Sky has warned some of its customers that a charge for skipping adverts is coming into force today.
The satellite company will be adding £5 to many bills after confirming the controversial change was coming late last year, with the update finally landing on some televisions.
It affects people who want to whizz through commercials that appear on the platform's live channels such as ITV, Sky Atlantic, Sky Max, Channel 4, Channel 5, MTV, and more.
The new rule came into place today, Express.co.uk reports, as many loyal Sky viewers are faced with a tough decision.
It's not just Sky that's charging users to skip adverts. All4 charges £3.99 per month and ITVX now charges £5.99, so this isn't an exclusive added extra for those with Sky.
Image:
Getty Images)Those who have been hit by the new charge – and are outside of their initial contract term – should check the best Sky deals to consider renegotiating a new Sky Glass or Sky Stream deal that doesn't include the £5 per month extra cost.
But if you have Sky Q in your home, you can breathe a sigh of relief – you'll still be able to skip ads without fear of any extra fees as the update does not affect the popular set-top box.
Anyone who has also recently purchased Sky Glass TV is also safe from a bill hike for 18 months, as the ability to skip ad breaks will be free for the entirety of your minimum contract term.
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AFP via Getty Images)It's worth noting that all customers, both with and without the ‘Ad Skipping’ pack, will still be able to pause a live show and fast forward during ad breaks until they reach the live stream again.
Explaining more about the feature, Sky said: "With the Ad Skipping Add On, you'll be able to fast forward through adverts when using Live Pause, Restart, Playlist or Sky On Demand. You can also fast forward adverts from within ITVX, STV Player and All4 TV apps.
"The Ad Skipping Add On doesn't mean that you won't see any adverts. It allows the ability to fast forward through the ads using the relevant remote control buttons and on-screen menu for what you're watching. The Ad Skipping Add On doesn't include other apps, like YouTube or Spotify."
Although this update might not please some, there is some good news for Sky Glass and Sky Stream users.
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Anyone who has also recently purchased a Glass TV is also safe from a bill hike for 18 months, as the ability to skip ad breaks will be free for the entirety of your minimum contract term.
However, if you happen to purchase a Sky Glass telly or the new Stream box after today, you will need to add the "Ad Skipping Add On pack" to your subscription if you want to spin through those commercials.
Those that don't fork out the fee will have to watch all of the sponsored messages when watching via their Playlists menu, or on the catch-up apps such as ITVX.
