Sky Entertainment channels are Sky's core paid channel line-up, bringing together its main entertainment, documentary and reality programming.
The full line-up - including Sky One, Sky Comedy and Sky Documentaries - is included with Sky's Ultimate TV, while Essential TV covers Sky Atlantic only.
Beyond Sky, these channels are also available through NOW's Entertainment membership and on Virgin Media across all Mega TV packages.
Quick Answer: What's on Sky Entertainment?
Sky Entertainment includes a mix of Sky's own channels and partner channels, covering general entertainment, documentaries and reality programming.
Key channels include Sky Atlantic, Sky One, Sky Comedy and Sky Documentaries, along with others such as Sky Crime, Sky Nature and National Geographic.
You can get Sky Entertainment as part of Sky Ultimate TV (from £24 per month), where it's included alongside Netflix, Disney+ and HBO Max, or through NOW with an Entertainment membership.
On Sky Essential TV, only Sky Atlantic is included, with the rest of the Entertainment channels requiring an upgrade to Ultimate TV.
For more compare Sky TV plans side-by-side or read our Sky TV packages review for details on what's included, how much it costs, and the best way to sign up.
What channels are included?
Sky Entertainment covers a broad range of Sky-branded channels across drama, comedy, factual and reality programming. The line-up also includes a selection of partner channels from third-party broadcasters, adding general entertainment and factual depth beyond Sky's own output.
Sky's own channels form the core of the pack. The table below covers what each channel focuses on and recent or notable programming.
| Channel | Type | Notable shows |
|---|---|---|
| Sky Atlantic | Prestige drama | A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Sweetpea, Day of the Jackal |
| Sky One | General entertainment | The Dyers' Caravan Park, Rob & Romesh Vs, SNL UK |
| Sky Comedy | Comedy | Veep, And Just Like That..., Two Weeks to Live |
| Sky Documentaries | Documentaries | Allen v. Farrow, After Truth, Lockerbie |
| Sky Crime | True crime | Libby, Fred West: The Glasgow Girls, Are You Home Yet? |
| Sky Nature | Wildlife & nature | David Attenborough series, Airborne, Gangs of Lemur Island |
| Sky History | History | The UnXplained, The Curse of Oak Island, Washington |
| Sky Sci-Fi | Science fiction & fantasy | FROM, Resident Alien, Star Trek: The Next Generation |
| Sky Witness | US drama & procedurals | Blue Bloods, NCIS, Chicago Fire |
Sky Atlantic remains the marquee channel, anchoring the pack with prestige drama from Sky Originals and major US productions.
Sky One relaunched in February 2026, replacing the former Sky Showcase and Sky Max channels and consolidating Sky's broad entertainment output in one place.
The pack also includes a selection of partner channels, covering comedy, factual and classic entertainment.
| Channel | Type | Notable shows |
|---|---|---|
| National Geographic | Factual & nature | Science, exploration and wildlife documentaries |
| National Geographic Wild | Wildlife | Nature and wildlife programming |
| Comedy Central | Comedy | South Park, Taskmaster, stand-up specials |
| Comedy Central Extra | Comedy | Additional comedy programming |
| U&Alibi | Crime drama | Procedural dramas and crime series |
| U&Gold | Classic entertainment | Classic British comedy and entertainment |
The partner channels extend the pack's range without duplicating what Sky's own channels already cover - National Geographic adds factual depth alongside Sky Nature, while Comedy Central broadens the comedy offering beyond Sky Comedy's predominantly US-imported slate.
Which Sky TV plans include Sky Entertainment?
Sky Entertainment channels are included in full with Sky Ultimate TV, alongside Netflix, Disney+ and HBO Max. Sky Essential TV includes Sky Atlantic only - the rest of the Entertainment line-up sits behind an upgrade.
Both plans are available on Sky Stream and Sky Glass. The table below shows what each includes, with current pricing.
| Package | Includes | Monthly price | Upfront price | Contract term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Sky Essential TV | Netflix, Sky Atlantic, Discovery+ | £15 | Free | 24 months |
 Offer: Free setup (worth £39.95) | |||||
|
Sky Ultimate TV | Netflix, Sky Atlantic, Discovery+, Sky Entertainment, Disney+, Hayu, HBO Max | £24 | Free | 24 months |
| Offer: Save £11/mth on Sky Ultimate TV + Free setup (worth £39.95) | |||||
Ultimate TV is the plan most new Sky customers sign up to, and the one that makes the Entertainment channel pack worthwhile. If you're weighing up which plan is right for you, our full guides cover both in detail: Sky Essential TV review, Sky Ultimate TV review, or see our Sky Essential TV vs Ultimate TV comparison for a direct breakdown.
Sky Entertainment on NOW and Virgin Media
Sky Entertainment channels are also available outside Sky's own TV packages, mainly through NOW and Virgin Media, although they're packaged differently in each case.
