• Sky set to adapt its 2025 political podcast The Wargame as an 'immersive' new documentary series of the same name
• UK politicians, including Michael Gove, Nicola Sturgeon, and Penny Mordaunt, will form a mock government cabinet that is faced with the threat of war from Russia
• Will come to Sky and NOW TV in September 2026

Sky has announced plans to adapt its hit 2025 political podcast The Wargame as an "immersive" documentary service coming to both the streamer and NOW TV in September 2026.

The premise will remain the same across four 60-minute episodes, which "take viewers beyond the news cycle and behind closed doors into a sealed COBR-style crisis room where real-world senior politicians, military leaders and intelligence chiefs are challenged to confront a high-stakes scenario: a Russian attack on UK soil."

The Wargame is set six months in the future and has been developed alongside leading academics, military, and defence experts to replicate the pressure of political decision-making at the highest level.

The following core cast of former UK politicians will be assuming these (fictional) roles in the simulation:

• Prime Minister — The Rt Hon. the Lord Gove PC
• Deputy Prime Minister — The Rt Hon. Nicola Sturgeon PC
• Defence Secretary — The Rt Hon. Dame Penny Mordaunt DBE PC 
• Home Secretary — The Rt Hon. the Baroness Harman KC PC
• Foreign Secretary — The Rt Hon. Jim Murphy PC
• Attorney General — The Rt Hon. the Baroness Warsi PC
• Director of Communications — The Baroness Hazarika MBE
• Chief of Defence Staff — General Sir Richard Barrons KCB CBE
• National Security Adviser — The Rt Hon. the Lord Kim Darroch KCMG
• Intelligence Chief — Christopher Steele

No exact release date has been confirmed as of writing, but the original podcast gives us a solid idea of how we can expect the episodes to break the "conflict" down.

Opinion: One year on, and The Wargame is still the most horrifying podcast I've ever listened to

Though the podcast was paced over fives episodes rather than four, we can expect the breakdown of The Wargame to follow the same format.

Episode 1 sets the scene, with a number of seemingly unrelated attacks and issues across the UK potentially being orchestrated by Russian intelligence. In episode 2, Russia launches its first full-scale attack, with the Prime Minister having to address the nation in a time of unprecedented crisis in episode 3.

Episode 4 is when the UK's defence starts to fight back, but is on the losing foot. This all culminates in a potential ceasefire being brokered in episode 5, which, as you might expect, isn't too straightforward.

If this premise sounds horrifying, that's because it is. When the podcast first launched on Spotify, Apple, and other services, I made everybody I knew listen to it. Why? It addresses one reality that nobody in actual government wants to freely admit: the UK defence system is almost non-existent.

The Wargame concludes that the UK is susceptible to almost every kind of combative attack possible, and would most likely be defeated (or at least left in a very worrying state). It encourages a greater sense of awareness among us all, and hopefully, will lead to some critical conversations.

If you're wondering why a podcast would openly admit a country's lack of protection to an international audience, The Wargame's slogan answers that for us: "Russia knows our weaknesses, but do you?"

When you think of new Sky action movie Fuze — starring The Gentlemen's Theo James and Kraven the Hunter's Aaron Taylor-Johnson — I'm sure your first thought is of Taylor Swift.

I mean, how could it not be? Set in London, the new movie follows different people embroiled in a mysterious plot when an unexploded World War II bomb is unearthed at a busy construction site. If that doesn't scream The Life of a Showgirl, I don't know what does.

In all seriousness, the two are genuinely linked, with director David Mackenzie and cast filming the tense, action-packed movie during the same summer that Swift brought her legendary Eras Tour to the UK.

Londoners might recognize Wembley used in external shots, meaning the dubious Karalis (James) and wired Major Will (Taylor-Johnson) had to face off against Swifties for good measure.

Obviously, the two worlds never collide on screen. But while talking to the cast and crew, it's clear that Fuze could have been easily derailed by 2024's Swiftmania... so count yourself lucky to be watching it.

'It could have made our lives a lot harder'

"Not deliberately, no," Mackenzie tells me when I ask if he made his life harder by filming during the Eras Tour.

"We did get very lucky with the weather, because the film takes place over a matter of hours. I was really worried that one scene would be shooting in the rain, and one scene we were shooting in the sun. Actually, it was a really nice summer, you know. It was mostly consistent too... everything else could have made our lives a lot harder."

Star Gugu Mbatha-Raw continues, "Because the movie really unfolds like in that real time, there's some other story structures where you could maybe get away with mishaps, but not with this."

So amazingly, fictional London wasn't brought to its knees by Swifties, just Wembley Stadium across two separate weekends. Yet the Taylor Swift-Fuze connection doesn't stop there.

Both James and Taylor-Johnson joked about attending the tour at the UK premiere, but it turns out that was actually true for the former.

"I went and took my nieces, and it was very nice," James explains. "I went that summer because it was playing... but no, Aaron didn't unfortunately take his daughters. He was working."

Surely they all were, but never mind. The point remains — when you watch London being blown up in Fuze, think of the screaming fans merely a few miles away. Fuze 2: Swiftogeddon, anyone?

• Sky is raising its prices across its entire range of packages, including Sky TV
• The price changes will kick in from April 1, and customers are already being contacted
• Sky's price hike comes just in time for HBO Max's UK debut on March 26

Don’t you just love it when the best streaming services roll out another unexpected price hike? This time it’s Sky’s turn, and it's increasing its prices across the board

Starting April 1, a number of Sky packages will see price increases, affecting millions of customers and popular packages across Sky TV, Broadband, and home phone. Since announcing the changes yesterday (February 18), Sky has started reaching out to customers affected by the price hikes with more information on the changes with their specific packages.

Platforms like Netflix are all too familiar with this, and now it’s Sky’s turn — but what’s changing?

As mentioned, Sky TV, Broadband, and home phone plans will all face the upcoming price increases, but the exact price increases will all depend on what type of Sky package you have. We’ve been in touch with Sky, and a spokesperson has provided the following statement:

“We always aim to limit the impact of price increases as much as possible, and our approach means Sky customers continue to see some of the lowest increases in the market. These updates will allow us to continue investing in delivering fast broadband, the best entertainment and live sport, and services our customers can rely on, while managing rising costs faced across the industry.”

In addition to Sky’s comment, the company also provided us with details on the increases. While Sky Broadband will see a £3 monthly increase, which equals £36 a year, Sky TV packages will increase by £1 a month/ £12 a year for the Base plan and £3 a month/ £36 a year for the Premium plan, and home phone will increase by £1 a month/ $12 a year.

Sky’s decision to raise its prices doesn’t come as a complete surprise, though it's still rather frustrating. Just a few weeks ago, HBO Max confirmed a March release for the UK starting at £4.99 per month, but shortly after the announcement, an ‘ultimate’ Sky TV update was unveiled, integrating Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, and Hayu, which will all be included in the package as standard — also coming in March.

With that in mind, it’s clear as to what’s fuelled Sky’s upcoming price hike. With HBO Max finally making its anticipated UK debut on top of the new monster Sky TV streaming package, the number of new sign-ups will undoubtedly skyrocket.

If the price increases are making you second-guess your Sky membership, here’s what you need to consider before getting out of your contract.

Who can cancel?

For Sky Q (satellite TV) customers, you’ll be able to leave without a paying a fine even if you’re mid-contract, but you should note that you must act within 30 days of getting the price rise notification if you want to leave. The same applies if you’re a Sky Broadband customer.

However it’s more complicated for Sky Glass and Sky Stream customers, who won’t be able to cancel if they’re mid-contract. If you have TV add-ons in your package, these are more often than not monthly-rolling contracts, so they can easily be removed from your packages with no strings attached to bring the price down.

Under Salt Marsh is the new crime drama you don't want to be sleeping on. Not only will Yellowstone fans love it because Kelly Reilly takes the lead role of Jackie, but according to Sky TV, almost 2 million viewers tuned into the show's debut.

For a TV show that's not on one of the main global streamers, that's a pretty impressive feat. If you've seen any of the first three episodes, you'll know what the fuss is about – Jackie finds her young student's body, reopening a cold case from three years prior involving her missing niece, Nessa.

She has to work with her former police partner Eric (Rafe Spall), who divided the town while working Nessa's case. With two unexplained child deaths, tensions are high... and somehow, the two stories intersect.

As Under Salt Marsh episode 4 hits the small screen this week, we're no closer to solving either mystery. However, my favorite character is starting to come out of her shell after being an awkward third wheel up until now.

Jess (Naomi Yang) is Eric's new partner, replacing Jackie in theory but not in practice. She's sat on the sidelines being at Eric's beck and call, but as Yang herself agrees, episode 4 is when Jess starts to come into her own.

'She's definitely the only outsider in Under Salt Marsh'

"She's the only outsider in Salt Marsh, so she definitely, she's got that going on anyway," Yang tells me. "I think it's not immediately obvious to her, but with Eric and Jackie's relationship, she's feeling more and more pushed out. So I think that's what leads her later on in the series to really push. She's had enough of it, and she's taking power back."

Not only is that a joy to anyone who loves a bit of girl power, but it's an understatement. In episodes 1-3, Jess happily went along with Eric's vision, running around the marsh to do whatever he wanted on a whim.

Fast forward to episode 4, and she's fully putting Eric in his place. More aware of Eric's mistakes during the original investigation for Nessa than ever, Jess is now starting to implement her own process and strategy.

Eric is humbled in a way that Jackie isn't able to achieve, and it makes for incredibly satisfying television.

"Although there's quite a few characters in this show that are a bit shady, I think she's one of the quiet ones," Yang adds. "It is fun. We're not loud about it. You get to do a lot of wistful, moody glances off camera."

Jess might be going to a lot of places in Under Salt Marsh episodes 5 and 6, but back to being quiet likely won't be one of them.

Under Salt Marsh is streaming on Sky and Now in the UK, and Binge and Foxtel Now in Australia.

