Sky Box Office is a service that seems to become more and more redundant with each passing year. With the proliferation of Internet streams and the ability to watch entire films and live sporting events at a moment's notice, why would anyone pay Sky's exorbitant prices?

Back in the day, it was a great idea, and I remember in 1997, my parents paid the £3-4 it was for me to watch the new Star Trek film at the time, and it was more convenient for them than going out and renting it. However, it is ever-increasingly showing up as a product of its time, and feels very much stuck in the past, with its "show times" and "screens" giving the feel of a cinema which, in a world that is increasingly about instant gratification, isn't necessarily what viewers want.

I don't think Sky's charges for a film are TOO bad, although I would never personally use it myself as I normally have seen every film before it hits SBO. It's not really anymore than you'd pay for a rental, and I believe (at least back in the day) you were able to watch it again that day for free if you wanted.

What I get het up about is the pay-per-view sporting events, such as boxing and wrestling. While the Americans do admittedly get it far worse (having to pay upwards of $40 for wrestling events), I don't find £16 for a 3-hour wrestling show in any way reasonable, and this has generally caused me to either watch clips online the next day, or attempt to find an online stream. So much money for such little time is absurd, and it reaches a fever pitch if you've ever paid for a boxing card and had the main event last two minutes. You may aswell throw your money own the drain.

Hopefully with the run on online streaming, Sky will wise up and make their prices reasonable.