Sky no longer sells Sky Q through its online store.
This is a big hint that the gradual phasing out of the company's satellite service has arrived at a pivotal point – a decade after it launched in the UK.
It's been expected since Sky Glass launched four years ago, buy it seems that Sky Q is on its last legs. While millions of subscribers still enjoy TV through their existing boxes, Sky is no longer offering the system to new subscribers.
According to ISP News and its readers, the online Sky Store confirmed that "Sky Q is no longer available to buy online". Indeed, it goes as far as saying that the box has been "unplugged".
That doesn't mean existing Sky Q boxes will be switched off anytime soon – they should still receive broadcasts through satellite for many years yet. But it does mean that the switchover to Sky Stream as the de facto way to get Sky has hit a significant milestone.
When you now head to the Sky Q page on Sky.com you are encouraged to get Sky Stream instead, which starts at the reasonable price of £15 per month. That includes the streaming puck, remote, and access to a suite of Sky channels and Netflix, plus the UK's biggest free stations.
You can purchase add-ons to expand the amount of channels available, as well as add 4K HDR, Dolby Atmos and other services. In addition, the Sky Stream supports all the other major streaming services, such as Disney+ and Apple TV, so you can subscribe to those too, and watch all content through the same box.
The same services can be purchased with a Sky Glass TV – either the Sky Glass Gen 2 or the cheaper, but no less excellent, Sky Glass Air.
Alternatively, if you have no interest in internet-streamed TV (or your broadband connection is not fast enough) you can still inquire about the availability of Sky Q through telesales or a high-street Sky retail store.
Still, these do feel like the final days for the decade-old Sky Q service and satellite TV in general. It's certainly had a good innings.