• Sky has inked a new multi-year distribution deal with Disney
• A new 'Sky Ultimate TV' package will be available from March
• This will integrate Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+ and Hayu into one app

It's a good time to be a Sky customer, because not only will you soon be able to access HBO Max when it launches in the UK on March 26, but Disney+ and Hayu, too, in one neat subscription bundle as part of a new landmark distribution deal.

From March, new and existing users signed up to an eligible Sky TV plan will get Disney+, and selected content from Hayu, for free. That means for just £24 a month, the 'Sky TV Ultimate' bundle will include HBO Max, Disney+ and Hayu, plus the usual Sky Entertainment package and Netflix.

This applies to anyone with Sky Stream, Sky Glass or Sky Q. Meanwhile, those with Sky+ can expect HBO Max and Hayu to be added alongside Sky TV. If you're already signed up to Disney+, then you'll be able to move over to Sky at no extra cost – just like any existing HBO Max users.

There will also be the option to combine the entertainment package with broadband in a new bundled plan, which offers better value as you can get full fibre broadband and 'Sky TV Ultimate', with a Sky Stream device, from £41 a month.

While those signed up to Now won't get Disney+, they will automatically be able to watch HBO Max with ads content at no extra cost from March 26 as part the new plan. New customers will have to pay £6.99 per month for Now Entertainment and HBO Max, while Now Entertainment will soon cost £4.99 a month.

Announcing the new package, Sophia Ahmad, Sky's chief consumer officer, called the new Sky TV subscription a "world-first". She said that the Sky OS will see all the best streaming service's apps integrated straight into the Sky home page, which means you'll be able to easily access all the extra content across the different apps in 'Top Picks', 'Continue Watching' and 'Playlists' (where you can save and pause movies and shows you’re watching), as well as via voice control.

What will you soon be able to watch on Sky TV?

Sky customers in the UK and Ireland are about to get access to a bunch of new content as part of its new deal with Disney and extended partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery.

Saving £5.99 a month, existing Sky TV users will be able to unlock the Disney+ 'Standard' plan with ads for free, allowing them to watch the service's full breadth of on-demand content, from hit FX shows like The Bear to blockbuster Disney movies like Moana 2 and Marvel's The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

As part of the deal, Sky Cinema customers will also soon get a brand new Disney+ Cinema channel. Movies from Warner Bros. Discovery will continue to be available on Sky Cinema, alongside those made by Sky, Paramount and NBCUniversal.

Content from Disney's reality TV streaming service, Hayu, will also be available on Sky TV plans, but this will see a staggered rollout. Only a small selection of shows like Below Deck and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills will be available from sometime in March. The full library of Hayu content is set to be integrated in July, which is when you'll be able to watch new episodes the same day as they air in the US.

On top of Disney+ and Hayu, Sky TV customers will also soon be able to get HBO Max with ads as part of their subscription. The Sky Atlantic channel will continue to remain the home of existing HBO Max hits, but you'll be able to watch new HBO shows through the app.

To top it all off, if you're an existing Disney+ subscriber, you'll be able to move your current subscription to Sky without losing any of your existing watch history or account setup, making it a seamless transition to a more unified streaming app experience.

• HBO Max UK will launch on March 26, 2026
• Subscribers will have four monthly entertainment plans to choose from starting at £4.99 per month
• The Pitt will launch immediately, alongside new seasons of Euphoria and House of the Dragon

You heard correctly: HBO Max is launching in the UK on March 26, 2026. The release month was confirmed in December 2025, but now we've finally got the first details of what the new streaming subscription will look like.

Subscribers will have four monthly entertainment plans to choose from starting at £4.99 per month, which is cheaper than Netflix's ad-supported tier priced at £5.99. Viewers are able to enjoy the complete HBO Max entertainment line-up, including recently released movies.

Meanwhile, sports fans will be able to access or sign up to a TNT Sports streaming subscription via HBO Max for £30.99 per month.

In the UK and Ireland, the service will be available directly via hbomax.com and via launch partners, including Sky and Prime Video. Through the HBO Max app, Sky and NOW TV customers will get access to the new HBO Max streaming service (often with ads) as part of their existing subscription.

While existing franchises are likely to remain available on all streaming services, exclusive HBO Max content might be limited to the new app, but only time will tell.

Opinion: HBO Max UK's launch date is a genius move for subscribers waiting to watch The Pitt

Don't get me wrong, I'm as excited as the next person for Euphoria season 3, House of the Dragon season 3 and the debut of Lanterns from DC Studios. But Brits have been waiting to watch HBO smash-hit The Pitt for over a year.

Now, not only will they get all season 1 episodes in one go, but March 26 is a whole three weeks before the predicted season 2 finale date of April 16.

As it stands, there's an ongoing yet subtle feud between Doctor Robby (Noah Wyle) and Doctor Al-Hashimi (Sepideh Moafi), and everybody is treading on eggshells, including Santos (Isa Briones), who isn't happy with the leadership change.

But that's not all. I'm hopeful that the HBO-A24 partnership will mean hits like Marty Supreme, Sorry, Baby and Materialists will be a lot easier to access across the pond.

Box office monsters such as Superman, One Battle After Another, Sinners, A Minecraft Movie and Dune: Part One are also included as part of the subscription.

Frankly, March 26 can't come soon enough for my liking. I've been lucky enough to watch all of the above in line with US fans, and it's about time that you do, too.

If you're a fan and still haven't signed up, use one of the below deals:

• Public broadcasters want to switch Freeview off in 2034
• This could leave as many as 2 million households without their main TV source
• A Sky reports proposes helping expand digital access to ease troubles

Freeview is at risk of being shut down in the coming decade, and there are big concerns that its axing will lead to cost increases, reliability problems, and could leave 1.8 million homes stranded unless things change.

Jointly owned by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, Freeview is a digital terrestrial television (DTT) service which sends over 100 TV channels and radio stations to homes provided they have a TV aerial, and a TV with a built-in tuner. You’ll also need a TV license.

However these broadcasters are considering switching the service off. The arguments for ditching Freeview is that most TV watchers stream programmes over the internet, and so it’s not worth it to invest in upgrading and maintaining an aging service most people aren’t using.

As they explained in an Ofcom report from July last year, we’ll soon be reaching a “tipping point at which supporting DTT in its current form is no longer commercially viable.”

A switch-off would likely happen sometime around 2034, as that’s when contracts with network operator Arqiva are up for renewal. It’s also predicted that by that point fewer than two million homes would rely on Freeview as their primary TV source.

The alternative would be an internet TV-based solution through streaming apps, or services like Sky and Virgin TV.

However those arguing against the switch-off have pointed out that reliable internet or paid-TV packages aren’t free – creating an increased cost burden for folks who rely on Freeview. There are also fears over how dependent we are on the internet – a service that isn’t always reliable – and that smart TV apps and features aren’t as easy to understand for older people (who make up much of the audience most dependent on Freeview).

What’s more, a Department for Culture, Media and Sport report estimates that 1.8 million homes will rely on Freeview in 2035, 700,000 of which aren’t expected to have an internet connection they could use for alternative systems.

Stuck in the past

An alternative solution to this that isn’t simply to stick to Freeview’s DTT model would be to instead focus on improving internet infrastructure to make it more reliable and accessible – and not just for TV, the internet is an essential part of modern life, and there would be a huge public benefit for ensuring reliable high-speed internet is as available as other core utilities like water, electricity and gas.

It would be a much better use of public funds than maintaining a service a fraction of people rely on.

We could also institute a plan very similar to the successful campaign that help transition folks from analogue to digital TV – making a switch which seemed equally scary to this change a relatively seamless one.

Beyond simply helping people better understand the new system, we could also bring in TV manufacturing rules like saying all smart screens need to have Freeview Play preinstalled (the on-demand streaming service version of Freeview), and an instant-access button on their remote in the UK.

Sky published a report suggesting that taking proactive action could more than halve the number of households left behind when Freeview is turned off (leaving only 330,000 by 2034).

For now no decision has been made, and given that the earliest date for a switch-off is 2034 there’s no major rush to make a final decision. However, taking a future-forward approach rather than wasting investment on outdated tech is unlikely to be the wrong decision in the long term, but we’ll have to wait and see what’s decided.

WARNING: spoilers for Under Salt Marsh episodes 1 and 2 ahead.

For those of us patiently waiting for Yellowstone spinoff Dutton Ranch to hit Paramount+, new Sky TV thriller Under Salt Marsh unexpectedly stops our FOMO.

Why? Yellowstone's Beth Dutton herself (aka Kelly Reilly) stars as Jackie, a detective-turned-teacher who finds her young student's body, reopening a cold case from three years prior involving her missing niece, Nessa.

This means she has to work with her former police partner Eric (Rafe Spall), who divided the town while working Nessa's case. The Bevan family wants answers for their little boy, headed up by elusive farmer Solomon (Jonathan Pryce).

Altogether, this has as much family drama as any Taylor Sheridan series, but it's episode 2 that you need to look out for. Just when the stakes get too much to bear, the local community comes together to heal – and according to Pryce, most of it wasn't even planned.

'It's a very personal moment filmed in an epic way'

The town of Salt Marsh (which is fictional, before you head to Wales looking for it) spontaneously comes together for a seaside vigil, lead by Solomon. While many feel discouraged by Bull leading the investigation, Solomon asks for understanding and persistence, leading the crowd to burst into spontaneous song.

"What you see is what you get," Pryce tells me. "It's a very important moment to the show. It's a very personal moment, but it's filmed in a very epic way.

"We're on this wonderful, expansive beach at Barmouth. It's a chance for you to see the family coming together. I'm remembering it now and a lot of it was not scripted. As we came together, singing together, was an extraordinary moment."

For Pryce particularly, Under Salt Marsh marks a homecoming. You might not have realized it from his roles in James Bond and 3 Body Problem, but he's a Welshman through and through.

"I think telling an original story was a big part of the attraction, and the fact that it was to be filmed in North Wales, where I'm from. I've filmed in Wales quite often, but nearly always in and around Cardiff, that area.

