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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not understand why people pay for sky?

254 replies

CanAnybodyMakeSenseofThis · 26/04/2013 22:20

Due to technical issues, I'm running my tv through an old sky box I found in the loft. I don't have a subscription so can't watch any of the sky channels. However, I can see the listings.

It's so much poo it's unbelievable. Why do people pay for this?? Are they mad?

OP posts:
LondonMan · 01/05/2013 13:06

I wouldn't make my tea until the soaps finished

You don't seem to have mastered the technology.

Aside from sport, I never watch anything "live" - apart from anything else, then I wouldn't be able to fast-forward through the adverts. Everything of interest is on series record. Movies I watch off Anytime.

On the rare occasion I haven't recorded something I want to watch, I watch if off iplayer or other catch-up services integrated with my Sky box. (You have connected your box to the internet, I hope?)

LondonMan · 01/05/2013 13:09

I understand your reservations though. I've always shunned soaps and reality TV. But I have watch some shit. "Lost" for example.

LondonMan · 01/05/2013 13:14

Even if you don't explicitly record, you could just use the "pause" button while you take care of other things.

Mandy2003 · 01/05/2013 13:42

Do Sky still have that crap idea where you have to buy "blocks" of channels at (I think it was) £16pm each?

I have never wanted to go the Sky route because I'd like to watch (say in a day): some hoarding, repo or antiques shit (?sky living) in the morning, a documentary or nature programme in the afternoon and once or twice a week what I'd call Box Set eg Walking Dead, American Horror, Breaking Bad. That's all from different blocks as far as I can work out so I'd have to buy 3 or 4 of them.

Why can't I just pay for what I watch?

DragonMamma · 01/05/2013 13:47

Sky Atlantic has some brilliant things on it - Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire, The Following are all favourites here.

DH is a football fan and so 'needs' Sky Sports but it works out cheaper than him going to the pub for a few pints to watch it.

The DC's like the Disney Channels and Nick Jr now they are out of CBeebies.

But mainly, Sky Atlantic is why we stick with Sky and don't switch to Virgin or BT

musu · 01/05/2013 13:50

I'm surprised that people are naming tv shows that are on Freeview like Law & Order SVU and NCIS. Why pay to have them through Sky (obviously excluding those who don't have sufficient reception to get Freeview)?

I don't have Sky and there is occasionally some sporting event that isn't covered on terresterial tv but £30 a month seems a bit steep for those.

TheOldestCat · 01/05/2013 13:52

Expensive as it is, we have Sky as it's cheaper than a season ticket to the footy (plus train tickets as we are a long way from DH's spiritual home).

MansView · 01/05/2013 13:52

RE : I wouldn't make my tea until the soaps finished

You don't seem to have mastered the technology.

Aside from sport, I never watch anything "live" - apart from anything else, then I wouldn't be able to fast-forward through the adverts. Everything of interest is on series record. Movies I watch off Anytime.

On the rare occasion I haven't recorded something I want to watch, I watch if off iplayer or other catch-up services integrated with my Sky box. (You have connected your box to the internet, I hope?)

I've never had sky so that's not an issue - this is just with the likes of freeview and analogue tv (before it was phased out).
but there isn't anything on tv that appeals to me - and the stuff that I do like can be viewed online anyway :)

drivinmecrazy · 01/05/2013 13:56

We use the internet, in particular this site www.btvguide.com/ For years we have had our PC connected to our TV with an HDMI lead. Its fantastic and completely free.

With regards to the live sports we always manage to find it live streamed somewhere on the internet.
Only downside we have found is DD2 has just discovered I-Carly and can idle away a whole afternoon watching back to back episodes if we let her.

SorrelForbes · 01/05/2013 14:04

The only TV I want to watch is on Sky Atlantic. Unfortunately we're stuck with Virgin as Sky won't provide broadband to our house (but they will provide it to houses 50m away!) and it's too expensive to split packages between Virgin and Sky.

anchovies · 01/05/2013 14:06

I decided to take a break from sky and see how much we missed it. To be honest I was quite stressed about losing sky+ though as I don't watch anything live and the adverts drive me nuts.

