Sky TV Packages review

Sky TV now bundles Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max and Hayu alongside its own premium channels in the Ultimate plan - all delivered over broadband via the Sky Stream Puck or Sky Glass.

For a lighter option, Sky Essential TV starts at £15 a month and still includes Sky Atlantic, Netflix and Discovery+.

Both packages can be taken without Sky broadband, but bundling brings the price down further.

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Sky TV at a glance

Best Sky broadband deals

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Our review of Sky TV

Verdict: Is Sky TV any good?

Sky Ultimate TV has made a significant leap in value. Bundling Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max and Hayu into a single subscription puts it ahead of any comparable UK pay TV package on streaming breadth alone.

The Essential tier keeps Sky accessible for budget-conscious households, with Sky Atlantic and Netflix from £15 a month - competitive against standalone streaming costs without locking customers into a full premium package.

Flexibility is a genuine strength. Sky TV works over any broadband connection, with extra savings available when bundled with Sky broadband. Rolling monthly add-ons for Sky Sports and Sky Cinema mean customers only pay for what they're watching.

The drawbacks are real but minor. Ultra HD and Dolby Atmos cost extra even on Sky Glass, TNT Sports is cheaper elsewhere, and Sky no longer holds the exclusive content advantage it once did.

Overall, Sky TV is excellent value for households that want premium channels and multiple streaming services under one roof - and a harder sell for those who only want one or two of them.

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Sky TV packages

Summary: Sky offers two main TV packages: Ultimate TV, which bundles Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max and Hayu alongside premium Sky channels, and Essential TV, a lighter option with Sky Atlantic, Netflix and Discovery+.

Sky Stream Puck and Sky Glass can both be taken with either Sky Essential TV or Sky Ultimate TV, which are now the two base package options.

Both plans include over 100 live TV channels, along with Sky Originals and HBO content on Sky Atlantic, a Netflix Standard with Ads subscription, and access to Discovery+.

Sky Ultimate TV builds on this by including Sky Entertainment channels and a broader range of streaming apps as part of the bundle. This means access to channels like Sky Max, Sky Showcase, Sky Crime, National Geographic, Comedy Central and MTV, alongside bundled access to services such as HBO Max, Disney+ and Hayu. It currently costs an extra £9 per month.

Sky Essential TV is positioned as a lower-cost entry point, but it does not include Sky Entertainment channels (aside from Sky Atlantic) - and these cannot be added separately without upgrading to Ultimate TV. That's the key limitation.

However, both plans still allow customers to add premium packs like Sky Sports and Sky Cinema at the same prices. Streaming apps included with Ultimate TV can also be added to Essential individually, but at their standard standalone prices rather than as part of a bundle.

Sky TV packages also include features like personalised recommendations and Playlist, which brings together live and on-demand content in one place for easy saving and playback. The Whole Home add-on enables access to your subscription across multiple rooms without additional cables or satellite boxes.

The latest Sky TV pricing for new customers is:

These deals include the Sky Stream Puck box, which allows customers to watch Sky TV over a broadband connection, and there is no longer any need to install a satellite dish.

The Puck box is a small device, that requires a wired or wireless connection to the router, but does not need either an aerial or satellite dish feed. It's easy to add extra boxes to a home wherever there's a mains power outlet.

Sky TV + broadband

Both Sky Stream Puck and Sky Glass packages can be bundled with Sky broadband for extra savings.

The table below shows the current bundle pricing on Sky Full Fibre 300 and Sky Full Fibre 500, which offer average download speeds of 300Mbps and 500Mbps respectively.

Bundling saves money compared to taking Sky TV and broadband separately - worth considering for any customer coming to the end of their current broadband contract.

Customers who need faster speeds can also add Sky Full Fibre Gigafast to their TV package.

Use our free Sky broadband postcode tool to check availability and find out what's in your area, and read our dedicated review of Sky broadband.

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What content is on Sky TV?

