Adwatch review: Sky+

When I got my first Sky+ box a few years ago, someone had obviously trialled it and returned it. When their box was installed in our house, I found the previous owner's TV DNA stored on the hard disk: Terminator, Terminator 2, Robot Wars and WWE Wrestling. Paints a picture, doesn't it? I'm sure Ross', Parky's and Kelly's boxes would be equally revealing.

The Sky+ box keeps its subscribers drugged-up and compliant. Whatever gripes you might have against Sky as a company or a programmer, there's no way you could give up the ability to pause X Factor, nip off for a Jaffa cake, and press play again. As Kelly says in the spot: 'It's a revelation.'

Pausing live TV seemed implausible a few years ago, but now we all understand and recognise the technology. Sky's current campaign continues to normalise the witchcraft inside the white box. Charming friendly faces that we know, love and trust, explain the joys of 'series link' and other techy features. However, the campaign is a million miles away from an instruction manual, which is why it works. It's laid-back advertising, and that restraint suits Sky's position as the market leader.

I asked around my office to find out what the Virgin alternative to Sky+ was called, but no one seemed to know. Every day Sky+ becomes more ubiquitous.

I did hear of one old dear staying with relatives who had Sky +. They explained the concept to her thus: 'If you need to use the loo, press pause and the programme will stop until you press play again.' She understood, but was worried about what everyone else across the country would do while she was spending a penny.