Worth joining Sky Q at this stage?

strawdog · 29-04-2026 08:31PM #1

Got fed up with virgin making no effort to retain our business so signed up with sky. They offered Q on the phone and as we like to record and rewatch I went with it. No dish in the property so figured it might also be the last chance to get one put up for us as part of a new customer deal.

Snag is that we've external insulation and the TV is on the far side of the house to where the dish needs to go. The engineer came out and said the wiring might be a bit messy - through walls, over fireplaces, got the impression it was a bit more work than he was arsed with. He convinced me to leave it and have a think.

So my question is this, is it worth pushing through and getting the dish put up. I'm aware there may be a shelf life on satellite but even if we got to the end of the decade, it would mean a few years post contract we could avail of freesat and Q is the last offering on the market with a hard drive. The streaming boxes sound like they're a real enshittification (tho seems we'll likely all end up their in the end). Any thoughts ?

bootser · 30-04-2026 12:52AM

My house has had Sky since we moved in 2004, for the last year we have had Q. I found it to be a brilliant service and if I could have gotten them to charge a reasonable amount I would have continued with it.

I have been cut off now for about 2 weeks and am surviving with my own Enigma satellite box(using the cables from the Sky dish) which, with a bit of tweaking can act like a Sky box.

Just a note if u do go for the Q make sure the tech installs a hybrid LNB, as the Q LNB doesnt work with most other boxes.

Don't like the streaming services myself and happy to have the dish there should the internet go down. For your situation I wouldn't fancy having cables strung round the place but if you can route them neatly or through the attic or something might be worth it, Id say this will be your last chance to get someone like Sky to do this as they are all forcing people to go streaming!

Best of luck!

bog master · 30-04-2026 07:16AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058437819/worth-joining-sky-q-at-this-stage

Dishes! I have found the dishes that Sky supply are crap and have had the installers say the same. In the house 11 years now and just recently had the 4th dish installed and had one LNB fail.

swoofer · 30-04-2026 09:28AM

You need to get a local installer and not sky, bring cables into loft and then down the cavity but depending on age of house may be tricky. A good electrician would know how to run cables as well. Where are you located roughly? Q should last until 2030 and then sky will have to make it very attractive to stop people cancelling.

Sky will just go for easy option ad drill through walls. Its a safety thing.

Henry Ford III · 30-04-2026 09:33AM

The writing is very much on the wall for Sky Q.

Its got only a couple of years left so I'm not sure a fresh install would be a good idea at this point.

There's loads of streaming services available.

Benedict XVI · 30-04-2026 09:48AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124431722#Comment_124431722

But is the writing on the wall for FTA satellite?

It is to an extent but there are many years left in it.

There may be lots of streaming services but the old fashioned record to a hard drive is still very attractive to people, especially here in Ireland where we can't "easily" get BBC iPlayer to catch up.

As the OP says , streaming boxes seem like enshittification.

OP, as another poster said talk to a local installer or electrician and they will be able to at least give you a second opinion on the cabeling.

afatbollix · 30-04-2026 09:52AM

They are turning off some of the satellites in 2029. Only 3 years away.

I would ask for Sky Stream now if I was you.

The Cush · 30-04-2026 10:36AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124431751#Comment_124431751

They are not turning off some of the satellite in 2029.

Satellites are reaching the end of their expected operational life but could continue way beyond that depending on fuel and satellite health.

Sky has a contract with SES for satellite capacity until 2029, this could be extended closer to that date.

afatbollix · 30-04-2026 10:41AM

It won't be extended, They have asked channels that they currently uplink for that 2029 is the last time they will uplink them.

They have been told to go find other satellite providers or just go IP. How long do you think Sky will maintain it for if they don't want to do it?

strawdog · 30-04-2026 10:46AM

Thanks for all the responses. Yes i was thinking an installer, as some suggest, might be worth investigating to get over the hump, could be bit of an outlay but I'd at least like to know if it was reasonably possible to do before I walk away from the idea. In Dublin 4 so should be options around so I might at least see if I can get someone to chat it through with me.

As mentioned I'm aware there's a limited time left for dishes but would be happy if even just got a couple of years of freesat post contract. From my research I get the sense that it will be quite tricky for them to just stop the service as large numbers are dependent on it. But, to be honest, in the here and now, I'm just interested in getting a recording box and Sky Q are the only game left in town for that. BBC shows would be a huge loss and iplayer workarounds seem messy (probably wouldn't have left Virgin if I'd known it would be this difficult as we still had a 360 box - but that ship has sailed now)

I thnk streaming will always be there as its clearly the way they are going, cheaper for the providers and us too ultimately, but really feels like a step down for the way we consume the content in our house. The hope is that they will have improved the streaming products by the time we have no choice but to go that way.

The Cush · 30-04-2026 10:48AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124431870#Comment_124431870

A question for Sky management to answer.

jos22 · 15-05-2026 12:04AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124431881#Comment_124431881

polish lad installed sky for us few years back. dish in the back of the house and tv in the front. he gave different options for the install, went the cables going over the roof and down beside the drain gutters where the old TV ariels cables were and fed in under the window cell like the old TV cable. very neat and tidy Job.

one of the other options was to run cables along the side of the house and around the front. or through the house.

we went with dish as broadband is here is bad and fibre is still several years away if at all.

The Cush · 21-05-2026 08:25PM

This posted over on Facebook by Ben Johnson - https://www.facebook.com/groups/skyqissues/posts/4543116252584512/?

An email from Manhattan TV, possibly Alex Arbab-Zadeh, Chief Operating Officer (COO), on the future of satellite broadcasting

Hi Ben,
Thank you for your email, and for your support over the years.

Sky’s current satellite contract runs to 2029, but we think the picture beyond that is still good. Here’s why:
Sky still has over 6 million satellite households. Moving that many people to streaming is a huge logistical and financial undertaking that hasn’t really started yet. Trying to do it by 2029 would risk enormous subscriber losses.
Public broadcasters like the BBC and ITV are obligated to reach 100% of the UK. Until broadband coverage is genuinely universal (which is still some way off), satellite remains the only realistic way to reach millions of homes.
Astra satellites routinely outlast their design life. The previous generation (Astra 2A/2B/2D) was rated for 15 years but stayed operational for 17–22 years. It’s in everyone’s interest to keep them running for as long as they’re physically capable.
Astra doesn’t have anyone queuing up to take over from Sky/Freesat, so it’s strongly in their interest to arrange an extension if possible and generate more money from their assets before decommissioning.
Broadband availability is only part of the equation. It requires a monthly subscription, whereas an aerial or a dish on your house doesn’t. Until that part is worked out, streaming television won’t be able to deliver the universal service the PSBs are required to provide.
No one can say with certainty what will happen, but the incentives are there for satellite to continue for at least another 2–3 years past 2029, and we are treating the S4-R as having a 5+ year lifespan.
Please let me know if you’d like to chat through anything in more detail.

Best regards,
Alex
Manhattan TV

Worth joining Sky Q at this stage?

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