not to mention the damage to me if I tripped and fell over it.
I'd go so far as to say, that it wouldn't be feasable for me to set up Sky plus in the room with the socket, that Sky would want me plugged into as, the users of that room are of a different nationality and I rented the room to them for €27.99 a month:D
They don't want anything disturbing it, nudge nudge, wink , wink...

mm
this post reminds me of the trouble i had getting UTV on sky once and something about getting Shane to knock two rooms into one

DaithiSurfer

Everyone seems to be getting this oneforall gizmo in the eircom shop.
Its about €120 you plug it into the nerest electricity socket and it becomes a phone extension.

Look up wireless phone extensions and you should find it.

DMC

Originally posted by Man
this post reminds me of the trouble i had getting UTV on sky once and something about getting Shane to knock two rooms into one

Man, you have to remember that the two walls have to be in the same house!

watty

A video sender does the remote control on the "back channel" so you can put a video sender at the TV and the Digibox at the phone. (In a locked box to stop fiddle fingers taking viewing card. I heard of someones' kids losing viewing card).

Of course there is a limit to range of a video sender too.....

ShaneOC

Originally posted by Man
this post reminds me of the trouble i had getting UTV on sky once and something about getting Shane to knock two rooms into one

I eventually had to move house due to knocking all of the walls in the old one!!!

ShaneOC

Originally posted by Man
Do you or anyone with the sky plus features switched on have the sky plus box connected to your phone line??
Did or Do Sky insist on that??

I have the Sky+ box connected to the phoneline. When I rang to get the Sky+ features activated they did ask if it was connected to a phoneline. Obviously I don't know what they would have said if it was not.

Originally posted by Man

It's just that for to connect my Sky plus box to the phone ( features not enabled yet ) would require a long, a very, very, very, long phone cable;) and the walls are too thin for drilling...
Plus I'd be afraid the dog would chew the loose cable, not to mention the damage to me if I tripped and fell over it.
I'd go so far as to say, that it wouldn't be feasable for me to set up Sky plus in the room with the socket, that Sky would want me plugged into as, the users of that room are of a different nationality and I rented the room to them for €27.99 a month:D
They don't want anything disturbing it, nudge nudge, wink , wink...

It might be worth getting an official Irish Sub for your sky+ box as you will be able to recored the irish channels. Also you won't have to do any further DIY .

David Stewart

Sky's Irish PR company has issued a press release confirming that the monthly Sky+ sub has been abolished for certain classes of Sky Digital subscriber.

"THE COST OF GETTING SKY+ JUST GOT BETTER

BSkyB today announces a new pricing deal for Sky+ to take effect from 1
October 2003.

The new deal means the Sky+ subscription will be free for those
customers also subscribing to more than one of Sky’s premium sports or
movie channels**. The standard Sky+ subscription price will remain at
€15 per month for all other customers. Sky+ enables viewers to choose
and record the programmes they want, and to watch them at a time that
suits them, effectively creating their own TV channel.

Sky+, the integrated digital video recorder and satellite receiver and
service, was launched two years ago, and has been upgraded several times
by software downloads via the satellite since then. Over 105,000 homes
in the UK & Ireland already enjoy the benefits of blissfully simple TV
recording: every episode of popular series can be recorded at the touch
of a button, live TV can be paused and rewound and soon viewers be able
to record two programmes at the same time while watching something they
have recorded previously.

The price of the Sky+ box will now be available at the reduced price of
€299. The cost of a standard installation for the Sky+ box will be €75.


In addition, Sky’s Extra Subscription, enabling customers to get
independent viewing of their Sky channels in another room by others in
the household, will now be just €15 per month when taken in combination
with Sky+. The standard Extra Subscription price will remain at €20 per
month for all other customers.

Both the Sky+ subscription and Extra Subscription price improvements
will be automatically applied to both existing and new customers from 1
October 2003.

Mark Deering Director, Sky Ireland comments, “We know that people who
already have Sky+ are passionate about it this blissfully simple TV
recording device. By making Sky+ even better value, we are now making
it easier for Irish people to effectively create their own TV channel
bringing them primetime TV at any time.

To find out more about Sky+ call 0818 719 823, log onto
www.skyplus.co.uk or visit your nearest Sky+ retailer.

Editor’s notes:
** To qualify for the free Sky+ subscription a customer will need to
subscribe to a Sky digital subscription package which includes two or
more of Sky’s premium channels (excluding free and stand alone premium
channels), i.e. package options 1A-6K inclusive in the Sky digital
subscription contract. Sky premium channels are Sky Sports 1, Sky
Sports 2, Sky Movies Premier and Sky Movies Max. Eligible packages cost
from €47.30 per month.

If at any time a customer ends their Sky digital subscription contract
or changes to a package that does not qualify for the free Sky+
subscription they will be charged the €15 Sky+ monthly subscription.

