Sky and the precioussss EPG.

The Electronic Program Guide (EPG) is one of the best things about switching from plain and boring analogue TV to the new(ish) and free fandangled Freeview service or pay-per-month Sky TV.  The EPG tells you what's on TV now, and what you can look forward to in the future.  No more scrambling around the living room to find the TV Guide or Sky Watch - everything you need comes up on screen with the push of a button.

The EPG also allows you to more easily record your favourite programs; since we know all the days and times, setting up reoccurring recordings is a piece of cake.  Some clever cookies were providing this data for enthusiasts who didn't want to purchase a MySky PVR (Personal Video Recorder, a smarter VCR so to speak) but use their own PVR and it seems Sky have an issue with this.

The legal minds at Sky have been busy in the last few weeks, firing shots over the bow of providers (or programs) that allow you to utilise the Sky EPG.  The EPG does not allow you to get free Sky, it purely tells you what's on.  That's it.  Sky are limiting your knowledge of what's on, for something you have to be already paying for.  It makes no sense.

Instead of providing the EPG for personal use (publishing and selling it is a different story) for free as part of their subscription or for a small monthly fee, they are more interested in ostracising the subscribers who they should be embracing.  Surely the EPG isn't that precious?  Would not publishing the EPG to everyone entice non-subscribers  to sign up after seeing all the goodies that are being shown?

Sky needs to realise that overprotection of their EPG is not harmful to their core business of selling subscriptions.  The EPG should be made freely available as it is a sneak peak as to what is on, and in no way allows one to get Sky for free.

What do you think?