Sky or Virgin Media for TV

Sky offer the broadest range of TV content and on-demand apps of all the pay TV providers in the UK.

Virgin Media, on the other hand, offer better value for money, especially with their pre-made bundles, which makes them an excellent choice for all-round home entertainment.

For those who can get it, Virgin Media offer cheaper prices and faster broadband, yet Sky is more accessible with nationwide availability.

At a glance

Best deals

	Package	TV	Broadband	Monthly price	Upfront price	Contract term
Go	Sky Entertainment + Netflix	150	N/a	£20	Free	24 months
	Offer: Save £8/mth + Free setup (worth £39.95) (Ends 06/11/2024)
Go	Bigger bundle	190	362Mb average	£39.99	Free	18 months
	Offer: No setup fee (was £35)

Take the quiz: Sky vs Virgin

Which is best? Sky TV or Virgin Media?

Sky TV is better than Virgin Media TV when you look just at the content on offer. Sky have more exclusive programming because they produce Sky Originals, and offer exclusive access to Sky Atlantic.

The Sky TV boxes also support more on-demand apps than Virgin Media boxes, which means customers can add more subscriptions and access a wider range of content, including through services like Discovery+, Hayu, and Spotify, which have yet to make it onto Virgin boxes.

Virgin Media has been playing catch-up in this area however, recently adding support for Disney+, Paramount+, and Apple TV+, in a bid to better rival Sky.

Yet, Sky's move away from a satellite service has also made them more competitive on price, now coming in as the cheapest way to watch Sky Sports or Sky Cinema, while Virgin Media remains cheapest for TNT Sports as well as sports bundles.

Overall, while availability may be a deciding factor for some households, Sky offer more content, including Sky Atlantic, at the same or better prices than Virgin Media, although Virgin is still the best choice for the fastest broadband bundled with TV.

Price

Winner: It's a tie. Virgin Media TV & broadband bundles are often cheaper than with Sky, although Sky is currently cheapest when adding Sky Sports or Sky Cinema.

Sky's new Stream TV service has allowed them to become more competitive on price, and they're now the cheapest option for customers who want premium TV like Sky Sports or Sky Cinema.

Virgin Media's pre-made bundles still offer a lot of value for money for customers though, especially those who want an all-round home entertainment package, with cheaper prices for faster broadband options.

The best way to compare Sky TV and Virgin Media TV on price, is to look at some similar bundles side-by-side:

	Package	TV	Broadband	Monthly price	Upfront price	Contract term
	Sky Entertainment + Netflix + Full Fibre 150	150	150Mb average	£40	Free	24 months
	Offer: Save £9/mth on Sky Entertainment & Netflix + Reduced price broadband + Free setup (Ends 31/10/2024)
	Bigger bundle	190	362Mb average	£39.99	Free	18 months
	Offer: No setup fee (was £35)

These deals offer a similar level of channels, with both including Sky Entertainment and a selection of documentary, comedy, and sports channels, including Eurosport.

Sky includes Netflix, which isn't included in the Virgin Media Bigger Combo Bundle, they also have access to their exclusive Sky Atlantic channel. Yet, Virgin Media offer faster broadband for less, so it will depend on a household's individual preferences.

Virgin Media Volt bundles are also worth considering for their value for money, with the provider discounting broadband, TV and phone bundles whilst also including an O2 mobile SIM and a range of benefits.

Overall, for price Sky and Virgin Media are fairly similar, with Sky offering slightly more content, and Virgin offering faster broadband. Check out the latest prices where you can compare Sky and Virgin Media side-by-side on our TV & broadband comparison page.

Flexibility

Winner: Sky TV offers customers the option of 31-day rolling terms on both the main service and additional channel packs.

Sky is now moving towards being an online delivered TV service, with the best prices now found on their new Sky Stream TV plans.

However, as well as increased accessibility, with customers no longer needing a satellite dish, Sky Stream is also more flexible, with customers able to choose between either a 31-day or 24-month contract term.

Virgin Media TV bundles are all offered on 18-month plans however, and their best value for money on premium channels is found when those packs are taken under contract in a bigger bundle.

Sky also boast more flexibility with customers able to sign up to Sky TV without Sky broadband, whereas Virgin Media TV is only available to Virgin broadband customers living within their network area.

The prices we look at for Sky TV within this guide are based on their 24-month minimum term contracts, with 31-day plans costing around £2 to £3 more per month.

It's also possible for Virgin Media broadband customers to access a flexible TV plan through Virgin Media's new Stream service. We've compared Sky Stream vs Virgin Stream here.

Content

Winner: Sky TV has more content than Virgin Media TV, with exclusive access to Sky Originals programming, Sky Atlantic, and wider on-demand app support.

Sky TV has the edge over Virgin Media TV for content simply because they own a lot of the most premium TV channels, including Sky Cinema and Sky Sports, and they also produce their own programming in the form of Sky Originals, with many shows exclusive to Sky.

Sky Atlantic is one channel in particular where many of Sky's most popular programs are shown, its exclusive to Sky and not available on Virgin Media.