The €15 per month Sky+ subscription price will continue to apply for
customers who do not subscribe to a Sky digital package that includes at
least two Sky premium channels.

Existing Sky+ customers who subscribe to a package with two or more Sky
premium channels will benefit automatically from the subscription-free
offer.
Details of the Extra Subscription costs:

· To qualify for the €15 per month Extra Subscription offer a customer
must also have an active Sky+ subscription for the same household. If
the customer at any time cancels their Sky+ subscription their Extra
Subscription will revert to the standard €20 per month price.

· The €20 per month Extra Subscription price will continue to apply for
customers who do not qualify for the reduced price.

· Existing Extra Subscription customers who also subscribe to Sky+ will
benefit automatically from the €15 per month price.


Standard Installation costs:
· For a new or existing customer to Sky purchasing just Sky+, standard
installation will remain €75.

·For a new or existing customer purchasing Sky+ and who wants to
relocate their standard digibox to another room in the same property at
the same time as having Sky+ installed, the standard installation and
relocation will be €90.
Issued: Monday, September 08, 2003"

ShaneOC

Ah, the fictional Mark Deering strikes again.

God bless him.

Mark Deering Director, Sky Ireland comments, “We know that people who already have Sky+ are passionate about it this blissfully simple TV recording device. By making Sky+ even better value, we are now making it easier for Irish people to effectively create their own TV channel bringing them primetime TV at any time.

He must have read the letters I sent him over the last two years...

Just forgot to reply - I suppose

David Stewart

What do you mean fictional? I've met the man at the SKY+ Press Conference and I knew him back when we were both living in Brussels.

ShaneOC

I've previously sent Mr Deering loads of letters regarding the delay in the arrival of Sky+ in Ireland and not once did I receive a reply (or even an acknowledgement).

So I am doubtful if he really exists .

Tony

Originally posted by David Stewart


Eligible packages cost
from €47.30 per month.

There are no packages priced at €47.30?? perhaps you meant €47.50 which is the 6k package. As usual Sky complicates things unnecessarily!

Tony

David Stewart

I should clarify something. I have nothing to do with Sky or its PR company. I'm a journalist who got the press release. I cut and pasted the exact text because I thought boards.ie members would appreciate getting it 'from the horse's mouth' as it were. If there are any mistakes they are Sky's not mine.

DMC

That's grand, thanks for that, David.

Tony

Thanks for the info David

Originally posted by David Stewart
I should clarify something. I have nothing to do with Sky or its PR company.

byte

David Stewart:
Thanks for taking the time to let us all know about the press report.

Man:
You're in the exact same predicament as me! :rolleyes: I also don't have a long enough phone extension to connect to Sky+ if it was needed

Charles Slane

Originally posted by Man
Do you or anyone with the sky plus features switched on have the sky plus box connected to your phone line??
Did or Do Sky insist on that??

I know they would have to of course, if you were taking out a mirror sub for any spare digibox that you might be using once you have a sky plus box.

It's just that for to connect my Sky plus box to the phone ( features not enabled yet ) would require a long, a very, very, very, long phone cable;) and the walls are too thin for drilling...
Plus I'd be afraid the dog would chew the loose cable, not to mention the damage to me if I tripped and fell over it.
I'd go so far as to say, that it wouldn't be feasable for me to set up Sky plus in the room with the socket, that Sky would want me plugged into as, the users of that room are of a different nationality and I rented the room to them for €27.99 a month:D
They don't want anything disturbing it, nudge nudge, wink , wink...

mm
this post reminds me of the trouble i had getting UTV on sky once and something about getting Shane to knock two rooms into one

Ah yes, I remember the "two rooms into one" thing very well Laughed long and hard at the time

Have you thought about getting one those phone extensions that work through the electricity system (I've no idea how) ? You somehow connect the phone socket to a device that is plugged into the electric socket. Then you plug a second device into any socket in the house and there's a phone outlet on it !!

No more phone extension cables !!

Maybe someone else here can tell you more .....

kevmac

As if by magic! (although I've posted this before)

http://www.oneforall-int.com/english/products/soundvision/sv1500.htm

ShaneOC

Originally posted by David Stewart
I should clarify something. I have nothing to do with Sky or its PR company. I'm a journalist who got the press release. I cut and pasted the exact text because I thought boards.ie members would appreciate getting it 'from the horse's mouth' as it were. If there are any mistakes they are Sky's not mine.

Thanks David.

It is great to have someone here who gets official press releases as there are so many rumours circulating about Sky. Keep up the good work.

LFCFan

Originally posted by DaithiSurfer
Everyone seems to be getting this oneforall gizmo in the eircom shop.
Its about €120 you plug it into the nerest electricity socket and it becomes a phone extension.

Look up wireless phone extensions and you should find it.

Anyone got anymore info on these? Where can they be bought? (would rather not shell out more money than I have to to €ircon). Do they work ok with the Digibox? Could they be used to connect a modem?