Both Sky Essential TV and Sky Ultimate TV include Sky Atlantic, a Netflix Standard with Ads subscription, and Discovery+ Entertainment as standard.

Sky Ultimate TV adds 35 premium channels on top, plus Disney+, HBO Max and Hayu - making it the significantly more complete package for streaming.

Both packages include the following live channels:

Both packages also carry popular free-to-air channels over broadband without needing an aerial - BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and a range of news channels are all included.

Sky Ultimate TV

Sky Ultimate TV includes 35 additional channels compared to Sky Essential TV. This is made up of 21 extra channels, plus a further 14 international channels.

The 21 additional channels include 9 Sky Entertainment channels - Sky One, Sky Comedy, Sky Crime, Sky Documentaries, Sky History, Sky History 2, Sky Nature, Sky Sci-Fi and Sky Witness - alongside channels such as MTV, National Geographic, Comedy Central and U&alibi.

The full list of additional channels is below:

On-demand apps

Sky bundles several major streaming services directly into its TV packages.

Both Sky Essential TV and Sky Ultimate TV include Netflix Standard with Ads and Discovery+ Entertainment, while Sky Ultimate TV adds Disney+, HBO Max and Hayu.

Customers who take the Sky Cinema pack also get Paramount+ and Disney+ Standard with Ads at no extra cost, plus two free Vue cinema tickets each month. For Sky Essential TV customers in particular, the Cinema pack is one of the ways to access Disney+ without upgrading to Ultimate TV.

Netflix can be upgraded to Standard or Premium for £5 or £10 a month respectively, and all included streaming services sit directly within the Sky interface rather than requiring a separate app or input.

Beyond the bundled services, Sky supports one of the widest ranges of on-demand apps in the UK pay TV market. Streaming services, music platforms and catch-up players are all built into the Sky Stream, Sky Glass and Sky Q interface, with content from different apps appearing together in search results and recommendations. Sky's "Continue Watching" rail also tracks progress across services in one place.

Customers can access the following free and subscription-based apps:

For a full breakdown of what's included with each package, see our guide to streaming services included with Sky TV.

Sky TV packs

On top of the base package, Sky TV customers can add premium packs for sports, cinema, kids and more. Each pack is available on either a 24-month contract or a flexible 31-day rolling term, with the longer contract offering the lower monthly price.

Here are the latest prices for customers on Sky Stream:

Prices are based on 24-month contracts, after which they revert to the standard monthly price shown in brackets.

The 31-day option is a genuine advantage over the old Sky Q model, where Sky Sports and Sky Cinema were only available on 24-month terms. Customers can now take Sky Sports for a single season and cancel when it ends, or add Sky Cinema over winter and drop it in spring - paying only for what they actually watch.

The trade-off is cost: 31-day packs are priced higher than their 24-month equivalents, so customers who keep a pack year-round will usually pay less by committing to a longer term.

Ultra HD and Dolby Atmos

Both Sky Stream and Sky Glass support Ultra HD and Dolby Atmos surround sound, but accessing 4K content costs extra. Customers need to add the UHD and Dolby Atmos pack for £6 a month, regardless of which hardware they have.

The 4K content library is selective rather than comprehensive, covering:

• Sky Originals in Ultra HD
• Sky Cinema films in Ultra HD (requires Sky Cinema pack)
• Sky Sports Ultra HD (requires Sky Sports pack)
• TNT Sports Ultimate (requires TNT Sports pack)

For most customers, the UHD pack only makes sense if they already subscribe to Sky Cinema or Sky Sports - without those packs, the amount of 4K content available is limited.

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Sky TV boxes

Sky now offers three ways to watch for new customers: the Sky Stream Puck, Sky Glass and the newer Sky Glass Air. All three deliver content entirely over broadband, with no satellite dish required.

Sky Q remains available to existing subscribers under contract until 2028, but is no longer sold to new customers.