Sky Originals are programmes produced by Sky, with some only available on their exclusive Sky Atlantic channel. The most popular shows on Sky Atlantic include:

• The Last of Us
• Game of Thrones
• House of the Dragon
• Gangs of London
• Westworld
• Euphoria
• The Regime
• Riviera
• Chernobyl

Here's a summary of the availability of some of the main channels on Sky and Virgin Media:

Virgin Media customers need to take at least the Bigger Bundle to get Sky's entertainment channels, as well as additional documentary channels like National Geographic and Discovery.

Virgin's bundles can offer good value for money however, especially from the Bigger Bundle and up, and the Mega Volt Bundle includes nearly everything you could want in a TV plan.

Sports

Both Sky and Virgin Media include some sports content as standard. Virgin Media offers some dedicated pre-made sports bundles as well as the Mega Volt Bundle and various sports add-ons, and Sky allows customers to add Sky Sports or TNT Sports packs.

Here's how their sports content looks side-by-side:

Both Virgin Media and Sky include all 9 channels in their Sky Sports pack, including the new Sky Sports+ service which has replaced Sky Sports Arena:

• Sky Sports Main Event
• Sky Sports Premier League
• Sky Sports Football
• Sky Sports Cricket
• Sky Sports Golf
• Sky Sports F1
• Sky Sports+
• Sky Sports Action
• Sky Sports Tennis

Virgin Media customers who don't get Sky Sports in their bundle can buy the pack in HD for £38.75, or it's also available in standard definition for a little less at £31.75 per month.

Sky include HD as standard with the Sky Sports and TNT Sports packs, however customers will need to add the Ultra HD pack to watch any content in 4K, including the TNT Sports Ultimate channel.

Here are a couple of sports bundles from each provider:

	Package	TV	Broadband	Monthly price	Upfront price	Contract term
	Sky Entertainment + Netflix + Sky Sports + Full Fibre 150	159	150Mb average	£60	Free	24 months
	Offer: Save £8/mth on Sky Sports + Save £9/mth on Sky Entertainment & Netflix + Reduced price broadband + Free setup (Ends 31/10/2024)
	Bigger bundle + Sports	199	516Mb average	£69.99	Free	18 months
	Offer: No setup fee (was £35)

Sky's deal above includes the Sky Sports pack, Eurosport, and Netflix, but it doesn't include TNT Sports, which would cost another £28. Virgin Media's deal, the Bigger Bundle + Sports HD, includes Sky Sports and Eurosport, but it doesn't include Netflix, and TNT Sports costs an extra £18 per month.

So, Virgin Media works out cheaper for sports fans who want both Sky Sports and TNT Sports packs, and while it doesn't include Netflix customers do get faster broadband in this bundle.

Overall, Virgin Media includes more sports content as standard than Sky does, and also offers a wider selection of sports add-ons, including Premier Sports, as well as bundling TNT Sports Ultimate as standard in their TNT Sports pack.

Using our TV & Broadband comparison page can help you compare prices on bundles with the exact channels you want.

Cinema

Sky offer more free movie channels than Virgin Media, although Virgin now offers the same amount of premium film content, since adding Disney+, Paramount+, and Apple TV+ to their platform in the last two years.

	Package	TV	Broadband	Monthly price	Upfront price	Contract term
	Sky Entertainment + Netflix + Sky Cinema + Full Fibre 75	162	75Mb average	£45	Free	24 months
	Offer: Save £5/mth on Sky Cinema + Save £8/mth on Sky Entertainment & Netflix + Reduced price broadband + Free setup (Ends 06/11/2024)
	Bigger bundle + Movies	201	132Mb average	£60.99	Free	18 months
	Offer: No setup fee (was £35)

Here is how Sky and Virgin Media compare for movie channels:

Movie content is again similar between Sky TV and Virgin Media, although Sky has some added benefits including bundling Paramount+ with the Sky Cinema pack, and including Netflix as standard in their base package.

Paramount+ is worth £6.99 a month and Netflix costs from £4.99 per month, so these extras boost the value of Sky TV, as well as include more movie content for viewers.

Virgin Media recently signed a deal with Paramount, which has seen the Paramount+ app made available to Virgin TV customers, along with extra linear channels and on-demand movies from the Showtime and Paramount Pictures studios. They also now support Apple TV+ as well.

Overall, for now, Sky TV beats Virgin Media for movies. Sky is cheaper and offers more content.

Kids

Sky and Virgin Media are fairly similar when it comes to children's TV content. They both offer access to the same kids channels on Freeview, and also both charge a similar amount for a premium kid's TV pack.

Virgin Media includes a few more channels in its kid's pack than Sky, and costs £5 per month. Sky is slightly more expensive at £6. Both providers offer a similar line-up however, including:

• Nickelodeon
• Cartoon Network
• Cartoonito
• Boomerang
• Nick Jnr
• Nicktoons
• Nick Jnr Too
• Baby TV

Virgin Media also includes Zoomoo HD and Nick HD. Overall though, both Sky and Virgin Media are a close tie for kid's TV, with Virgin Media offering marginally more for a slightly cheaper subscription fee.

