Where to watch Sky Atlantic

Sky Atlantic is a Sky-exclusive TV channel that focuses on high-end drama and original series, much of it produced in partnership with US networks such as HBO.

It's the home of some of Sky's most talked-about shows, including A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, The Last of Us, House of the Dragon, Euphoria and Gangs of London, alongside a large back catalogue of earlier series.

This guide explains where you can watch Sky Atlantic, which TV platforms support it, and whether there are any alternatives if you don't want a full Sky TV subscription.

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At a glance: Best Sky Atlantic offers

Sky Atlantic is available exclusively through Sky and Sky-owned NOW. It can be taken as part of a TV-only package or bundled with broadband for additional savings.

Because NOW is supported on several third-party TV platforms, Sky Atlantic can also be watched on services such as BT TV and EE TV via the NOW app - although it is not included directly within their TV channel line-ups.

In December 2024, Sky introduced its entry-level Sky Essential TV plan. This includes Sky Atlantic alongside Netflix Standard with Ads and Discovery+ Entertainment, and currently costs £15 per month - making it the cheapest way to watch Sky Atlantic through Sky.

It's still possible to get the full Sky TV experience with the Sky Ultimate TV plan, which includes Sky Atlantic alongside more than 40 other premium channels from the Sky Entertainment suite.

Sky remains the most complete way to watch Sky Atlantic. Its newer Sky Stream platform delivers live channels in full 1080p HD as standard, without the need for a separate HD add-on. New customers can also benefit from promotional discounts, including up to £10 off per month on Sky Ultimate TV for the first 24 months.

While Sky TV can be taken on its own, customers can often save overall by bundling broadband, with Sky broadband available from around £20 extra per month depending on the package and availability.

BT and EE TV are another way to watch Sky Atlantic, but only via the NOW Entertainment Membership, which is included with BT's Entertainment, Big Entertainment and Full Works plans. Sky Atlantic is not carried as a native BT or EE TV channel.

On BT and EE TV, NOW content streams at up to 720p by default. Customers who want full 1080p HD viewing will need to add NOW Boost for an extra £6 per month.

TalkTalk customers with the newer Android-powered TV Hub can also access Sky Atlantic via the NOW app. As with BT and EE, the NOW subscription must be taken separately, and full 1080p HD viewing requires the £6-per-month NOW Boost add-on.

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Where is best to watch Sky Atlantic?

Sky Atlantic is available on three main UK pay TV routes: Sky, and NOW-based platforms offered via BT/EE TV and TalkTalk TV.

BT and EE both use NOW Memberships for Sky Atlantic, delivered through the EE TV Box Pro. TalkTalk customers also access Sky Atlantic via NOW, but only through the NOW app on supported devices.

BT and EE customers benefit from tighter platform integration, including the ability to pause and rewind live TV and record other channels using the EE TV Box Pro. TalkTalk customers are limited to the standard NOW app experience, which does not support recording.

Overall, Sky remains the best place to watch Sky Atlantic, because:

• Sky Atlantic is included in all Sky TV plans at no extra cost
• The Sky Essential TV plan offers the cheapest Sky-based way to watch Sky Atlantic
• Sky Stream and Sky Glass deliver Sky Atlantic in full 1080p HD as standard
• Customers can pause and rewind live TV, record via Sky Q, or save programmes to the cloud-based Playlist on Sky Stream
• Sky Atlantic can be watched away from home using the Sky Go app
• Selected Sky Originals can be viewed in Ultra HD with the UHD add-on (£6 per month)

There are, however, some reasons why customers may prefer a budget NOW Entertainment Membership via BT, EE or TalkTalk:

• NOW Entertainment costs £9.99 per month, with no long-term contract
• Sky Atlantic is included in 720p HD, with the option to upgrade to full 1080p HD for £6 per month via NOW Boost
• Content can be watched on a wide range of devices, including smart TVs, streaming sticks, consoles, laptops and tablets

While the differences are covered in more detail below, the choice is relatively straightforward. Sky offers the most complete and integrated viewing experience, while NOW provides a lower-cost, flexible alternative.

BT, EE and TalkTalk broadband customers can all add NOW Entertainment with Sky Atlantic to new or existing subscriptions at the same price as subscribing directly through NOW.

