Sky EPG Channel Number Changes coming in May 2018

Some information about the channel number and ordering on the Sky Electronic Programme Guide (EPG), have come to light.

These changes are expected to happen in May 2018.

As we posted last year, ( https://www.satandpcguy.com/2017/08/12/sky-epg-due-for-major-shuffle-in-early-2018/ ) , these changes are to help “tidy up” the channel guide.

Over the years, changes to the channel line-up has left the order in which channels appear to subscribers in a state of disorganisation, with viewers encountering a seemingly random list of channels, with some genres overspilling into completely different areas of the channel list.

Key changes are :

– new combined entertainment and documentaries area takes the first 100 places,

– +1 channels located exactly 100 slots below. So for example, ITV1 will be on 103, and ITV1+1 will be on 203.

– Movies and music stay in the 300 range,

– The 400 range will be the home of a tidied-up sports genre,

– An overspill for the entertainment and documentaries area from channel 450.

– News is brought together in the 500s,

– specialist and religious channels in the 550s and 580s range.

– Children’s TV remains in the 600s,

– shopping channels starting at 660.

– International channels will start from 701.

Discovery will become one of the main beneficiaries of the change, with its flagship Discovery Channel moving from 520 to 125. This is also due to the change in the Sky packages system, with the merging of the Original and Variety Bundles into one.

Other changes include after Nat Geo moving to 129, History moving to 130, and 4Music moving to 138.

Individual channels have now begun to communicate the changes to their viewers, with an influx of on-screen messages expected to appear on various channels between now and the beginning of May.