"There's the widest fascination with murder constantly in our life, but it's a new way of telling an old story, as it were. There are only so many you can tell, and this has the background of a community that is under threat from the environment. So there's that external threat you see existing in the program, and then there's the inner turmoil in the community where the murders have taken place. There's a lot of mistrust."

Bring on episodes 3-6, I say.

I'm almost glad that Kelly Reilly laughed in my face when I told her I couldn't get over how good her English accent is in new Sky TV thriller Under Salt Marsh. I'm half joking – thanks to Yellowstone, I'd completely forgotten that the actress is British.

Under Salt Marsh marks her return to UK screens since taking on the role of the fiery and outlandish Beth Dutton in Taylor Sheridan's growing Western universe. It's only a brief respite, though, as her highly-anticipated spinoff series Dutton Ranch is due to air later in 2026 on Paramount+ (an official release date hasn't yet been announced).

This means that, short of rewatching Yellowstone from the beginning on Paramount+, Under Salt Marsh is the only new content we're getting from Reilly before it's time to saddle up... and that's a good thing.

Set on the rural Welsh coastline, the story follows former detective-turned-teacher Jackie (Reilly) who finds her young student's body, reopening a cold case from three years prior involving her missing niece, Nessa.

This means she has to work with her former police partner Eric (Rafe Spall), who divided the town while working Nessa's case. It's an understatement to say tensions between the pair are high, and it's their core relationship that means both actors have "never" done something like Under Salt Marsh before.

Not only this, but both Reilly and Spall think streaming Under Salt Marsh and Yellowstone together is the ideal double bill... and after binging both, I'm inclined to agree.

'There's such a love in coming back together to do something like this'

"I think that one of the interesting things about this show is the relationship at the center between Jackie and Eric," Spall says. "It's something you don't see that much, the platonic love story. These were people who worked together as friends, and then something has torn them apart before they're put back together under these terrible circumstances.

"They can't help the fact that they love each other, and I think that was a really lovely thing to play. One of my favorite things about doing Under Salt Marsh was acting with Kelly. We've worked together a couple of times in the past, and I've always loved it. And, you know, best thing about being an actor is other actors."

You know where else has a core company of actors who love each other (with perhaps the exception of Kevin Costner) and characters who just can't help loving each other through the bad times? That's right, Yellowstone. The two worlds couldn't be more different, but that's only to their advantage.

You can really see the themes that run through the work Reilly likes to take on, and for her, that extends to off-screen antics.

"Rafe is someone who feels very like he's belongs to my the roots of me, like he's part of that group of actors in my life," Reilly says. "So, coming back to do something like this together, there's such a there is such a love for each other and an ease. We trust each other.

"You don't have to go figure out who that person is, because I know. I've never seen you play a character like this and knock it out the park. It was lovely to be messy with each other. With the weather and the difficulties of this show, there was someone that you could be a bit grumpy with, you know, and sit in a tent and eat a bag of chips with."

Dutton Ranch is one of my most anticipated shows of 2026, and after learning more about Under Salt Marsh, my excitement has kicked up a notch. The feeling of subconscious love, family and community have always been at the heart of Taylor Sheridan's work, and both of these shows embrace the very worst of it.

Fight the FOMO now and be ready when the wild west returns, I say.

Warning: spoilers for Amadeus episode 5 ahead.

If you're a fan of the original 1984 movie or Peter Shaffer's play Amadeus, you might be wondering why Sky TV feels the need to adapt the fictional rivalry between composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri again.

Luckily for you, episode 5 answers that neatly by completely changing the ending we know from the first two versions. Don't get me wrong – we still experience the Mozart's (Will Sharpe) heartbreaking death and Salieri's (Paul Bettany) realization that he's been acting dreadfully out of pure jealousy.

But now there's more to the story. Many years later, Mozart's wife Constanze (Gabrielle Creevy) is visited by Shaffer to discuss the chance to retell the heated rivalry. After their exchange, Bettany is seen sitting alone on a stage as himself, reciting the last few lines of Shaffer's play.

Not only does this add an entirely new dimension to the infamous story, but the combination of Shaffer and Mozart's death is a massive challenge for our leading trio to tackle. They pulled it off, but not without being scared to death first.

Mozart's death scene in Amadeus episode 5 almost went completely wrong

"It was a lot actually," Bettany tells me about shooting the final scenes. "We were shooting it right at the end, and we knew that the whole thing wasn't going to work unless we got this right. And it was quite a complicated thing to get right, and I went into it with no plan of how to help it succeed.

"But what happened is that by that point, I think we all really learned to trust each other, and I and And I felt safe with them as actors. I think it worked out, though we were frightened."

Sharpe continues, "It was scary. I remember there was one scene where Constanze comes and discovers Mozart's dead body. So obviously I'm trying to hold my breath because I'm dead. And the better you were doing it, the harder it became.

"I feel like, on the first take... it wasn't crap, but it was quite quick. Then on the third take, I remember, like [Gabrielle] absolutely crushing it, and found this like wave of grief that came, and I could feel the tears burning through the sleeve. But I was also like, 'this is going really well!'"

If you're an OG Amadeus fan that is hesitant about watching it afresh... wait for this and prepare to have your mind changed.

We've been suffering from Marvel movie fatigue for a few years, but in 2026, we get a return to the franchise's crème de la crème with Wandavision spinoff VisionQuest.

Star Paul Bettany reprises his role as Vision, picking up from where we left off at the end of Wandavision. He's got a lot of questions about his own identity and memory, and if we're lucky, there might be some subtle links to Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.

But what's going to tide over our Bettany FOMO while we wait for an official release date to be announced? Introducing Amadeus, the actor's latest foray into questionable heroism that you can stream on Sky TV right now.

Granted, the concepts are a stark contrast, with Amadeus portraying the fictional rivalry between famed composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Will Sharpe) and Antonio Salieri (Bettany). But there's something obvious threading the two together: Bettany's physical transformation.

As Vision, Bettany is practically unrecognizable under all that metallic red and gray, but in Amadeus, he's aged into a 70-year-old version of himself to much the same effect.

For Bettany and co-star Gabrielle Creevy (who also gets the OAP treatment), it's the moment the new role turned from a dream into a "nightmare".

Amadeus cast were 'terrified' each time they saw their aged make-up

"Oh the make-up was a nightmare," Bettany tells me, making a concerned face when Creevy tells him that he "looked great".

"They did a great job.... I'm looking forward to looking like that in my older years," he continued.

Creevy added, "I was terrified every time I saw it and when they first put it on. I actually weirdly thought it was going to be really fun, but I had a weird reaction to seeing myself like that.

"I don't think I will age like that. Will I? Am I supposed to look like that at 70?"

This is all thanks to Amadeus' opening scene, which is a flash-forward of an aged Salieri and Constanze Mozart (Creevy). Salieri reveals to Constanze that he believes he was responsible for her husband's death many years before, setting the chain of events in motion for us to relive their heated rivalry.

We do see the pair revert back to their normal selves (well, as normal as you can be in Baroque styling), but there are still flash-forwards scattered few and far between throughout the series.

Yes, the pair have definitely looked better, but if you're all for Bettany looking outrageous while delivering an impeccable performance, Amadeus is the TV show for you.

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A few days before I started watching Amadeus, an influx of young people flooded my TikTok For You Page, playing various Bach pieces on different orchestral instruments while remixing each song with modern music. It was all thanks to a passing trend, but it did briefly make me wonder if classical musical was making a resurgence in digital pop culture.

If those same kids watch the new five-episode Sky TV series, I think they'd be astounded. Amadeus goes far beyond a musical education for the uninitiated, delving further into the supposed rivalry between composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri than previous accounts, including Miloš Forman's 1984 film.

Summing this rivalry up in one word would be easy: unhinged. The pair go far beyond the stereotypical boundaries of 'frenemies,' leaving their desperate acts of reconciliation until it's too late. I would never have paired Will Sharpe (Mozart) and Paul Bettany (Salieri) up to portray this, but their chemistry is undeniable.

What's more difficult to explain are the complexities behind this rivalry. To me, the duo's battles put me in mind of a 1700s version of Peggy Mitchell and Pat Butcher, from UK soap opera Eastenders. I'm in danger of losing non-UK readers at this point, but theirs was a connection that spanned decades, ranging from heartfelt consolation to vindictive plotting and literal fist fights. You never knew where you stood with them, and that was a big part of what made them so watchable.

It's not the best analogy I've ever come up with, but the atmosphere of palpable tension punctuated with violent outbursts means you never fully catch your breath. But, while Amadeus is narratively sound, it's visually questionable.

Sky has saved its best show of 2025 until last with Amadeus

If you look at the YouTube comments on the above video, fans of the 1979 stage play by Peter Shaffer, which he adapted for the subsequent movie, aren't pleased that the same tale is about to be retold. However, while it sometimes feels like we can hardly move for TV and film adaptations that cover familiar ground while not bringing much that's new to the party, I don't think Amadeus can be tarnished with the same brush.

Even if both those earlier versions had been flawless (and the three-hour long film is far from structurally sound, in my opinion), another adaptation would be worthwhile if it added a fresh perspective. Luckily for us, that's exactly what Amadeus does.

Without giving too much away, in addition to the story itself the TV series features Shaffer's own journey to writing his play, with the final scene of episode 5 breaking the fourth wall in a way I'm not sure I've ever seen attempted in television. Sky's creative risk-taking has flown under the radar, and the rest of the series is just as ambitious.

Sharpe effortlessly captures Mozart's supposed fiery temperament, and it's the foundation for the rest of the story's chaos. No one episode can contain the multitudes of emotions on show, with either Mozart of Salieri (or sometimes both) crumbling, celebrating, or threatening to jump out of a window (that's our unintentionally hilarious opening, so keep your eye out).

Amadeus throws everything and the kitchen sink at its storytelling, and the charged atmosphere is almost a character in itself.

Some of our cast have 'iPhone face', and that's a problem

As for the actual characters, both Sharpe and Bettany give the performance of their careers. I do wonder whether Bettany is going extra hard to distance himself from upcoming Marvel series VisionQuest, but perhaps that's just me being a franchise cynic.

