UnitymediaKabelBW said it is working together with Sky Deutschland to solve the problems with the Horizon set-top box.
Existing Sky subscribers, who booked their subscription directly with Sky, cannot receive the channels they bought on the Horizon box. The set-top does not take the Sky smart card, as it works only with virtual smart cards.
As a result, only people who bought their Sky subscription via Unitymedia are able to watch the Sky channels on their Horizon box. According to the cabler, “we are working together with Sky on a solution and will give further information within a few weeks’ time.”
Interestingly, German cable customers can subscribe directly to Sky without going through the operator – in these cases Sky delivers the digital DVB-C tuner directly to the customer, together with a Sky smart card. If such a direct Sky customer decides to also buy the Horizon box, he or she finds that they cannot access the premium service via their new box.
The Horizon set-top is available via the cabler for €199 until the end of October, the price rises to €249 in November. The box also comes with various triple play offers starting at €33 monthly.
UnitymediaKabelBW started delivering the Horizon product early September and has run into a number of problems fulfilling the orders. Most of it is due to a greater demand than expected.
The operator is helping its customers via special Facebook page. The page tells people there is a three-week delay in the delivery of the boxes.