Here's a comparison of the key differences between each TV platform:

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Sky Atlantic on Sky

Sky Atlantic is included as standard with all Sky TV packages, whether customers choose Sky Stream, Sky Glass, or continue to use the older Sky Q platform.

For new customers signing up to Sky TV, the following deals include Sky Atlantic at no extra cost:

Sky Essential TV is Sky's cheapest TV plan, focusing on Sky Atlantic alongside the Discovery suite of channels and Freeview, with Netflix and Discovery+ Basic also included.

Sky Ultimate TV, by contrast, includes more than 40 additional premium channels from the Sky Entertainment lineup.

Sky also bundles extensive app support, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Discovery+, Paramount+, Apple TV+, BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4 (All 4), My5, STV Player, YouTube, Spotify, BBC Sounds, Global Player, Hayu, DAZN, Xumo Play and Fiit, alongside a range of additional radio, music and free streaming apps available through the Sky interface.

Sky Atlantic in HD

Customers using the older satellite-based Sky Q service receive Sky Atlantic in standard definition by default. To watch in full 1080p HD, they must add Sky's HD pack, which currently costs an extra £8 per month on a rolling contract.

In contrast, Sky Glass and Sky Stream include Sky Atlantic in full 1080p HD as standard, with no separate HD add-on required.

Customers can expand their viewing by adding optional channel packs such as Sky Cinema, Sky Sports, TNT Sports, Disney+, or the Sky Kids pack.

Netflix is included as standard with Sky Stream TV plans, while Sky Q customers typically need to take Sky Ultimate TV or a promotional bundle to get Netflix included.

Sky TV + broadband

New customers can often save overall by bundling a Sky TV plan with Sky broadband, while still getting full access to Sky Atlantic. Broadband bundles typically offer lower combined monthly pricing than taking TV and broadband separately, depending on speed availability and current promotions.

Customers can typically save around £5 per month compared with taking Sky TV and Sky Broadband separately.

Sky also offers full fibre broadband in many areas, using both the Openreach and CityFibre networks. On Openreach FTTP, speeds typically range from 75Mb to 900Mb per second, while CityFibre coverage allows Sky to offer much faster services of up to 5Gbps in some locations. Openreach full fibre now covers more than 20 million UK premises and is expected to reach around 25 million by 2026, while CityFibre's network currently passes more than 4.5 million homes.

Read more in our full Sky TV review.

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Sky Atlantic on NOW

Sky Atlantic is included with the NOW Entertainment Membership, alongside a selection of other Sky channels such as Sky Max, Sky Witness, Sky Documentaries, Sky History and Sky Sci-Fi.

The Entertainment Membership also includes a small number of kids channels and access to hundreds of on-demand box sets.

The NOW Entertainment Membership costs £9.99 per month on a rolling monthly contract and streams in up to 720p HD as standard.

Customers can upgrade to full 1080p HD by adding NOW Boost for an extra £6 per month. Boost also enables streaming on up to three devices at once and removes adverts from most on-demand content (live TV adverts are unaffected).

Compared with Sky TV, NOW has some limitations. Live channels cannot be recorded, and pause or rewind controls are not available for most live TV. Downloads are limited to mobile devices and require a compatible plan.

In terms of picture quality, NOW improves on Sky Q's default SD output by offering HD streaming out of the box, but it is still surpassed by Sky Stream, which delivers Sky Atlantic in full 1080p HD as standard without an add-on.

Read more about the differences between Sky and NOW, or see our full NOW TV review.

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Sky Atlantic on BT & EE TV

BT and EE broadband customers can watch Sky Atlantic by taking one of the provider's Entertainment-based TV bundles, or by adding the NOW Entertainment Membership separately.

Sky Atlantic is delivered via the NOW Entertainment Membership, which is integrated into the EE TV Box Pro (formerly the BT TV Box Pro).

Because NOW is integrated at platform level, BT and EE TV customers get features that aren't available when subscribing to NOW directly, including the ability to pause and rewind live TV and record programmes to the EE TV Box Pro.

By default, NOW content on BT and EE TV streams in up to 720p HD. Customers who want full 1080p HD viewing will need to add the HD pack, which costs an extra £6 per month and is available on a rolling monthly basis.

The main BT and EE TV bundles that include Sky Atlantic via NOW Entertainment are:

• Entertainment
• Big Entertainment
• Full Works

Customers who choose a different TV bundle - such as a Sport-focused plan - can still add the NOW Entertainment Membership separately for £9.99 per month on a rolling monthly contract.

