Sky TV to replace Sky Viewing Cards

Sky confirmed on 1st April 2009, via their information channel, Sky Channel 999, that new sky viewing cards will soon be issued. Sky will be issuing new replacement white viewing cards, replacing the current "blue" viewing cards. Sky replace their viewing cards every five years or so, to ensure that their system is secure and to help stop illegal cardsharing or hacking, used to watch Pay TV channels for free.

All Sky subscribers will be receiving new replacement Sky viewing cards.

All cards will be eventually replaced, including the freesat (freesatfromsky) viewing cards

These new "white" sky viewing cards will be replacing the "yellow house" Sky cards.

All "blue yellow house" cards are due to be renewed, some for free, some automatically, and some you will have to purchase a new sky viewing card.

The new viewing cards will be white on both sides, with one side having the new sky "glass tube" logo.

A few days before your new viewing card is delivered to your or your agents UK address, you will see the following message on your TV screen.

Your Viewing Cards Will Soon Be Replaced, Look Out For The Sky Envelope

How to get your replacement Sky viewing cards

(1) If you have your own Sky subscription at your own (or one that you control) UK address; the new viewing card will come to your UK address automatically. All you will need to do it so arrange for the new viewing card to be forwarded to you in Spain.

(2) If you have a Sky subscription through an agent, and you are effectively "using your agents UK address", then your agent should arrange for the new viewing card to be sent to you.

Some agents may also use this as an opportunity to start asking your for an annual "maintenance fee" for the use of their address...if they have not done this already. You should not really have to pay for this new card as this is what your "maintenance fee" should cover.

(3) If you have a Sky subscription at a UK address which you don't control (you have moved from their and are no longer in contact with the new occupants) or via an agent who is no longer around or can't contact, then you may / will not get your new replacement sky viewing card, as the new card will be sent to an address you don't know or control.

It is unknown what is actually going to happen with the Freesatfromsky / Free to view viewing cards.

Update: August 2009:

It looks like the "freesatfromsky" (also sometimes referred to as "Sky freesat cards) Sky viewing cards will be changing also soon and will need to be replaced.......

Messages have been appearing on screens this weekend with a message along the lines of "Your viewing card is about to expire - you may lose channels after September 2009"

Unlike the new cards for Sky subscribers, Freesat replacement cards will not be sent out automatically, but via an onscreen message saying the card is due to expire and to contact Sky.

If you do nothing then you will loose access to any FTV channels:

ITV1 (in these regions only: Anglia W, Central SW, Mer N, Mer SE, TT S, Yorks E)
Channel 4 HD
FIVE
FIVE USA, FIVE USA +1, FIVER, FIVER +1
Sky 3

If you purchased a Sky FTV card after 1st May 2006 you are entitled to a free replacement card. Either call Sky or apply for a new card online before the end of September 2009. You can apply online at: http://www.sky.com/replacecard. Just enter your viewing card number and it will tell you if you are eligible for a replacement.

Please note that this may be different if you bought your card from an agent or installer in Spain who may charge for a replacement! Similarly there is no mention if the new cards you will get are preactivated or not....so you may also have to contact sky to get the cards activated.

The easiest way to obtain a new "freesatfromsky" "freeview" viewing card is to get a friend or family member in the UK to contact Sky and order a new card for you at a cost of £20 (as opposed to some of the prices I have heard been quoted in Spain - I know one company quoted 150 Euros!). Once they receive the card, they can then post it out to you, where you then pop the viewing card into your Sky box. You then give your friend the Sky box details (Services, 4, 5), so that they can contact Sky again, and get sky to activate the Sky viewing card.

Update September 2009

A small update: Sky are planning to continue the mail out of replacement cards through to September/early October.

Update November 2009

Another small update: Due to technical issues and post strikes in the UK, Sky are continuing the card swap, which is now expected to be complete by January 2010. Expect old cards to be deactivated early 2010

Update December 2009

On the 18th December Sky started to flash messages to most freesatfromsky cards that have not been replaced indicting they viewing cards will soon be deactivated, and to contact sky on www.sky.com/replacecard to order a replacement card.

It appears that although the old blue yellow house viewing cards will cease to provide access to the free to view (FTV) channels like Five, Fiver, Five USA, Sky3 and the six ITV1 regions, they will continue, for a while, to provide the regionalisation options for 101, 102, 103.

January 2010

Many people have been in contact saying that on their Sky+ box, their old expired sky + card works with box the recording but not the new white card.
This is correct.
Many old ex-subscription cards, that were paired to a Sky+ box, have been working with the hard disk record and playback functions. However, normally, to access the hard disk record and playback functions of the Sky+ or Sky HD boxes, you MUST pay Sky something per month, either £10 per month, or a TV subscription package. So it appears that some of the ex-subscription cards were not properly deactivated, and the hard disk recording and playback features were still active. So, people have received their new replacement white sky viewing card, and expected to still have the Sky+ or Sky HD record and playback function. If you are not paying a months fee to Sky then you will not have access to the Sky+ or Sky HD boxes hard disk record or playback features.

March 2010

Sky card Switch off.

The old blue sky cards are in the process of being switched off. If you want to continue to watch Five, Fiver , Five USA, Sky 3, and the other free to view channels, then you will need to get a replacement WHITE sky card. You will know as if you have a blue sky card, and you are receiving a message on the TV screen to the effect of "This Programme is Not Available", then you need a replacement white Sky viewing card.