Gabrielle Creevy (Constanze Mozart) also hits the right note (sorry) as the long-suffering go-between for the musical rivals, but there's something about the cast that bothers me. To me, the younger members (and by that, I mean under the age of about 40) look as though they have 'iPhone face'. What I mean by this is that, looking at them, you can escape the sense that they've seen an iPhone in their lifetime.

The makeup and costumes in Amadeus are beautiful, but they don't hide the fact that some of the cast just feel too modern. Even so, Sharpe particularly surprised me with his raucous, obscene and ridiculously arrogant take on Mozart.

The five-episode run does suffer from the classic issue of narrative lag between episodes 3 and 4, but when everything else has such a frenetic energy to it, this isn't hard to overlook. This of course includes the music, which Sharpe learned to play (rather than just flailing his hands about while the camera is carefully positioned to conceal that fact that he's not really playing).

As captivating as the scandal, drama and intricacies of Viennese society in the 18th century are, it all comes back to the music. It helps us to understand the world, Mozart and Salieri's struggles and ourselves in the process, and it's pushed me to make some conscious additions to my usual Spotify playlists. Their work is what both tortured composers ultimately wanted to be remembered for, and Amadeus certainly does them justice.

Stream Amadeus from December 21 in the UK using the below deals. Streaming platforms and release dates for other regions are yet to be confirmed.

Did you really think we'd leave Sky TV streaming deals out of our Black Friday coverage? Absolutely not – and definitely not when their deals are this unmissable.

It's often felt as though you need to choose between having Sky TV and Netflix, but Black Friday is making it even easier to have both for less money.

• See all Black Friday streaming deals

While the Black Friday offers are only available to new Sky customers, this is the perfect opportunity to cancel your outright Netflix subscription. Unsurprisingly, Netflix isn't doing any Black Friday deals this year, so this really is the cheapest way to have the best of both worlds.

And where do I even start with content recommendations? Plenty of Christmas movies are about to hit both platforms, but there's two standout shows you cannot miss: All Her Fault and Stranger Things season 5.

Today's best Sky TV Black Friday deal

Stream All Her Fault and Stranger Things season 5 with a Sky TV Black Friday deal

As luck would have it, volume 1 of Stranger Things season 5 drops on Netflix today (November 27). It's basically permission to veg out on your sofa for the whole of Black Friday weekend doing nothing but binging the first four episodes.

We've only got the first half of the season so far, but don't worry. Not only is each episode essentially a feature film in itself, but we've got two more season 5 drops still to come. In short, it covers your Christmas and New Year plans too.

Our final trip to Hawkins is pretty self-explanatory as to why we can't miss it (but who knows if Vecna can be defeated), but All Her Fault on Sky TV might have flown under your radar.

Based on the book of the same name, Marissa Irvine (Sarah Snook) goes to collect her five-year-old son from a playdate, only to find the mom looking after him is not at the address she'd been given. In fact, neither of them are anywhere to be seen.

It's a parent's worst nightmare, but for thriller lovers, there's enough twists and turns to have you constantly on the edge of your seat. The story movies at lightning pace, and while it has a dizzying effect, All Her Fault is most effective when binged in one go. So what are you waiting for?

More Sky Black Friday deals

Shop more of today's best Black Friday sales

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• Apple: iPads, AirPods & MacBooks from $119
• Best Buy: $1,000 off TVs, laptops & headphones
• Dell: laptop deals from $249.99
• Home Depot: 40% off appliances, furniture, grills & tools
• Lenovo: 45% off laptops & tablets
• Lowe's: up to 30% off appliances, holiday decor & tools
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Sky Original's Gangs of London is one of the most violent gangland dramas on TV. In fact, it's so violent, it's almost like it's set in a parallel universe – one where the usually bustling London roads are empty and a raging gang war between kingpins and crime lords can spew onto the streets without anyone blinking an eye.

It's an epic crime saga that completely immersed me, with its bloody punch-ups and chaotic shootouts genuinely making me feel as if I'm the one who has just been brutally throttled by a member of the Albanian mafia.

One thing's for sure though is that Gangs of London season 3 definitely doesn't shy away from the gore-fest. The violence kicks off in episode 1 with a savage fairground battle and a church gunfight in episode 4, but a tense stalk-and-slaughter scenario in episode 5 is where it really sets the precedence for Gangs of London's 'blood opera' – and I can't stop thinking about how unhinged it is.

An umbil-ievable murder

*Contains major spoilers for Gangs of London season 3*

After Kurdish freedom fighter Lale's (Narges Rashidi) ultra-violent fight for survival from Asif Afridi (Asif Raza Mir) in season 2, she comes to blows with the Pakistani gangster and his gun-toting men once again in one of the most imaginative murders yet.

During Gangs of London season 3, we discover that Lale is pregnant with Sean Wallace's (Joe Cole) baby. Instead of killing her, Asif decides to use her pregnancy and her connection to one of the most powerful drug families to his advantage in a bid to gain control of London's underworld.

After being held hostage in Lahore, Lale ends up back in London and manages to escape Asif by hiding in an empty office block. If trying to evade capture from Asif's armed henchmen wasn't hard enough, her potential death turns into a new life when she unexpectedly goes into labour.

Barricading herself in an office while the men are hot on her tail, she self-delivers her baby (shooting one of Asif's men in the process), before going on the run by climbing into the vents with her newborn still attached to her.

Poor Lale has already gone through one of the most painful experiences, but her suffering doesn't stop there as she (now, you need a strong stomach for this part) bites off her umbilical cord and pulls out her placenta.

With her baby crying, she knows her time is nearly up to protect her infant at all costs and the insane cat-and-mouse chase eventually culminates into a stomach-churning conclusion. In a desperate bid to survive, Lale pounces on one goon and strangles him to death with her freshly severed umbilical cord while her minutes-old baby lies nearby.

Gangs of London is utterly ludicrous and completely farfetched, but I've got to admire the inventive action sequences in all its pugilistic glory. Thanks to director Kim Hong-Sun, he's conjured up a memorable and unique fight scene that will definitely remain with me for years to come.

All eight episodes of Gangs of London season 3 launched as a box set on Sky Atlantic and the streaming service NOW on March 20 in the UK and Stan in Australia. While season 3 is currently unavailable to stream in the US, Gangs of London seasons 1-2 are available to stream on Netflix in the US.

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Andrew Koji is no stranger to the bullets and bloodshed of action-packed thrillers, so it's only right for him to star in one of the most violent gangland dramas around: the Sky Original, Gangs of London season 3.

Koji previously starred in Netflix's hit spy thriller Black Doves, crime drama Warrior and the action blockbuster Bullet Train. But in Gangs of London season 3, the actor and martial artist is showing off his brutal brawling skills as mysterious assassin, Zeek.

The third season of the show sees former undercover cop Elliot Carter (Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù) replace Sean Wallace (Joe Cole) as the drug kingpin of London after sending him to prison. However, life at the top becomes far more dangerous when a batch of cocaine is spiked and kills hundreds of people.

Not only does this trigger a war on drugs for the Mayor of London Simone Thearle (T'Nia Miller), but it also sparks catastrophic conflict between rival gangs as they try to expose which one of them is responsible for the spiking. This is where Koji's moody hitman character comes in to shake up the battle for London, as he mercilessly slaughters gang members left, right and centre.

Zeek operates as a lone wolf and has no loyalties to anyone, with his murderous actions having a huge impact on the top dogs of the criminal enterprises. Speaking exclusively to TechRadar, Koji described Zeek as "the human Terminator" who unleashes turmoil on the gangs.

He told me: "He gets thrown in like a hand grenade or the human Terminator. He enters the world of Gangs of London, he's thrown into the mix and his arrival causes all sorts of chaos. He doesn't have any true allegiances to anyone."

Although, his connections to the gangs may run deeper than we think, as he added: "He's a man who seems to come from nowhere, although throughout the show we will find out who or who he may not be connected to and what his motivations are."

Wince-inducing fight scenes

Gangs of London is known for its savage punch-ups and chaotic shootouts, with jaw-dropping fight scenes that genuinely make you wince. Gangs of London season 3 certainly doesn't shy away from the gore-fest as Zeek and Elliot come to blows in an epic fight for survival.

"I got to do a pretty intense fight scene with Ṣọpẹ́. Elliot and Zeek do come clashing head to head and I get to dance with Ṣọpẹ́, who's a very gifted physical actor, but also a thinking actor. We got to punch the s**t out of each other for three, four days straight," Koji said of their fight sequence together.

Not only do the crazy fight scenes serve as bloodbath entertainment, there's also motivation and a reason behind the sheer violence. "I think with Ṣọpẹ́ being a smart actor we make sure the motivation and the intention of the fight is there and that the emotions are there. Obviously for Elliot, it's very high stakes.

"He's like a wild animal coming out the gates full of rage. He thinks that Zeek's killed his family, whereas Zeek is playing a very different thing. He's more of a strategist and he's more on the defensive, so to get to do that fight scene was very fun," he said.

These choreographed scenes do come with its challenges though as Koji found himself in a battle against the camera equipment (which he won by the way). "The Gangs of London camera style is very up close and personal, especially when it comes to the fights.

"Whereas sometimes I'm more used to wider shots and all that stuff, but this is very up close and one time I did smack a lens hood which went flying. It got obliterated. So we were doing a fight with Ṣọpẹ́, it got really up close and I turned around and the camera was right there and boom, the camera lens hood went flying into pieces," he shared.

Koji "jumped at the chance" to play Zeek as he hadn't seen anyone of his ethnicity play a character like that when he first started out in acting at a younger age.

"To play a character like Zeek, who's interesting, nuanced, bit different but it's got these layers to him," Koji revealed about what appealed to him most about the role. "Andrew that's half my age, just starting out in acting, at the time I don't think I saw an actor of my ethnicity playing a role like this on TV that's integrated and woven into the story in such a way, so I jumped at that chance."

