Sky TV outage continues as users report problems despite official fix

Sky TV customers across the UK faced widespread disruption on Thursday night, with issues continuing into Friday morning despite the company saying things were back to normal.

The problems, which began around 9pm, saw more than 30,000 users unable to access TV content. Most complaints were linked to Sky Q boxes crashing or freezing. Some viewers were stuck with error messages saying they couldn’t watch TV due to “connectivity issues” even though their internet seemed fine.

By Friday morning, over 2,500 users were still reporting trouble, according to tracking site DownDetector. Most problems (87%) were TV-related, while a smaller number mentioned full blackouts or broadband issues.

DownDetector chart shows view of problems reported in the last 24 hours Downdetector

Sky said the issue stemmed from a technical glitch that pushed some Sky Q boxes into standby mode. “We’re sorry some customers had trouble accessing Sky Q,” the company said. “The issue was quickly resolved, and service has been restored.”

However, many users said otherwise. On social media and DownDetector, complaints kept coming in. Some said rebooting the Sky box worked temporarily, only for it to crash again. Others were irritated by the lack of updates from Sky, especially as the blackout clashed with the Eurovision Song Contest semi-final, a big night for live TV.

“I’ve restarted my box six times already. It just keeps going off again,” one user in Southport wrote. Another from Sheffield posted: “Still down this morning.”

Sky recommends a basic fix: unplug your Sky Q box from the power socket for 30 seconds, then turn it back on. For some, that’s worked. For others, the issue returns after a while.

Downdetector shows the most affected locations and problems Downdetector

Posting on X this morning, the official Sky account shared : "We are aware of some technical issues overnight that led to Sky Q boxes to go into standby mode. Our technical team worked quickly to investigate and restore service.

"If your Sky Q box is still stuck in standby please switch off your Sky Q box at the power socket for 30 seconds and back on again which will restore service. We’re sorry for any inconvenience caused."

Sky’s own help page offers a few steps to try: reboot the box, check Wi-Fi, update the software, and make sure your remote and connections are working. But when none of that helps, users are left in the dark.

DownDetector, a platform that tracks service interruptions, showed how the problem spread and continued, even after Sky’s official fix.

This article was updated following Sky’s public statement issued on Friday morning.