Inside Sky’s mystery ‘codes’ that reveal secrets about TV shows and movies

EAGLE-EYED Sky TV watchers may have noticed the mysterious “codes” that appear on TV shows and movies.

They’re there to tell you about what you’re watching – but what do they actually mean?

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Some of them are Ratings codes and you’ll probably already be familiar with them.

But others describe what extra features you get when you tune in.

It might be linked to Accessibility (like subtitles), or even the maximum picture quality you’re going to enjoy.

You’ll find them alongside the running time of a piece of Sky content, below the title.

And they can be extremely useful, once you know what they all mean.

Letter Codes

Here are the most common codes that you’ll see…

AD – this means Audio Description is available, providing extra commentary for blind or partially sighted people

DS – the show supports surround sound if you have a compatible TV or speaker system

HD – you can watch in HD (high definition) if your TV supports it

S – subtitles are available

SL – sign language supported (can’t be turned off)

UHD – show is available in 4K Ultra HD (if you have a compatible TV)

W – the show is in widescreen. All HD shows are widescreen by default

Rating Codes

You’ll also see the more common rating codes, which are useful for parents with young children.

These are:

U: Universal, suitable for any age

PG: Parental guidance – may not be suitable for younger or impressionable children

12: Suitable for viewers aged 12 years or over, with more mature themes

15: Suitable for viewers aged 15 years or over, with stronger content

18: Suitable for adults aged 18 or over

Bear in mind that parents should still make their own decisions on content that they feel is suitable for their children.

The ratings codes are designed to be guidelines, so you may feel like something is still inappropriate – even if the child is technically old enough.

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