After after entering the cancellation period, they rang yesterday and with some negotiation gave us the complete tv package free for 6 months with no contract. Given that we already have discounted line rental and we will now pay £11 for line rental, unlimited broadband and all the tv channels, they won back my custom!

elmerelephant · 01/05/2013 14:12

We have to pay for Sky to be able to watch TV, as although I can see the TV mast from my kitchen window, we dont receive a usable signal. Apparently its due to "too many hills"

LadyIsabellaWrotham · 01/05/2013 14:29

Why not Freesat elmer?

WeAreEternal · 01/05/2013 14:34

Because the shit you get on sky is superior shit to the shit you get on freeview.

^ this.

I pay £60 something a month to sky for tv and broadband and it is worth every penny.

Viviennemary · 01/05/2013 14:35

We've got some Sky packages. DH likes the sports channels. And I watch the rubbishy house improvement and weight loss ones. But I am sure there are far loftier pursuits on which to spend time and money. So I am not disagreeing. Grin

Wishiwasanheiress · 01/05/2013 14:42

What agentzigzag said.

I refuse to watch sodding adverts any more. It's bliss :)

Sallyingforth · 01/05/2013 15:06

We have to pay for Sky to be able to watch TV, as although I can see the TV mast from my kitchen window, we dont receive a usable signal. Apparently its due to "too many hills"

How many more times does this have to be refuted?

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO PAY SKY TO WATCH SATELLITE TV!

With a Freesat box you can receive satellite TV including HD channels. You get all the series recording options, pause etc. If you have previously had Sky you can use the same dish. All you miss is the extra paid-for channels.

Bunbaker · 01/05/2013 15:32

And how many times do I have to say this:

Sky+ isn't the only device for recording TV

We record everything that we want to watch on commercial channels so we can zap through the adverts.

IsaacCox · 01/05/2013 15:35

I love Sky. We have all the packages for I think £54 a month. There is so much choice for everyone. I especially love Modern family, The Middle, Wife swap USA, loads of old reruns eg. The Vicar of Dibley, Only fools and horses. Documentaries, food shows, loads of music channels, sports etc.

snuffaluffagus · 01/05/2013 16:20

My parents have virgin, we have sky... their virgin tv is always up the spout whereas we have minimal problems with sky. Now it's got Sky Anytime (with the iplayer/4OD/ITV player etc etc) it's brilliant.. and you can download entire "box sets" of old shows which is great.

Also, I love Sky Atlantic and Sky Arts etc... (we don't have the sports or movies packages).

Plomino · 01/05/2013 17:58

We have Sky + HD . Don't have sports package as DH is only interested in F1 which we get anyway .

Why do we pay for it ? Because we can . I don't need to justify my televisual choices to the OP or anyone else .

TolliverGroat · 02/05/2013 09:23

musu, I think almost every TV channel in existence shows episodes of NCIS at some point (one of the rules of TV seems to be that there's always an episode of NCIS on somewhere) but I don't think you can get the new series on the free channels, can you?

musu · 02/05/2013 13:23

Does it matter if you can't get the new series though so long as new episodes from previous series are shown on Freeview channels. I think that Sky is a waste of money and I also wouldn't want to give any of my money to Murdoch. Although the original reason why I never got Sky is I hate hate hate the thought of a satellite dish being stuck on the side of my house.

LtEveDallas · 02/05/2013 13:54

Does it matter if you can't get the new series though so long as new episodes from previous series are shown on Freeview channels

To me it does. In both the new series (10) of NCIS, the new series of Haven and Series 3 of The Walking Dead we have had the deaths of MAJOR characters. I wouldn't want to get rid of Sky now and have to wait over a year to find out the fallout from these deaths.

Plus the some of the series that are shown on Sky 1 or Atlantic aren't shown on any other channels.

There are other perks as welll, for example this week I have had "Your Sky" reminder for a brand new series starting at the weekend. I'd forgotten about it and it's a good service to have.

musu · 02/05/2013 22:51

But if you never had Sky you'd be on whatever series of NCIS they are showing on C5 along with the rest of us and saving £30/month!

I suppose it comes down to how important tv is in your life. I will watch tv but I can take it or leave it in terms of following series.

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