Sky continues to look to a future beyond satellite

When Sky Glass first launched many saw it as the future of Sky TV – one that veered from the satellite service available since the 90s. Then Sky Stream followed as a standalone offering, further cementing predictions.

Both run over the internet rather than through a traditional satellite dish and, some argue, actually offer a neater, more effective package. The cards were seemingly becoming ever more marked for Sky Q – it was only a matter of time before it'd be phased out.

Now that looks to be coming to pass, albeit slowly.

Sky has "temporarily" scrapped certain Sky Q packages it has offered on Sky.com. ISPreview found that the Triple Play plans it has ranged for a while are "no longer available for purchase" at present.

This effectively means Sky Q is not currently included in broadband and phone bundles on the site, so customers who are shopping for Sky broadband are not offered the satellite TV system when they build their package. Sky Stream is offered instead.

Sky Q is still available to purchase on its own, priced from £31 per month, and Sky has confirmed that customers can still get a Triple Play package via phone sales, but it's certainly not front and centre of Sky's online activities as things stand.

This doesn't affect current Sky Q customers, of course, who will still be supported on current plans. The latest iterations of the box continue to be served new features and apps, too – such as Sky Sports+ which launched last month. However, it feels like the phasing out we expected during the launch of Sky Glass is underway, even though it is gradual.

In all honesty, it makes sense – Sky Stream and Sky Glass offer great experiences and are regularly being improved and enhanced. Indeed, we rate the former among the best streaming devices, full stop.

Sky Q, on the other hand, launched eight years ago and even the most recent version of the box is a fair few years old now (and occasionally feels it). There will come a time when it simply won't be able to handle the latest apps and services, ceding the more advanced features to its newer, more capable stablemates.

That won't be for a while, of course, so you don't have to wonder what you'll do with your satellite dish quite yet. But, like the dish itself, the writing is surely on the wall.