Gangs of London vs Black Doves

Before starring as the bloodthirsty Zeek in Gangs of London, Koji appeared in the hugely popular Netflix spy thriller Black Doves alongside Keira Knightley. In it, he plays Jason Davies, a Ministry of Justice civil servant and secret lover of Knightley's spy character Helen Webb. When Jason is assassinated, Helen uncovers a government conspiracy as she goes on a mission to find out who killed him.

Koji told me how being in Gangs of London compared to being in Black Doves and how he filmed them both at the same time.

"It’s a different job, slightly different genre. One’s a spy thriller, this one is obviously an action crime drama. I was shooting them both at the same time actually. Sometimes I would come from the Gangs of London set straight to the Black Doves set at night, so I was shooting them side by side and having to hopefully channel different characters," he said.

"Gangs of London is a ground-breaking action thriller show mixed with brutal action and gripping family drama set in this London setting. They're both set in London, but this one's got more of a heightened stylized London I'd say. It's the character as well, which is hopefully different, so I guess there's some similarities, some differences."

All eight episodes of Gangs of London 3 launched as a box set on Sky Atlantic and the streaming service NOW on March 20 in the UK and Stan in Australia. While season 3 is currently unavailable to stream in the US, Gangs of London seasons 1-2 are available to stream on Netflix in the US.

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• Sky expands its Warner Bros. Discovery partnership in the UK and Ireland
• Existing content agreement to be extended until early 2026
• Sky and Now customers will get more Max content for free after launch

Max's global rollout is picking up pace as Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) inks a new deal with Sky to expand its content partnership in the UK and Ireland.

The companies' existing deal was due to expire at the end of 2025, but will instead be extended until early 2026 under the new agreement, which is when WBD had previously said it plans to launch in the UK.

After Max debuts as a standalone app in the region (the UK, Germany, and Italy are among the last remaining countries where it hasn't yet launched in Europe), Sky has said that the new partnership will mean that it can bundle the service at no extra cost to subscribers.

This means that Sky and Now customers will get access to Max's ad-supported plan, which includes the ability to stream simultaneously on two devices in Full HD for free when it eventually launches in the UK and Ireland at some point in 2026.

What can Sky and Now customers expect?

For now, Sky and Now customers will continue to see some of the best Max shows and movies, including House of the Dragon, The White Lotus, and The Last of Us, which are available on their streaming apps as usual.

That will change slightly in 2026 when Max finally launches as a standalone app in the UK and Ireland. When this happens, Sky and Now customers will instead have to navigate to a new dedicated section to access HBO and Max Originals.

This will be similar to other Sky packages, which include additional access to the best streaming services like Netflix and Paramount Plus. Most crucially, the deal also means customers will get access to more content for free, including the highly-anticipated Harry Potter reboot.

"This [agreement] will enable Max immediately at launch to be available to millions of passionate video subscribers, and separately be available to the more than 20 million other broadband households in the territories through Max direct to consumer and other partnerships," WBD's Andrew Georgiou said.

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• The Day of the Jackal has broken a Sky viewing record by becoming the broadcaster's biggest new series ever
• The first episode reached an audience of 4.5 million after 26 viewing days in the UK
• 2024 has been Sky Original drama's best performing year in its history

After being renewed for season 2, The Day of the Jackal has achieved another milestone as the espionage thriller is the biggest new series to ever launch on Sky.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the first episode reached a UK audience of 4.5 million after 26 viewing days, which makes The Day of the Jackal the most popular new series ever on Sky. Amongst the top 10 Sky shows this year at the time of writing, The Day of the Jackal beat the likes of House of the Dragon season 2, True Detective season 4, and The Penguin to the top spot.

2024 has been a hugely successful year for the broadcaster with Sky Original dramas achieving its best performance in Sky's history with the likes of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Sweetpea and The Day of the Jackal all being watched by an audience of over two million when they launched.

Cécile Frot-Coutaz, CEO of Sky Studios and Chief Content Officer for Sky told the publication: “This year marks our best performing year for Sky Original drama in our history, which is particularly gratifying at a time when audiences are spoiled for choice. It’s a privilege to bring Sky customers such compelling, high-calibre programming, and I’m excited to show our audiences what is coming next.”

How did The Day of the Jackal do on Peacock?

The Day of the Jackal has proven to be a huge hit since it aired on Peacock in the US and Sky in the UK, receiving an 85% Rotten Tomatoes score. On Peacock, the show didn't break a streaming record as huge as Sky, but it still did extremely well as it became the number one most-watched show on the streamer and was a top five streaming original in the US for its opening weekend, as per Nielsen data.

Based on Frederick Forsyth's 1971 novel of the same name, The Day of the Jackal stars Eddie Redmayne as elusive assassin the Jackal. When he's hired to kill a powerful tech tycoon for a huge fee, the Jackal soon becomes embroiled in a cat-and-mouse chase with determined MI6 agent Bianca (Lashana Lynch) who will stop at nothing to take him down.

If that facts and figures aren't enough to prove how successful the show is, The Day of the Jackal has since been renewed for season 2. However, since the finale is yet to air on December 12, there are no plot details or whether Redmayne and Lynch will reprise their roles just yet.

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Black Friday may be behind us with Cyber Monday streaming deals slowly fading in the rear view, but the deals just keep on coming. After some excellent Sky offerings over the weekend, Sky has now unveiled a brand new entry-level package, which is perfect for those looking to upgrade their streaming game.

The new deal brings together some of the best TV out there bundling over 100 channels, including Sky Atlantic, with Netflix and Discovery Plus for just £15 a month (in a 24-month contract) and is available to new customers with either Sky Stream or Sky Glass.

Sky Stream, aka one of the best streaming devices, is the broadcaster’s plug and play option that streams all your content straight over Wi-Fi and connecting to your existing set. Meanwhile, Sky Glass is a UHD Quantum Dot TV with a Dolby Atmos soundbar and Sky TV built in.

Both options offer viewers all their streaming apps in one place, as well as voice control, meaning you don’t even need the remote to find the movies and shows you love. Going for the Sky Glass option will cost an additional £14 a month, but streamlines everything into one gorgeous TV set.

What other Sky bundles are there?

Sky is still offering its 'Ultimate' bundle, which includes everything in the 'Essential' pack, plus even more Sky channels such as Sky Max, Sky Comedy and Sky Showcase.

If you don’t want to commit to any lengthy contracts, both the 'Essential' and 'Ultimate' packages are available on a 31-day rolling basis for just a few quid more at £18 and £25, respectively.

Even better, you can now check out all the tech before you buy, thanks to Sky’s brand new partnership with Currys. All the above deals are available in store, so if you’d sooner shop on the high street than over the phone or online, you can pop along to your nearest store and enjoy the same great value deals you’d get direct from Sky.

With the festive season well and truly here, the timing of Sky’s absolute bargain bundle deal couldn’t be better. Netflix have stuffed our stocking full of Christmas offerings this year, with the likes of Hot Frosty, The Merry Gentlemen and Our Little Secret starring Christmas queen herself Lindsay Lohan. There’s also festive actioner Carry-On (which isn’t linked to the Boxing Day favourite comedy series) and spy thriller Black Doves.

Sky Atlantic meanwhile have plenty to binge over the holidays with Dune: Prophecy and Day of the Jackal topping our Christmas list. You can also enjoy some old favourites from the prestige TV world such as Game of Thrones, The Leftovers and The Sopranos as well as newer hits like House of the Dragon and Succession. But that’s not all, because with Discovery Plus now included in Sky’s bundles you can spend your festive down time enjoying some of the best lifestyle, nature and reality shows out there.

It’s a bargain price for endless amounts of TV to see you through the festive period and beyond, so give a gift to yourself this Christmas and unwrap one of the best deals we’ve seen in ages.

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• Peacock and Sky have renewed The Day of the Jackal for season 2
• The Day of the Jackal has been a huge success in both the US and UK following its launch
• No other details about season 2 have been revealed yet

My day has been made as The Day of the Jackal has been renewed for a second season at Peacock and Sky.

The espionage thriller has been a successful hit on both sides of the pond since it aired on Peacock in the US and Sky in the UK, earning an impressive 84% Rotten Tomatoes score from the critics. The series became the number one most-watched show on Peacock and was a top five streaming original in the US for its opening weekend, according to Nielsen data. Meanwhile, it has become Sky's biggest original of all time, with 3 millions views in one week.

The Day of the Jackal is a modern day reimagining of Frederick Forsyth's 1971 novel of the same name. The 10-part series follows an extraordinarily elusive assassin, the Jackal (Eddie Redmayne), who carries out hits for the highest fee. After pulling off an impressive kill in Munich, he's hired to assassinate a powerful tech tycoon, but he soon meets his match in determined MI6 agent Bianca (Lashana Lynch) as she tails the elite contract killer in a gripping cat-and-mouse chase across Europe.

What can we expect in The Day of the Jackal season 2?

Since The Day of the Jackal is still releasing new episodes in both the US and UK, there's no news just yet regarding plot details for season 2, whether Redmayne and Lynch will reprise their roles, or when we can expect it to return to our screens.

The Day of the Jackal was previously adapted into a 1973 feature film, which saw Edward Fox play the titular Jackal, a hitman who is hired by the French militant far-right to assassinate president Charles de Gaulle in 1963.

Now 27 years later, Sky and Peacock have put a contemporary twist on the source material, which I think has really paid off thanks to the team of executive producers on board, which include Ronan Bennett, Gareth Neame, Nigel Marchant, Brian Kirk, Sam Hoyle, Sue Naegle and Marianne Buckland.

In an interview with GQ, executive producers Neame and Marchant revealed that they were initially hesitant to develop this iconic story into a TV series, but it was too good of an opportunity to turn down. "We both loved the book, and we saw the film when we were kids - I’ve seen the film many times through my life, and always really respected it. It’s such an iconic, gripping story, that to revisit that in a contemporary context, with all the benefits of a multi-episodic show … we thought that would be really interesting to take this much-respected IP and develop it this way” they shared.