Read more about where to find the best children's TV.

On-demand apps

Both the Sky Stream Puck box and Virgin's 360 TV box offer access to third party on-demand apps, including a built-in WiFi receiver to stream the content over a broadband connection.

Sky TV beats Virgin Media for on-demand content though, with access to more apps as well as more of its own on-demand content in the form of Sky Original box sets.

Here's how the providers look side-by-side for on-demand apps:

Virgin's earlier V6 box supports many of the same apps as the 360 box, although there are a few differences.

Both providers offer the ability to watch catch-up on-demand and cover the last 30 days of programming.

Sky TV wins for on-demand over Virgin Media, they offer more apps on the Sky boxes and more on-demand box sets. While Virgin Media did offer some exclusive programming on-demand via TiVo, this isn't available for new customers.

HD and Ultra HD

Winner: Virgin Media include more UHD content as standard, although Sky have more UHD content available overall.

Sky Stream now comes in full 1080p HD as standard, and Virgin Media also provide their customers with a range of HD content.

Sky customers can add the Ultra HD pack for additional content in 4K, which costs £6 per month. This includes UHD content for Sky Entertainment channels, as well as premium packs such as Sky Sports, Sky Cinema, and TNT Sports.

Virgin Media customers can also add UHD packs for Sky Entertainment and Sky Cinema for £6 per month, and Sky Sports Ultra HD costs an extra £7 per month on top of the Sky Sports HD pack.

Virgin Media include more UHD content as standard however, with TNT Sports Ultimate included in the TNT Sports pack as standard, and all customers gain access to the Virgin TV Ultra HD channel.

Read more on the best TV for HD and UHD content here.

TV box

Winner: The Virgin Media TV 360 box allows customers to pause, rewind and record live TV, whereas Sky's new Stream box offers only cloud-based storage.

Virgin Media TV 360 box, launched in 2020, is much more similar in feature and design to Sky's older Q box than their new Stream Puck box.

However, since Sky Stream Puck launched as a standalone service in October 2022 it's become increasingly clear Sky intend to eventually replace the satellite-based Q service with Stream. As a result, Sky Stream is much more like Sky Q, than Virgin Stream is to TV 360.

This does mean though, that Virgin Media's TV 360 box offers more features than the much smaller Stream Box, such as a built-in hard disk drive for offline storage of TV programmes.

This could be a significant benefit then of Virgin Media's TV and broadband bundles, as the provider seems set to continue offering the standard service alongside its more pared-down Virgin Stream Box.

Here is how Sky Q and Virgin Media TV 360 boxes look side-by-side:

While Sky Q was launched in 2015, it's still marginally ahead of the TV 360 box, with an extra tuner, and the option for existing customers to upgrade to a 2TB box.

Sky Q is still supported and sold by Sky, but it's now priced higher than the new Stream service.

Multiroom

Both Sky TV and Virgin Media support multiroom, which means customers can add additional mini boxes to other rooms in their house whilst sharing the same subscription.

Multiroom also has various tricks up its sleeve, such as the ability to pause a show on one TV, and then pick up where you left off in another room. It's also possible for mini boxes in additional rooms to access recorded shows from the main box.

Here's how much multiroom costs with Sky and Virgin Media:

Virgin Media's multiroom pricing is cheaper than Sky's. However, for longer-term customers adding more than one additional box to their home, after 13 months the extra monthly fee with Virgin Media will exceed Sky's one-off £39.95 charge, bringing the providers back in line with each other.

Sky TV allows customers to have more additional boxes than Virgin Media, which means Sky is better suited for larger houses that want to cover more than three rooms. We've listed the prices for Whole Home on Sky Stream here, but Sky Q customers can also add Multiroom although it may cost more.

Learn more about multiroom services and how they compare.

Verdict: Sky or Virgin Media for TV?

Overall winner: Virgin Media offer a cheaper all-round home entertainment package, but Sky have more exclusive content and app support.

Sky or Virgin Media is a tough call, with both providers offering a good service with plenty of content options.

Availability could be a big deciding factor for homes, with Virgin Media TV exclusively available to Virgin Media broadband customers living in a network area. Sky TV on the other hand is available nationwide, and customers no longer need to install a satellite dish.

In terms of price, Virgin Media arguably offer better value for money with their pre-made bundles often coming in as the cheapest way to watch TNT Sports or Sky Sports & TNT Sports bundles. Although, Sky is currently cheapest for Sky Sports and Sky Cinema.

Customers who also want to bundle a home phone line or mobile plan, can also find really good value in Virgin Media Volt bundles, although Sky TV customers can get discounts on Sky broadband and phone too.

Overall though, looking at the TV service alone, Sky beat Virgin Media for having access to more content, including wider support for more on-demand apps like Discovery+, Hayu, and Spotify, as well as bundled extras like Paramount+ and free cinema tickets with Sky Cinema.

Read more on Sky broadband vs Virgin broadband or Sky Stream vs Virgin Stream.