Millions of Sky Customers Alerted to Major TV Changes Coming Soon
Sky customers are being warned they could struggle to find the right channel as major TV changes come in on Tuesday. Sky is advising people to double check the channel numbers to avoid missing out on their favourite programmes.
Sky Channel Number Reshuffle: What You Need to Know
Ahead of the launch of Sky’s new reality channel GREAT! real on March 20, Sky is set to reshuffle their channel numbers on Tuesday, March 19. The changes all directly affect users of Sky’s next-gen internet based platforms like Sky Glass and Sky Stream. These changes will affect people in both the UK and in the Republic of Ireland. It is currently thought that there will be no major changes to Sky satellite users.
Changes to Sky Glass/Sky Stream (UK) Channels
- BLAZE – 168 to 169
- PBS America HD – 169 to 170
- Together HD – 170 to 171
- S4C HD – 171 to 172 (in England and Scotland)
- RTÉ One HD – 171 to 172 (Northern Ireland)
- BBC Scotland HD – 172 to 173 (England and Wales)
- RTÉ 2 HD – 172 to 173 (Northern Ireland)
- BBC ALBA HD – 173 to 174 (England and Wales)
- S4C HD – 174 to 175 (Northern Ireland)
- BBC Scotland HD – 175 to 176 (Northern Ireland)
- BBC ALBA HD – 176 to 177 (Northern Ireland)
The children’s channel Tiny Pop will also be removed from channel 214 (215 in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland), with Pop Max moving to take its place. Some parents were outraged by the change, but the family favourite will live on digitally as a streamed-only service.
Changes to Sky Glass/Sky Stream (ROI) Channels
- BLAZE – 161 to 162
- PBS America HD – 162 to 163
- Together HD – 163 to 164
On top of these channel changes, GREAT! real will launch on channel 168 in the UK on March 20 and channel 161 in the Republic of Ireland.
Impact on Satellite Users
The new reality channel will be added to the bottom of the list of entertainment channels for satellite users – making it channel 189. Satellite users will also see Pop Max taking over Tiny Pop’s slot.
These changes follow the recent reshuffling of sports channels on people’s Sky satellite, Sky Glass, and Stream devices in the UK and Republic of Ireland. This was done to accommodate the introduction of Sky Sports Tennis, which launched on February 11 and promises extensive coverage of tennis matches from various tournaments on the ATP and WTA Tours, as well as the US Open.
Sky will also take over channel 412 in the UK, previously occupied by Viaplay Sports 1, as they work on selling the Viaplay channels back to Premier Sports.