Sky revamps EPG line up

Blue sky thinking?

Sky has overhauled its electronic programme guide (EPG) to make it easier for customers to find pay TV picks and HD channels.

The changes will take effect from 1 February and be one of the biggest updates to the channel line-up for over a decade, according to the firm.

Sky said the changes include an HD ‘channel swap' for Sky+HD subscribers, the relocation of pay TV channels and the launch of a new channel, Sky Atlantic.

Sky+HD customers will see 40 HD channels swap places with their standard definition counterparts, while non HD customers will remain unaffected.

A number of channels (and their HD simulcast channels) will move to higher profile channel slots, including: MTV, Comedy Central, Universal, Syfy and FX.

Sky Atlantic, which will also be available in HD, will also make its debut on Sky. It will host HBO shows such as Mad Men and will appear on channel #108. Meanwhile, Living will rebrand as Sky Living and will move to #107.

Handily, customers' scheduled Sky+ recordings including Series Link and Favourites settings will not be affected by the EPG changes.

It is also worth noting that some channels ahve opted out of the HD channel swap, including the main terrestrial networks, as they said they they do not always carry identical content on their SD and HD channels. 

Rob Webster, Sky's commercial director, said: "We've worked with a range of partner channels to ensure that customers can find their favourite pay TV channels and programming  as easily as possible.  And with high definition viewing now demanded as standard, this has also meant swapping HD channels into the EPG numbers that our customers know best." 

Here is a list of revised Sky EPG (top 30 channels) from Sky.

*HD simulcasts