With NOW, the Entertainment Membership includes the full set of Sky Entertainment channels - covering Sky Atlantic, Sky One, Sky Comedy, Sky Documentaries, Sky Crime, Sky Nature, Sky History, Sky Witness and Sky Sci-Fi, alongside partner channels such as Comedy Central and Gold.
Unlike Sky, NOW is entirely app-based, with no dedicated hardware, so it works across smart TVs, streaming sticks, games consoles and mobile devices. It also underpins the Sky channel offering on EE TV, where it's bundled into TV packages rather than sold as a standalone subscription. From March 2026, NOW Entertainment also includes HBO Max Standard with Ads at no extra cost.
On Virgin Media, Sky Entertainment channels are integrated directly into its TV bundles. They're included across all Mega TV packages and Flex bundles with the Essential Entertainment add-on, delivered through Virgin's own set-top boxes.
From April 2026, Sky Atlantic is also included at no extra cost for customers with a Virgin TV 360 or Stream box, ending its long-standing exclusivity to Sky's platform. As a result, Virgin Media's channel line-up now closely mirrors Sky's, but with a more traditional hardware-led setup.
| Package | TV | Broadband | Monthly price | Upfront price | Contract term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
M350 Entertainment + Netflix | Netflix, Sky Entertainment, Sky Atlantic | 362Mb average | £34.99 | Free | 24 months |
|
Entertainment TV + Netflix + Full Fibre 150 | Netflix, Sky Atlantic, Kids pack, Sky Entertainment, HBO Max | 150Mb average | £44.99 | Free | 24 months |
| Offer: £70 Reward Card + 6 months free Apple TV+ + Unlimited data boost on EE pay monthly mobile plan (Ends 23/04/2026) | ||||||
|
Entertainment TV + Netflix + Full Fibre 150 | Sky Atlantic, Kids pack, Netflix, Sky Entertainment, HBO Max | 150Mb average | £46.99 | Free | 24 months |
| Offer: £80 BT Reward Card + Free setup on BT Broadband and EE TV (Ends 07/05/2026) | ||||||
For a full breakdown of how NOW compares, see our NOW Entertainment Membership review. For Virgin Media TV packages, see our Virgin Media TV review. For more on EE TV, see our BT TV review.
Is Sky Entertainment worth it?
Sky Atlantic is the only Entertainment channel included with Essential TV, and for many viewers it's the main reason to subscribe - it's home to Sky Originals and the most-watched prestige drama on the platform.
But the wider Entertainment pack covers ground that neither Freeview nor the streaming apps typically do: scheduled true crime on Sky Crime, US procedurals on Sky Witness, comedy on Sky One and Sky Comedy, and factual programming across Sky Documentaries, Sky Nature and Sky History.
Sky Originals aren't limited to Atlantic either. Sky One and Sky Comedy also carry original commissions - SNL UK, Sweetpea, Two Weeks to Live - so the argument for the full pack isn't just about HBO-adjacent drama. For viewers who watch across genres rather than bingeing a single service, the breadth of live scheduled channels is what distinguishes Ultimate TV from a Netflix-and-Atlantic setup.
The value calculation on Ultimate TV also works in the pack's favour. The five streaming services bundled into Ultimate TV - Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, Discovery+ and hayu - retail at around £27.95 a month combined, while Ultimate TV starts at £24. On that basis, the Entertainment channels come at no additional cost over what you'd pay for the streaming apps alone.
Summary
Sky Entertainment channels form the core of Sky's TV offering, bringing together its main live channels and on-demand content outside of the streaming apps bundled with Ultimate TV.
They're included in full with Ultimate TV, while Essential TV covers Sky Atlantic only - making the Entertainment pack one of the sharpest dividing lines between the two plans.
It's worth understanding what Sky Atlantic itself is becoming, though. The channel built its reputation as the UK's exclusive home of HBO - Game of Thrones, Succession, The Last of Us - but that exclusivity is unwinding. From March 2026, HBO's new commissions go to HBO Max rather than Sky Atlantic, which now carries Sky Originals and existing licensed HBO titles. Sky Atlantic also launched on Virgin Media in April 2026 for the first time, ending 15 years as a Sky-only channel.
The practical effect is that Sky Atlantic is transitioning from an exclusivity play to a Sky Originals showcase. Shows like Sweetpea, Day of the Jackal and Under Salt Marsh represent what the channel is becoming - a home for Sky's own productions rather than a window onto HBO's slate. Whether that makes the Entertainment pack more or less compelling depends on how much weight you put on Sky's original output versus access to the biggest US drama.
For now, the bundle maths still favour Ultimate TV, and the wider Entertainment pack covers enough ground - crime, comedy, factual, US drama - to justify the upgrade for most households that watch live TV regularly.
