Previously, the Sky+ service was only free for those customers who subscribed to the Movies and/or Sport Mixes, and also for Sky HD subscribers.

The upcoming change will mean that all Sky Digital TV subscribers with a Sky+ STB will be able to enjoy the Sky+ PVR features without an additional subscription.

However, customers who do not subscribe to a Sky Digital TV package, and only receive free-to-air and free-to-view channels on their STB (“Freesat from Sky”) will still be subject to the £10 per month charge if they wish to have Sky+.

There is an FAQ on this from the “Sky+ Team” at digital spy .

The Sky website does not yet appear to have been fully updated with this change. The “How to get Sky+” section still says that the Sky+ subscription is only free for Movies/Sport subscribers, however the Sky Shop now lists the Sky+ subscription as “Free” if you add two or more standard Mixes to your selection, instead of only if you add the Movies and/or Sport Mixes.

Whether this change will cause Virgin Media to rethink the pricing of their V+ HD PVR service remains to be seen.

V+ costs £10-£15 per month, depending on TV package. Although, unlike Sky+ (£99) and Sky HD (£299), there is no charge for the STB, as it is provided as part of your subscription.

Cable Forum has a discussion thread running on the Sky+ subscription removal here .

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