With The Day of the Jackal armed for another season, there's one thing that I'm hoping for – more espionage thrills, spills, and kills.

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• Live Sync reduces the latency on live broadcasts by 22 seconds
• Available for Sky Glass and Sky Stream customers
• Option can be enabled on Sky Sports Main Event

Good news, sports fans: Sky is rolling out an upgrade that reduces the delay on live event broadcasts for Sky Glass and Sky Stream customers. The new opt-in Live Sync feature cuts latency in Sky Sports by approximately 22 seconds, so what you’re watching is much closer to real time.

Viewers streaming live events via broadband will now wait just eight seconds between something happening on the pitch and it appearing on their screen. That’s significantly shorter than the 30-second delay previously experienced by Sky Glass and Sky Stream subscribers.

Live Sync is only available on the Sky Sports Main Event channel for now, but it’s still a big step forward in terms of the streaming experience. It means that streamers will encounter essentially the same viewing delay as they would if watching a Sky Q or Sky+ HD broadcast via satellite.

It also means a much lower chance of spoilers. If your Premier League team sticks one in the back of the net, you’ll be cheering at the same time as your neighbours watching on satellite. Eight seconds also leaves a lot less time for a live score notification to pop up on your smartphone.

What is Sky Sports Live Sync?

Viewers watching Sky Sports via broadband currently encounter a delay upwards of 30 seconds between a ball being kicked in a real life and footage reaching their screen. There are various reasons for this, all of which relate to the conversion and transfer of video files through data cables across the UK.

Live Sync is a new feature that cuts this delay down to just eight seconds. It’s an optional upgrade which can be enabled on the Sky Sports Main Event channel.

Sky hasn’t revealed the technical advancements behind its low-latency upgrade. It seems most likely that the efficiencies will have been found in the way that Sky processes video data from live sports events, to reduce file sizes and increase data transfer speeds.

How to turn on Sky Sports Live Sync

If you’re a Sky Stream or Sky Glass user, you can experience Live Sync today. There are three ways to enable the setting:

• Tune in to Sky Sports Main Event and select the Live Sync button which pops up on screen
• Navigate to the low-latency channels in the Sky TV Guide on Glass or Stream (921 for HD and 922 for Ultra HD broadcasts)
• Use your Sky voice remote to request “Sky Sports Main Event Low Latency” or “Sky Sports Main Event Live Sync”

Where is Sky's Live Sync available?

At present, Live Sync is only available in the UK for broadcasts on Sky Sports Main Event. Sky has plans to roll out the low-latency feature across more of its channels in the future, although it’s not clear which channels or when.

It’s worth noting that Live Sync is a Sky technology, so it’s unlikely to be made available for non-Sky channels which you can watch via Sky Glass or Sky Stream.

We’ve reached out to Sky to confirm whether the feature will also be available for customers who watch sport via its Now TV streaming service, and will update this article if and when we hear back.

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If you're in the market to upgrade your TV or streaming device and you've been holding out all year to see what Black Friday deals come your way, we've come across a deal that we think could tick a lot of boxes for you. For the first time, you can now get Sky Glass or Sky Stream with Sky TV and Netflix for just £33 a month at Currys.

• See the full Black Friday sale at Currys

Previously, you had only been able to buy Sky Glass or Sky Stream if you went direct to Sky, but now the company has struck a deal with Currys, and, you can now buy Sky Glass in over 200 of their stores across the UK and from the Curry’s website.

To celebrate the fact that Sky is finally letting their proudest creation be sold by other retailers, Currys are offering a bundle where you can get a Netflix subscription on top of your Sky Glass and Sky’s Ultimate TV offer for £33 a month.

Today’s best Sky Glass deal

You can pick up the offer in-store now, or online from November 7th, but don’t hang around, because you’ve only got until December 3rd to take advantage of the deal.

Normally, Sky Glass is £14 a month, with Sky’s Ultimate TV offer costing £19 a month, so there’s basically giving you Netflix’s ad-supported subscription away from free, and just in time for the return of Squid Game season 2, one of the best Netflix shows. So that’s a brand new 4K UHD Quantum Dot TV with a Dolby Atmos soundbar, Netflix, over 140 Sky Channels, and no need for a box or a dish. It sounds pretty good to us.

If you're wondering what Sky Glass is, it's the broadcast giant's all-in-one smart TV with Sky’s subscription platform and streaming apps built-in. There's no need for a dish or a box, it's all contained within the TV itself.

When Sky Glass launched, back in the summer of 2022, Steve May, one of TechRadar’s resident correspondents in the hunt for the best 4K Televisions, was hugely impressed. In his Sky Glass review, he gave the TV four stars and called its launch "...a paradigm shift that’s set to shake up the whole premium TV market".

The timing could not be better if you're craving some festive viewing. Netflix always goes the extra mile when it comes to Christmas movies, and this year they've got the likes of Lindsay Lohan, Chad Michael Murray and Richard Curtis all bringing brand new festive romantic comedies to the streaming service.

As well as this, there's also the launch of the hugely anticipated new Keira Knightley-led spy drama, Black Doves, which has escaped the Netflix cancelation curse and is already booked for a second season. Make sure to check our list of the best Netflix movies for more.

That's not to forget Sky's offering too, there's their lavish reboot of Day of the Jackal, which stars Eddie Redmayne, and the Dune spin-off drama, Dune: Prophecy, which has the legions of fans of Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi epic hugely excited.

If you're unsure about the deal, and you're wondering what else Netflix and Sky have to offer in terms of drama and movies. We've got full guides to help you decide: check out our best Netflix movies, best Netflix shows, and best Sky shows lists.

The new football season is almost here and we've got an incredible deal for any sports fans out there. From 8 August, you can grab this bundle of Sky Sports, Sky TV and Netflix for just £43 per month (was £52) – now that's excellent value.

This deal will include Sky Sports +, a new offering that will deliver "50% more sport" to Sky Sports subscribers for free – this includes four times more matches from the English Football League. This will mean that all 72 EFL teams – spanning the Championship, League 1 and League 2 – will have at least 20 of their matches featured on live TV this season, giving some much-needed air time to sides lower down the footballing pyramid. 

If football isn't your thing though, fear not – there'll be plenty of action from the Rugby Super League, ATP & WTA tennis Tours, PGA, LPGA and DP World Tour events, F1, and so much more. That's not to mention the inclusion of both Sky TV channels and a Netflix subscription, ensuring that there's something for the whole family to enjoy. 

Today's best Sky Sports, Sky TV & Netflix deal

A crucial aspect of this deal is that it's only available to new Sky TV customers with either a Sky Stream Puck (and a TV with an HDMI port) or a Sky Glass TV. 

At the moment, you can grab a Sky Glass TV for just £14 a month, so if you're in the market for a new TV, it could be worth grabbing this as well as taking advantage of the excellent Sky Sports bundle deal. In our Sky Glass review, we loved the quick and easy all-in-one streaming experience on offer, which removes the need for a dish or aerial, making it a very solid option in a competitive market. 

The addition of Sky TV and Netflix make this a truly unmissable offer in my view. Despite changes made to its subscription model in recent years, we still class Netflix as the Best Streaming Service for Most People in our guide to the best streaming service. Even though this bundle offers the basic plan with ads, you're still getting access to thousands of incredible TV shows and movies – many of which are unavailable through Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and other competitors.

Sky has announced that it is planning to raise the monthly pricing of several of its TV packages from April 1, 2024, with some add-ons set to cost up to £3 extra a month. In an email sent to customers on Friday, March 8, Sky informed subscribers that several of its TV packages, including add-ons, would be subject to monthly price increases. 

The affected packages and subscriptions – including Sky Ultimate TV, which is Sky’s basic streaming entertainment package with Netflix – are listed below, alongside the monthly increase:

• Sky Ultimate TV + £2.00 
• Sky Kids + £1.00 
• Sky Sports + £3.00 
• Whole Home + £1.00 
• Sky Cinema + £3.00 

This comes at a time when many of the best streaming services are raising their prices or introducing ad-tier plans for the same price of what was a basic ad-free plan. Recently, it was suggested that we could see another price hike from Netflix this year and that you now have to pay extra to stream Prime Video without ads. Disney Plus also raised its prices from £7.99 to £10.99 in the UK for its 4K compatible plan.  

Costly for some  

Although it doesn’t seem like Sky’s price hike is too much more than other recent changes to rival services, some Sky users will have all of these packages, meaning they’ll be paying an extra £10 a month or £120 a year. If you’re signed up for the whole suite of Sky services, including all the above subscriptions, then it would cost you £78 a month or £936 a year.

Admittedly, there may not be that many signed up to the complete Sky package , but for an already pricey subscription service, adding up to an extra £10 a month to your bills if you have all these services is costly. That’s not even including the UHD and Dolby Atmos add-ons, which allow you to watch in 4K – these cost an extra £6 a month. 

With over 23 million subscribers in six countries (it’s unclear how many are UK based), the price rise  could land Sky some serious money. It’s worth noting that in the email sent to customers, it noted that Sports subscribers can expect over 8,000 extra hours of content this year, including more football, tennis, rugby matches, for example, so the extra investment may be worth it. But, for some Sky TV customers, it’s still a very tough pill to swallow. 

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Sky has unveiled a new smart camera with a bunch of additional services and features for its Sky Glass TV entertainment package, including the ability to make video calls, play interactive games, share your TV screen with loved ones and even exercise. 

Sky Live is a 130g camera that you can magnetically connect to the top of your Sky Glass TV via HDMI and USB-C ports, which unlocks loads of new services by giving you the ability to interact with your display screen. 

Sky’s global chief product officer Fraser Stirling says that Sky Live has been in the making since they first launched Sky Glass in 2021. Below, we’ll detail how it works, what the four new features are and how much it is.

What is Sky Live and how does it work? 

Sky Live aims to make your TV smarter, more social and interactive all at once. Key to making this possible is a camera device with a 12MP RGB HDR-capable wide-angle lens, which has a 110° horizontal field of view and 93° vertical field of view.

