Making our products safer, more sustainable, and accessible for our customers

A new software update to the Sky+ HD box went live this week, and it’s another great example of how Sky is combining technology with innovation to make our products and services safer, more sustainable, and accessible for our customers.

One of the most exciting elements of the update is the launch of a new, more accessible Sky TV Guide setting for our customers. It gives our customers the option of increased colour contrast and bolder lettering.

We’ve worked with the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) to develop it and Steve Tyler, Head of Strategy and Planning told us “We were pleased once again to work closely with Sky on their accessible products development and welcome what will be a positive change for a lot of their customers”.

We already know from the trials we’ve conducted that people registered a significant improvement in the legibility of the text when using these settings, and, for the first time, many were able to leave their reading glasses on the table before reaching for the remote.

I’d encourage everyone to check it out and see if it works for them. Sky TV customers will start to receive the update from today with the roll out complete by June. You can easily find it by pressing services on your Sky+ remote and heading to the Accessibility tab.

We’ve also refreshed and improved the ‘Family’ settings on the box. With one click you will be able to hide all adult channels and pin protect all Sky Store purchases, as well as all pre-watershed playback of content with a rating of 12 and above. ‘Family’ settings will be applied for all new customers.

Having this security is important to our customers and ensures Sky is the safest place to enjoy content Live and On Demand.  

Another small, but important update to the box, is the extension of the eco-mode setting by 50% so that it now activates from 2.45 to 5.45am. Eco-mode automatically puts a customer’s Sky+ HD box to a low energy mode when it’s not being used. It’s great for their energy bills, and even better for the environment.

The extended Eco-mode, the refreshed ‘Family’ settings and the accessible Sky TV Guide enhancements that come with this new update reflect our ongoing commitment to delivering products to our customers that are more sustainable, more accessible, safe and easy to use. It’s great to see it all come together and we’ll keep working to create an even better Sky experience.

For help using the new accessibility Sky TV Guide setting, visit our dedicated accessibility website sky.com/accessibility.

To find out more about how we're working to ensure all our customers get the same great experience of Sky, and delivering better, more sustainable products, visit sky.com/biggerpicture.