For new customers, Sky Atlantic can be watched on BT or EE TV through the following types of deals:

Unlike Sky and NOW, BT and EE TV customers must also take a broadband service from the same provider, which is why overall pricing can be higher than the standalone TV-only options we've looked at elsewhere.

BT and EE TV plans are typically sold on a 24-month minimum term. However, TV add-ons such as Entertainment or Sport packs are usually on rolling monthly terms, allowing customers to switch between them - for example, moving from Entertainment to Sport - without restarting the main contract.

These deals are also available under the EE brand. Read more in our full review of BT TV.

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Sky Atlantic on TalkTalk

Like BT and EE, TalkTalk TV customers can watch Sky Atlantic by taking a NOW Entertainment Membership, which includes the Sky Atlantic channel.

Sky Atlantic is not carried as a native TalkTalk TV channel. Instead, it's accessed via the NOW app, which is supported on TalkTalk's current Android TV Hub.

Support also extends to many older TalkTalk TV boxes, including selected Netgem TV models and some YouView boxes, although performance and features may vary depending on the hardware.

TalkTalk TV costs £5 per month on top of a TalkTalk broadband subscription and includes the Android TV Hub, which provides access to thousands of apps through the Google Play Store, including NOW.

New TalkTalk broadband customers can add TalkTalk TV during sign-up.

While TalkTalk broadband is typically sold on a 24-month contract, the TV service and any added subscriptions such as NOW are on rolling monthly terms and can be cancelled separately.

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Sky Atlantic on Virgin Media

While relations between Sky and Virgin Media have strengthened over the last few years - including a new deal in 2019 and the addition of Sky Sports in Ultra HD in February 2023 - Sky Atlantic remains exclusive to Sky.

The absence of Sky Atlantic is one of the most significant differences between Sky and Virgin Media, particularly as Virgin Media has continued to expand its streaming app support, adding Disney+ and Paramount+ in May 2023 and Apple TV+ in November 2023.

There's currently no indication that Sky Atlantic will be added to Virgin Media's TV platform, with Sky continuing to treat the channel and its original programming as a key exclusive.

That said, Virgin Media customers still have a couple of practical ways to watch Sky Atlantic content:

• Subscribe to a NOW Entertainment Membership and watch Sky Atlantic via the NOW app on a compatible smart device, such as an Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, games console, or a supported smart TV. The NOW app isn't currently supported directly on Virgin Media's 360 or Stream boxes.
• Buy individual series or box sets through the Virgin Media Store, where selected Sky Atlantic programmes are available to purchase and download to a Virgin TV box.

Buying programmes outright can make sense if you only want a specific series, but it's usually more expensive than taking a £9.99-per-month NOW Entertainment pass if you plan to watch multiple Sky Atlantic shows.

Finally, some Sky Atlantic titles do occasionally appear on other streaming platforms after their initial run, although availability varies by programme and over time.

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Sky Atlantic on Netflix

Although the two companies have partnered on some services, Sky still views Netflix as a major competitor rather than a primary distribution platform for its flagship channels.

Sky Atlantic remains exclusive to Sky and NOW, and there is no dedicated Sky Atlantic hub or channel available on Netflix.

However, a small number of Sky-commissioned series have begun appearing on Netflix under separate licensing agreements.

Notable examples include Gangs of London (originally from Sky Atlantic), Breeders (Sky Comedy), and Temple (Sky Max), all of which are available on Netflix independently of the Sky Atlantic brand.

Compared with the full catalogue available through Sky or a NOW Entertainment Membership, this represents a very limited and selective offering, with availability varying over time and no guarantee that future Sky Atlantic originals will follow the same path.

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What shows are on Sky Atlantic?

Now we've covered the different ways to get Sky Atlantic, it's worth looking at why the channel remains such a draw.

Launched in 2011, Sky Atlantic has become Sky's main home for prestige US drama, particularly series from HBO and Showtime. Over the years this has included first-run broadcasts of major titles such as Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire, Big Little Lies, Westworld and The White Lotus.

More recently, Sky Atlantic has carried some of the most talked-about dramas of the last few years, including Euphoria, The Last of Us, House of the Dragon, The Penguin, True Detective: Night Country and Dune: Prophecy.