The camera itself supports 4K resolution, has an in-built microphone and a wide aperture for dark conditions, as well as clever features like auto framing and body tracking. And to make sure you know when the camera is being used, it also has a white light indicator and a button on the device to disconnect it. 

But what’s most exciting about the camera isn't the camera itself but what it allows you to do with your TV, including working out, making calls, sharing your screen and playing games. It will also come with a new interface that will have a Continue Watching playlist that amalgamates all your streaming services, similar to what Apple TV 4K has. 

Take a video call on your TV

With such a high spec camera being developed, you can probably guess that video calls would be one of the core features that Sky Live would bring. The company has partnered with Zoom, like so many other brands recently – just this week it was announced that Sony TVs will soon support Zoom video calls. 

And while you’ll be able to take calls through your TV, the person who’s calling you doesn’t have to do this through another Sky Live device. They’ll be able to call you on other devices, like phones, tablets and laptops through the Zoom app.  

You’ll be able to start a call directly from the contact panel and if you have to leave the house, then there’s also the ability to switch the call to a different device so you can continue speaking while on the move. 

There will also be a Video Booth, with 40 AI filters to choose from, including those from familiar animation movies. Plus, you can also record or take a picture in 16:9 or 1:1 (a square crop) using the Zoom app, which you’ll be able to share with family and friends through a QR code. 

Share your screen with other households 

Like in a Zoom call where you can share a work presentation with others, you’ll also be able to share your screen with family and friends while watching a video, movie, TV show or sports game together through a new feature called Watch Together.  

The shared screen syncs with other Sky Glass TV owners, allowing anyone who is watching to pause, skip, rewind and play no matter who started the video. It also has smart audio features that can dynamically focus on who’s speaking. 

This new feature will work across all of Sky’s content, including Sky Q, meaning you’ll be able to watch any type of video by creating a room or joining a room. You’ll also be able to use Watch Together in either Sky Showcase or through what you’re watching by sharing a nine-digit code.   

There is a limit to how many people can use Watch Together though. This is capped at 12 households and can only show four video feeds, but there are different view options that allow you to adjust the visibility of the video feeds on your screen.

Play games on your TV

Sky Live is also launching a new gaming service, with 27 games and experiences across 14 apps. Similar to how a lot of Nintendo Wii games worked, these games use motion tracking and gesture control to allow you to become the remote or controller. 

Games such as Fruit Ninja and Whac-A-Mole are well suited to this type of interaction and will be available at launch. But there will also be games like Monopoly available, with multiplayer capabilities – you'll be able to play with up to eight people at a time. 

All the games are integrated across Sky's ecosystem and the developer's apps themselves, allowing you to play across different devices. Developers are rolling out new games too – Nex, for instance, is launching four games and has 10 more in development.     

Workout with your TV

One of the most exciting services that will be exclusive to Sky Live is a new fitness app called Mvmnt. What's unique about it is that it uses the camera's body tracking technology to analyse and give you real-time feedback on your workout, just like a coach.

And with more than 30 points on your body being tracked, the feedback corrections on your form are very detailed. It uses this information to create a fitness profile for you so that you can master your technique, vary your workouts, track your progress and set new goals.   

In fact, like services such as Peloton, there will be 10 trainers that will offer different workouts. The app is launching with more than 130 exercises to begin with, including HIIT, yoga, strength training and more. 

How much is Sky Live? 

Sky Live comes packed with quite a lineup of perks for everyone in the household and together with Sky Glass TV is looking to combine the experience of one of the best TVs with one of the best streaming services and best webcams. So, when can you buy it? 

As of today, customers in the UK will be able to order Sky Live and Sky Glass in a bundle for £17 per month under a promotional offer with a credit agreement of 48 months. The Sky Ultimate TV bundle will normally cost £26 a month under an 18 month contract. 

On its own, Sky Live is priced at £6 a month for a 48 month credit agreement length or £12 a month for 12 months. There’s also the option to buy it outright for £290, but when considering that Sky Live is designed for Sky Glass, you’ll by default want both. 

As a result, if you’re already paying £14 a month as part of your 48 month credit agreement length for Sky Glass, then Sky Live does bump up your bill by quite a bit. But if you're likely to get a lot of use out of the additional features, then it is worth considering.   

When Sky launched its coaster-sized streaming puck, Sky Stream, in October last year, the company pledged to preserve the longevity of the device by improving its functionality through software updates on a regular basis. 

Now, as promised, Sky has announced yet another suite of free upgrades heading the operating system that supports both Sky Stream and Sky Glass in the UK and Ireland.

Entertainment OS 1.1 – which Sky says will have rolled out to all Sky Stream and Sky Glass customers by February 4 – brings Personalised Playlists, new voice commands and upgraded Bluetooth functionality to Sky’s wire-free entertainment experience. The software update comes just one month after Sky introduced a significant picture quality upgrade for Sky Glass.

Personalised Playlists allow users to create up to five unique playlists, making it easier to separate – or combine – the preferences of individuals in a single household. As before, Playlists can be added using the ‘+’ button on the Sky Stream or Sky Glass remote. 

The platforms’ voice command capabilities have been upgraded, too. Users can now begin (or jump back into) specific movies and TV shows by simply saying “Play”, while generic franchise terms – think “Harry Potter” or “Twilight” – will bring up dedicated collection pages.

All major movies and TV shows on Sky Stream and Sky Glass will also now feature a Cast and Crew rail, which should allow users to more easily delve into the back catalogue of a specific actor or director (by comparison, navigating to similar pages on Sky Q is a much more drawn-out process). 

And finally, Sky Glass users will soon be able to listen to show and movies via Bluetooth headphones while the same thing continues to play through the TV’s speakers. Sky says this feature is intended for customers who are hard of hearing – but it’ll also come as good news for anyone who prefers to watch their movies on a higher (or lower) volume than everyone else in the room. 

Analysis: Improved value-for-money?

Sky has (often rightly) been criticized for charging significantly more for its entertainment products than comparable providers in the UK – but it’s hard to argue against the company’s commitment to providing customers with bang for their buck over time.

As mentioned, Sky rolled out a significant – and, crucially, free – picture quality upgrade for its satellite-free TV offering in December last year, which added noticeable improvements to contrast ratio, brightness and colour accuracy.

Then, only a few weeks ago, the brand added yet another streaming service, Discovery Plus, to its growing roster of free-to-access entertainment apps in the UK and Ireland – a move that followed the striking of similar deals for Peacock and Paramount Plus in November 2021 and August 2022, respectively (and you could already get Netflix bundled in).

What with Top Gun: Maverick, The Last of Us and Rian Johnson's Poker Face all now streaming through those various platforms, there's an argument to be made that (and whisper it quietly) a Sky subscription might be actually be a good value-for-money proposition in 2023. 

If you’re keen to upgrade your existing Sky entertainment package, or looking to become a new Sky customer, check out our roundup of the best Sky TV deals available now.

Sky has added yet another streaming service to its growing roster of free-to-access entertainment apps.

Sky Q, Sky Glass and Sky Stream customers in the UK and Ireland can now sign up for Discovery Plus – which usually costs £6.99 per month – as part of their monthly Sky subscription packages at no extra cost. 

The Warner Bros. Discovery-owned platform features a vast slate of documentaries, reality series, exclusive original productions and, most notably, coverage of live sports events including the Australian Open, the Tour de France and the Olympic Games. 

As of January 16, customers can access Discovery Plus via the Sky Apps rail, or by saying “Get Discovery Plus” to their Sky Glass TV or Sky Q/Sky Stream voice remote. Sky says customers who are already signed up to the 12-month Discovery Plus Entertainment pass “will be automatically upgraded” to give them access to the service on an ongoing basis.

The move to bundle Discovery Plus into premium Sky packages follows the striking of similar deals for Peacock and Paramount Plus in the UK. In November 2021, the former became available to all Sky customers at no extra cost, while the latter was added to Sky Cinema subscriptions on Sky Glass and Sky Q for free in August last year. 

The addition of Discovery Plus into Sky Q, Glass, and Stream packages, then, doesn’t come as much of a surprise, especially since Warner Bros. Discovery plans to merge HBO Max with Discovery Plus in the US sometime this summer (Sky Atlantic is, for all intents and purposes, the UK equivalent of HBO Max).  

An uncertain future

Interestingly, Warner Bros. Discovery’s latest four-year contract with Sky – which allows the latter to broadcast HBO-produced shows like Succession, House of the Dragon and The Last of Us – is due to expire in 2025, and it’s currently unclear whether the former will look to renew the pair’s long-standing partnership. 

If Warner Bros. Discovery does decide to end its relationship with Sky, it’ll likely look to launch its upcoming HBO Max/Discovery Plus super-streamer on this side of the pond. For now, though, Sky Q, Glass and Stream customers can enjoy the content offered by HBO Max, Discovery Plus, Peacock, and Paramount Plus at no extra cost. 

If you’re keen to upgrade your existing Sky entertainment package, or looking to become a new Sky customer, check out our roundup of the best Sky TV deals available now. 

Watch out, Sky customers, as you might have to start paying extra if you want to keep fast-forwarding through those annoying adverts you’ve been skipping. 

One of the main benefits of services like Sky is that you can catch up on the live TV you’ve missed, and better yet you can skip over the adverts that you’d normally have to sit through. Unfortunately, the latter feature is about to change as Sky seems to be following in the footsteps of Netflix and is getting its own version of an ad-supported tier – the only difference is that this one costs the same as what you’re already paying. 

Sky introduced the Ad Skipping TV pack earlier this year and bundled it for free with Sky Glass and Sky Stream contracts as part of an “introductory offer”. However, a change to this that happened on November 29 now means that new Sky Glass and Sky Stream customers will no longer be able to skip through adverts when watching TV using Sky’s Restart (Watch from start), Playlist, and Sky on Demand features; unless you pay an additional £5 per month that is. These Sky customers also won't be able to skip through ads when watching content on the ITVX, STV Player, and All4 TV apps without this new add-on – or without paying for the platforms’ ad-free subscriptions separately. 

