Vodafone has agreed to push back the planned closure of its VodafoneTV service until the end of October, to give Sky TV more time to put in place alternatives for its subscribers.

Vodafone announced in December that it would shut down VodafoneTV on September 30.

That left about 100,000 customers in the position of having to find another way to watch TV.

VodafoneTV lets households on ultrafast broadband watch and record Sky channels and free-to-air TV, and access streaming internet TV services such as Netflix, using a set-top box that Vodafone had been selling for $179.

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Sky had been planning to launch a new hybrid satellite and internet-connected Sky box around the middle of this year that will add many of the extras that Vodafone TV currently provides, including support for 4K viewing and some new features such as the ability to accept voice commands.

When Vodafone originally announced it was shutting down VodafoneTV, the obvious option for most of its TV customers appeared to be switching to that new Sky box.

But Sky has experienced delays sourcing the box, which is not yet on the market, threatening a last minute rush to arrange installations.

Sky has said its new box will not now be available until the spring.

Sky spokesperson Chris Major assured customers it would have “great options for them to continue watching Sky before Vodafone closes the VodafoneTV platform”.

“In order to give our customers plenty of time to make the transition we’ve negotiated a month-long extension with Vodafone so that our customers can continue to watch Sky, and their favourite apps and free-to-air channels, on their VodafoneTV box until the end of October,” she said.

Major declined to say what if any incentives Sky had agreed to provide Vodafone to push back the planned closure date, saying the terms of its partnership with Vodafone were confidential.

Vodafone spokesperson Richard Llewellyn said the dwindling number VodafoneTV customers who had the box but who used it without subscribing to Sky’s channels would also be able to benefit from the extension.