For many satellite TV viewers still using classic set-top boxes like the Sky Digibox Pace 2600, 2024 has brought unwelcome changes. Once reliable devices for free or subscription UK TV, these older standard definition (SD) receivers are now losing access to a growing number of channels — especially those that have moved to high definition (HD) broadcasting.

The Pace 2600 and similar grey Sky digibox models were common in homes during the rise of satellite TV in the early 2000s. Built to receive DVB-S digital broadcasts, they are perfectly adequate for SD channels — provided those channels continue to broadcast in SD. But broadcasters have been steadily shifting to HD and beyond, leaving SD behind.

BBC SD Channels Switched Off in January 2024

A major milestone in this shift came in January 2024, when the BBC ended all its SD satellite broadcasts. The corporation replaced its SD feeds with HD versions across its main channels — including BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Three, CBBC and CBeebies — on satellite platforms. This change affects anyone using an SD-only set-top box; those receivers cannot tune the HD channels and simply stop displaying them.

After 8–9 January 2024, viewers with legacy boxes like the Pace 2600 noticed the BBC channels disappeared from their channel list. Some ITV SD channels also shut down around the same time, further shrinking the list of channels these old devices can access.

The Bigger Picture: Switch to HD and Beyond

The BBC is not alone. Other networks and platform operators — including Sky — have been encouraging customers to upgrade as they phase out SD broadcasts in favour of HD or even 4K formats. Without an HD-capable digibox, viewers increasingly find themselves unable to watch live television that once worked fine.

Sky, for example, has been warning users of older equipment that access to channels will be lost unless they switch to a modern receiver like Sky Q or other HD boxes. In some cases, Sky has even indicated that if customers do not upgrade by certain deadlines, their subscriptions may be cancelled because the old hardware can no longer receive the full range of channels.

Here we take a quick look as to what channels you can and cannot receive.

Old Sky Digibox Pace 2600 in 2024 – UK TV SD Channel Closures – BBC SD Channels closed down

What This Means for 2600 Owners

If your TV setup still uses a Pace 2600 or another SD-only satellite box, the impact is real:

• You may no longer see BBC channels or a range of ITV SD broadcasts.

• Subscription channels are increasingly HD or SD-only removed, reducing viewing options significantly.

• The only long-term solution is to upgrade to an HD or 4K-capable box, such as modern Sky receivers or Freesat HD boxes, to regain full channel access.

In short, the Pace 2600 — once a stalwart of UK satellite TV — is now showing its age in a world that has moved fully into high-definition broadcasting. For uninterrupted access to all channels, an upgrade has become essential in 2024.

This means that households who are still using very old, SD-Only boxes on either Freesat or Sky, will have to replace their boxes by those dates, otherwise, they won’t be able to watch the BBC’s live channels, and some of ITV’s channels.