Sky Stream Puck

The Stream Puck is the simplest and cheapest way to get Sky TV. Setup is free and straightforward - it connects to a router via wired or wireless connection, with no dish or aerial needed.

The Puck has no internal storage but streams all Sky content in full 1080p HD, with 4K Ultra HD available via the UHD and Dolby Atmos pack for £6 a month. Dolby Atmos surround sound is also supported through the HDMI port.

It carries the same app support as Sky Glass, with access to all major streaming services, catch-up players and music apps. Customers can take it on a 24-month contract or a flexible 31-day rolling term.

Read our full review of Sky Stream Puck.

Sky Glass

Launched in 2021, Sky Glass is a 4K QLED TV set with a Sky box and Dolby Atmos soundbar built in - no separate box, no dish, no aerial required.

The second-generation model, released in February 2025, upgrades both picture and sound. The screen is brighter with a new Quantum Dot HDR display and improved local dimming, while the built-in soundbar gains a seventh speaker including a dual subwoofer and two upward-firing speakers for a more immersive Dolby Atmos experience.

Sky Glass Gen 2 is available in 43", 55" and 65" sizes and can be purchased outright or on an interest-free repayment plan over 24 or 48 months. A Sky TV subscription is required for the set to function.

Read more in our full Sky Glass review.

Sky Glass Air

Launched in June 2025, Sky Glass Air is a slimmer, more affordable version of Sky Glass Gen 2. It keeps the 4K HDR picture and hands-free voice control, but replaces the seven-speaker Dolby Atmos soundbar with a standard two-speaker Dolby Audio stereo system.

Available in 43", 55" and 65" sizes, Glass Air starts from £6 a month on a 48-month plan - significantly cheaper than the Gen 2, which starts from £14 a month. It runs the same Sky OS and supports the same content and apps as the full Glass range.

For households that want a Sky streaming TV set without paying a premium for the sound upgrade, Glass Air is the more accessible entry point.

Read more in our full Sky Glass Air review.

Sky Q

Sky Q launched in 2016 as a replacement for Sky+ HD and was a leading device at the time, offering a voice-controlled remote, 4K Ultra HD and the ability to record six shows while watching a seventh.

It bundles 1TB of onboard storage as standard - enough for around 150 hours of HD content - with some existing customer boxes available with up to 2TB.

Sky Q is no longer available to new customers. Existing subscribers remain supported under Sky's satellite contract until 2028, but Sky's hardware focus has moved entirely to Stream and Glass, with broadband delivery replacing satellite as the primary content delivery method.

Read more about the Sky Q box.

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Verdict: Are Sky TV packages worth it?

Sky TV has made a significant leap in value over the past year. Bundling Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max and Hayu into Ultimate TV puts it ahead of any comparable UK pay TV package on streaming breadth, and the Essential tier keeps Sky accessible from £15 a month for households that don't need the full package.

Sky TV packages can be taken with any broadband connection, which gives them a flexibility edge over Virgin Media and BT, though customers will save more by bundling with Sky broadband.

Sky TV is the strongest option for customers who:

• Want Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max and Hayu bundled into a single subscription
• Want a budget-friendly entry point with Sky Atlantic and Netflix from £15 a month
• Want to add Sky Sports or Sky Cinema on a flexible 31-day contract
• Want access to the widest range of on-demand apps in the UK pay TV market

Customers might want to look elsewhere if:

• They want just TNT Sports, which is often cheaper with BT or EE
• They only need one or two streaming services and prefer the flexibility of standalone monthly subscriptions
• They don't have a broadband connection of at least 25Mbps - a very small number of properties, but those in remote areas may need an alternative solution

Sky no longer holds the exclusive content advantage it once did - Sky Atlantic is now available on Virgin Media - but the streaming bundle more than compensates as a point of difference. For most households, Sky Ultimate TV is now a genuinely strong all-in-one proposition.

For customers on a budget, Sky Essential TV and the Stream Puck offer a flexible, low-cost way into Sky's content without committing to the full package.