SKY has lost its attempt to appeal a regulatory ruling that obliged it to notify TV customers their contract with the media giant was coming to an end.

Ofcom, the communications regulator, opened a probe into Sky in 2020.

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Sky has lost an appeal against a regulatory ruling that obliged it to notify customers their contract was ending[/caption]

In 2022 it found that the media giant failed to notify its satellite pay-TV customers that their contract was coming to an end.

In response Sky’s team told some of its users that it only issues end of contract notifications for its broadband and mobile services, which seemed to contradict the rules.

Ofcom said it considers end-of-contract notifications to be important to protect customers and prompt them to shop around to get the best deal.

The regulator’s End of Contract Notifications system has been around since early 2020.

It mandates broadcast and mobile firms to send an end of contract notification to customers between ten and 40 days before a customer’s contract ends.

But in its investigation Ofcom found that Sky had not been sending these end of contract notifications from when the obligation to do so came into force on February 15, 2020.

The media giant tried to challenge the ruling by appealing to the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT).

The CAT upheld Ofcom’s decision and dismissed Sky’s request to overturn Ofcom’s findings and send the case back to the regulator for review.

Sky’s legal team sent a request to the Court of Appeal in December 2024 asking to appeal the Tribunal’s ruling.

On Friday the judge ruled to dismiss Sky’s challenge, although it is not clear if Sky will continue to fight the decision.

Nor has it confirmed if customers will be given compensation after Sky failed to notify them that their contract was coming to an end.

Sky and Ofcom were both approached for comment.

A Sky spokesperson said: “We acknowledge the judgment handed down by the Court of Appeal and will carefully review its findings.”

What else is happening at Sky?

Thousands of Sky customers were hit with bills of up to £36 a year in July.

NOW Broadband, which is part of Sky, upped the price of three internet deals.

Existing customers with a Fab Fibre, Super Fibre or Brilliant Broadband product saw prices rise by £3 a month.

These customers had 31 days after being notified to cancel their contracts penalty-free.

It was not the first time NOW customers faced price hikes on their monthly bill.

The provider upped prices on some of its broadband deals by £3 a month last year as well – the second time since its launch in 2018.

It also raised its prices by £3.50 a month in 2023.

Meanwhile, Sky also increased the price of its broadband and TV bills in April.

The average customer saw their bill rise by 6.2% from April 1.

Under new Ofcom rules providers are required to specify future price rises in pounds and pence upfront.

But the regulations only apply to providers that used to link mid-contract increases to inflation.

As Sky’s price adjustments are not based on inflation, the company is not obligated to detail potential increases beforehand.

That means the exact increase in your bill depends on the specific Sky products you have, alongside any additional services you subscribe to.

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