One of the biggest upcoming releases is A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, a new Game of Thrones spin-off set around a century before the events of the original series, further reinforcing Sky Atlantic's close relationship with HBO's flagship franchises.

The channel has also been home to acclaimed Sky Originals, including the BAFTA-winning Chernobyl, as well as Penny Dreadful, Tin Star and Gangs of London. Some US-originated titles previously shown on Sky Atlantic, such as Yellowjackets and Mayor of Kingstown, have since moved to Paramount+, reflecting the increasingly complex licensing landscape.

For viewers looking for high-budget, critically acclaimed drama - particularly series arriving close to their US release - Sky Atlantic remains one of the strongest reasons to choose Sky or NOW over rival TV platforms.

Current headline shows on Sky Atlantic

• A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
• The Last of Us
• House of the Dragon
• The White Lotus
• Euphoria
• True Detective: Night Country
• The Penguin
• Dune: Prophecy
• Game of Thrones (complete series)
• Chernobyl

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Watching Sky Atlantic on demand

Sky, NOW and BT/EE customers can all watch Sky Atlantic on demand and away from home using their respective apps, provided they have an active subscription that includes the channel.

The apps available for watching Sky Atlantic on demand are:

• Sky Go - available to all Sky TV customers at no extra cost, allowing live and on-demand viewing of Sky Atlantic on smartphones, tablets and computers.
• NOW app - available to customers with a NOW Entertainment Membership, supporting on-demand streaming across smart TVs, streaming sticks, games consoles, mobiles and tablets.
• NOW app on BT/EE TV - integrated into the EE TV Box Pro, allowing BT and EE TV customers with NOW Entertainment to watch Sky Atlantic on demand, including with pause, rewind and recordings.

Because BT and EE TV use the NOW Entertainment Membership to provide access to Sky Atlantic, the apps and on-demand experience are effectively the same across both services.

It's also worth noting that while both Sky Go and NOW support downloads on mobile devices, download availability depends on programme rights. As a result, some Sky Atlantic shows may only be available to stream and not to download.

Virgin Media customers do not get access to Sky Atlantic on demand through their TV boxes, as the channel is not carried on the Virgin Media platform.

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Verdict: Which TV platform is best for Sky Atlantic?

Sky Atlantic is available in only a small number of places, with Sky keeping the channel firmly within its own ecosystem.

There are no signs that Sky Atlantic will be added to platforms such as Virgin Media, and its availability on BT and EE TV is only possible because those services use NOW Entertainment Memberships rather than carrying Sky Atlantic as a native channel.

For most viewers, the best overall way to watch Sky Atlantic is through Sky TV. Compared with other platforms, Sky offers:

• Sky Atlantic included as standard across all Sky TV plans
• A dedicated low-cost Sky Essential TV option focused around Sky Atlantic
• The option to upgrade to wider entertainment plans with over 40 additional channels
• Full pause, rewind and recording features via Sky Q or cloud-based Playlist on Sky Stream

Sky Stream and Sky Glass customers also benefit from Sky Atlantic being available in full 1080p HD as standard. By contrast, Sky Q customers using a satellite dish must pay an additional £8 per month for the HD pack, which makes Sky's newer streaming-based platforms the better-value option for picture quality.

NOW remains the most flexible way to access Sky Atlantic. A NOW Entertainment Membership costs £9.99 per month on a rolling basis, making it easy to subscribe for specific shows and cancel when not needed.

However, NOW comes with trade-offs. Live TV controls are limited, recordings aren't supported, and Sky Atlantic streams at 720p HD by default, with full 1080p HD requiring the £6-per-month NOW Boost add-on.

It's also worth noting that the price gap between Sky and NOW is narrower than it first appears. Sky Essential TV costs £18 per month on a rolling basis, or £15 per month on a 24-month contract, and includes Sky Atlantic alongside Netflix and discovery+ Entertainment.

By comparison, a NOW Entertainment Membership with NOW Boost costs £15.99 per month to achieve full 1080p HD viewing, without the additional streaming services or live TV features included with Sky.

Overall, the choice comes down to commitment versus flexibility. Sky provides the most complete and polished Sky Atlantic experience - particularly on Sky Stream - while NOW is best suited to viewers who want short-term access without a long contract.

Read more in our guide comparing Sky TV vs NOW TV.