Sky puts a price on 4K – Sky Q available to buy in February
New NowTV box might have UHD under the hood too
Sky’s 4K-ready, all-the-tuners Sky Q set-top box looks set to launch in February, and it sounds like it won’t break the bank – at least for the entry-level package.
UPDATE 10:37 – Sky confirmed it would be revealing the official price and release date in an earnings call last night. The announcement just came through, and there’s a lot to get your head around.
TV comparison website cable.co.uk tried to beat Sky to the punch, suggesting Sky Q would start from £42 per month but with no charge for the box. Instead, Sky would retain ownership of the box to help keep the costs down for customers. That’s how Virgin sells TiVo, and would mean it wouldn’t cost you to get a faulty box fixed or replaced.
Turns out that’s only partly true.
If you’ve got Sky Broadband, or a Sky Sports or Sky Movies package already, you can get the basic 8-tuner Sky Q set-top box and package for £99 up-front and £42 per month. That £99 covers setup and installation fees, but Sky will actually own the equipment. Without Sky Broadband, Sports or Movies, it’ll be £249 up front, but you can add Sports or Movies when you buy to get the lower price.
Sky Q Silver, which has a whopping 12 tuners, will cost £99 upfront and £54 per month after – assuming you’ve got Sky Broadband, or Sky Sports or Movies already. For everyone else, it’ll be £299 upfront. For your cash, you’ll get Sky TV in two rooms through the main Sky Q Silver box and a Sky Q Mini box, the ability to stream on two tablets, take recordings with you through Sky’s app, and record up to four shows simultaneously while watching a fifth live.
Those packages don’t include Sky Movies or Sky Sports, either. The Movies package will be £17 extra per month, and Sports will be £25.50 extra. Get them both and it’ll be £34.50 per month – meaning you could be looking at an £88.50 monthly bill for the best Sky has to offer. There’s more price and package info available on Sky’s website.
That doesn’t include 4K yet, as Sky isn’t ready to roll it out. There’s a good chance it could carry its own higher pricing tier when it arrives too.
Pre-orders will open up on the 9th of February, with installations starting at the end of the month.
Sky also revealed a new Now TV box that looks suspiciously like a rebranded Roku 4. There’s no word on price or specs yet, but if the hardware underneath is the same, it should support UHD video.
It’s set to arrive later this year, but existing Now TV owners will appreciate the new-look UI rolling out to their streaming boxes next month.
Read moe › Sky Q hands-on review
Tom Morgan-Freelander
Deputy Editor 
