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Sky ditches dish with online-only option from 2018

You'll be able to get Sky TV next year, even if you don't have space for a dish.

Richard Trenholm Former Movie and TV Senior Editor
Richard Trenholm was CNET's film and TV editor, covering the big screen, small screen and streaming. A member of the Film Critic's Circle, he's covered technology and culture from London's tech scene to Europe's refugee camps to the Sundance film festival.
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Richard Trenholm
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Julia Stiles in "Riviera", a new show coming soon to Sky Atlantic.

John Wright

You won't need a dish to get Sky TV next year.

From 2018, the British broadcasting behemoth will offer subscriptions for Sky TV packages piped into your home through your broadband rather than through a satellite dish.

Viewers who can't slap a dish on their house will be able to enjoy telly through a Sky Q box. Sky Q is the next generation of Sky box, unveiled a year ago and offered as a luxury service priced at a premium.

Sky currently offers an online service called Now TV, which streams movies, TV shows and sports for a bargain price.

The launch of an online-only Sky is certainly one way to attract new customers. However, industry-watcher Ted Hall, senior principal analyst at IHS Technology, describes the number of people who can't get a dish as a niche of questionable size.

Sky has also won the exclusive rights to show England games in the new UEFA Nations League beginning in 2018, as well as qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2020 and FIFA World Cup 2022. In less positive news, Sky is embroiled in a dispute Discovery that could see Discovery and Eurosport channels disappear from your TV if the argument isn't resolved.

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