However, Sky has told us that all customers (whether you pay for the Ad Skipping TV pack or not) will be able to fast-forward through ads and catch up with a live broadcast if you used the Live Pause feature to halt it. 

What seems particularly egregious about this change is that the now paid-for version of the Ad Skipping TV pack doesn't give you any new benefits, it just puts what you already had behind a paywall. You (understandably) won’t be able to fast forward through ads when watching a live broadcast, and you also won’t be able to skip through ads on services beyond those listed above (so Spotify and YouTube ads will pester you unless you sign up to their ad-free subscriptions).

Thankfully the new fee won’t affect everyone right away.

If you bought a Sky Glass TV before November 29, 2022, and you are still under your initial contract with Sky you’ll be able to skip ads as normal for now. When your current contract term ends though then you’ll have to renegotiate with Sky and decide if you want to pay that additional £5 per month fee for the same privileges.

The same goes for people with Sky Stream contracts from before November 29, 2022; while you are still under those terms you can skip ads as normal but when it ends you’ll lose the feature unless you cough up for the add-on.

Lastly, Sky Q customers aren’t currently affected, with Sky confirming to us that it doesn’t have any plans to roll out the Ad Skipping pack to these customers. So if you're on this package you don't need to worry about paying extra to skip ads for now.

However, if you’re looking to join Sky, or have to renegotiate your contract with it, then you’ll be faced with the £5 monthly fee for the ad-skipping perk (unless you opt for Sky Q). That said if you are an existing customer we’d recommend trying to negotiate with Sky over the phone as you might be able to convince it to waive the Ad Skipping TV pack fee, at least for a little while longer.

Looking to abandon Sky after this latest development? Why not check out some of the best streaming services as alternatives?

It’s been a whole year since Sky launched its long-awaited, satellite-free TV offering, Sky Glass, in the UK – and now the company is bringing the streaming-based benefits of Glass to those who’d rather not shell out for a whole new TV.

Sky Stream, which was first announced back in April, is essentially Sky Glass condensed into a drinks coaster-sized streaming puck. By plugging one of these devices into your current home display via HDMI, you’ll get access to all the channels, shows and apps currently offered by Sky – including Sky Atlantic and Netflix – through Wi-Fi alone, eliminating the need for an external dish. 

You’ll be able to stream content in up to 4K HDR and Dolby Atmos audio (should your existing TV be capable of doing so), and because Sky Stream uses the same software as Sky Glass, you’ll get access to the latter’s playlist and recommendation features, as well as its voice control functionality (save for Glass’ remote-less voice control option).

Sky Stream launches on October 18, 2022 for a minimum £26 per month. At that price, you’ll get Sky Ultimate TV, Netflix Basic and a discounted setup fee (£20), but you’ll be tied into an 18-month contract. If you’d rather go for a 30-day rolling contract, Sky Stream will cost you £29 per month for the same services, but you’ll have to spend £39.95 on setup. 

Naturally, add-ons like Sky Cinema, Sky Sports, BT Sport and non-Netflix streaming services will knock that monthly price up even more, and you’ll have to spend an extra £12 per month to get up to five additional Sky Stream pucks (for five additional TVs) in your home. 

So, yes – Sky Stream is expensive. For a well-rounded streaming package – let’s say Sky Atlantic, Netflix, Disney Plus and Sky Sports – you’re still looking at paying the big bucks versus other entertainment aggregators like Virgin Media (whose own comparable Stream device lets you mix and match subscriptions every 30 days).

But the key point here is that, with Sky Stream, you’re getting almost all the benefits of Sky Glass – 4K UHD streaming, Dolby Atmos audio and Sky’s impressive “walled garden” user experience (as per our Sky Glass review) – for less than the cost of Sky Glass proper. 

Sky Stream is, according to Sky, the most affordable way to get Sky entertainment, and it works for anyone, with any TV over any broadband with a minimum speed of 10Mbps. Sure, that’s “affordable” by Sky’s own definition – but the fact of its lower price compared to other Sky products remains.

And make no mistake, Sky Stream is Sky at its very best. At the device’s launch event, the company debuted some of the ease-of-use upgrades coming to Sky Glass (and by extension, Sky Stream) in the coming months – and it’s hard to find fault with the new hardware beyond its lofty price tag. 

Updates aplenty

The biggest improvements are coming to Glass’ Playlist function. Given Sky’s focus on the shared viewing experience, the brand has remained reluctant to implement dedicated user profiles of the sort seen on streaming platforms like Netflix and Disney Plus. But soon, Glass customers will be able to create multiple, profile-like Playlists for different users – hitting the '+' button on the Sky remote will bring up a list of curated Playlists to choose from. 

This might sound like a trivial improvement, but in practice, having the option to create multiple Playlists keeps the Sky Glass/Stream interface more focused on what you, personally, want to watch in a household of multiple viewers (read: family households). Crucially, though, you won’t be required to identify yourself when watching live TV.

The way Playlists appear is changing, too. For starters, they’re being moved to the front of the icon list – ahead of movies, TV shows and buttons that take you to dedicated streaming service libraries. Most recent episodes are also being moved to the front of series-specific pages – no more trawling through 30 episodes of Gogglebox – and the ‘Because you watched’ slide is being replaced by a ‘Continue watching’ slide. 

On a more exciting note, those who already own Sky Glass proper are in line for a sizable picture quality upgrade. Sky is preparing to roll out a firmware update that will re-jig backlight dimming on its TV, improving black levels and contrast ratio, as well as adding better black bar detection during movies. We were privy to a side-by-side demo of Sky Glass in its current state versus what’s coming in the near future, and these picture quality improvements are more than noticeable.

Sky says updates to voice commands, Playlists and picture quality (on Sky Glass) are rolling out in stages between October 17 and Christmas 2022.

Looking to subscribe to Sky? These are today's best deals. 

Sky has begun rolling out a major update to its Sky Glass TVs that brings a number of much-requested features.

Top of the list is the new ability to access Sky Box Office pay-per-view content, with the feature arriving just in time for this weekend’s big heavyweight title fight rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua. 

A somewhat surprising omission for the pay-TV company’s new platform at its launch, the new update finally allows Sky Glass customers to purchase PPV events within the menu screen, bringing the no-satellite dish-required service in-line with Sky Q.

Arguably the handiest feature addition comes with Voice search for YouTube though, allowing you to look for content on Google’s streaming service just by speaking. 

Saying a command like "Hello Sky, Billie Eilish on YouTube" will fire up the app and automatically show search results related to the pop star.

The software update also brings a further nine new channels to the service. Bloomberg, NBC News Now, Colors HD, Colors Rishtey, Colors Gujrati, GB News, TalkTV, Zee TV, and Zee Cinema are now all available to watch on Sky Glass, with the promise of more to be added in the future. 

Elsewhere, Playlist editing has been improved, with a quick tap of the “+” button allowing you to delete shows, while you now only have to sign in once to access BBC apps such as iPlayer and Sounds, rather than logging in to each one individually. 

The update, which comes in time for the launch of Sky Glass in the Republic of Ireland later this month, is available now.

Analysis: A welcome set of updates for Sky’s new platform

Sky’s all-streaming service made a big impression in our review earlier last year, but some teething bugs and missing features made it feel at times like an incomplete service.

Much of those initial issues have been addressed in the intervening months, with the addition of Sky Box Office fixing arguably the biggest hole in the service.

Intriguingly, the handy addition of voice search for YouTube in this new update brings a feature that isn’t yet available on Sky Q to Sky Glass first, suggesting that the streaming service might be the pay-TV providers main priority going forward.

• Looking to subscribe to Sky? These are today's best deals

Entertaining the kids in the final weeks of the school holidays, or simply taking refuge from the heatwave? Get the popcorn in and combine it with the latest Sky TV upgrade for excellent value entertainment - for summer and beyond.

Sky Cinema has just got even better now that it includes Paramount Plus which, in recent months, has launched into the UK. 

Adding a whole mountain (get it?) of TV shows and films to your package, upgrade your pre-existing package and save £6.99 a month. 

Paramount Plus is thrown in for free alongside the Sky Cinema add-on, costing just £12 a month extra for titles like Scream, Halo, The First Lady, The Thing About Pam, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and so much more. This is in addition to 1,000+ movies on-demand the 10,000+ titles available to rent at a discount through the Sky Store.

Whether you're a pre-existing customer or are looking to sign up to a fantastic Sky TV deal, this certainly isn't one to be missed for those who love to be entertained.

Paramount Plus free with Sky Cinema with this deal:

What do I get with Sky?

Sky is home to a plethora of entertainment that aims to keep everyone under your roof satisfied. Even at its baseline with just the basic Sky TV package, you can enjoy over 100 new channels, including Sky One, Sky Atlantic, Sky Comedy, MTV, Comedy Central, and so many more. You'll also have 500 boxsets ready and waiting for you to binge your way through.

Of course, the most exciting aspect of Sky TV deals is the ability to personalise and build a package that's perfect for you. With the likes of Sky Sports and BT Sport, the sporting fans in your house can spectate straight from the sofa with the ability to watch the Premiere League, NFL, and much more with channels dedicated to your favourite sports.

Other add-ons include Sky Cinema, bringing you the hottest releases straight from the red carpet. You can also pay more to get HD or even Ultra HD channels for that truly immersive viewing experience, as well as all Sky customers enjoying the portability of Sky Q, which means you can watch on the go, or pick up where you left off on another device.

• Looking for the best Sky broadband deals?

After the Lionesses made history against Germany in the Women's EURO 2022, all eyes are now on the 2022/23 Premier League as another season begins. And with over 400 games set to be broadcast live on Sky TV, there are a couple of upgrades that will get you seats right by the touchline.

Reintroducing two incredible Sky TV deals, existing customers can enjoy both Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports channels for just £18 extra a month in Sky's great value 2 for 1 offer.

That'll include Everton vs Chelsea and West Ham vs Man City in this weekend's exciting start to the Premier League. What's more, you'll also be able to watch fixtures from the Carabao Cup, WSL, and Scottish Premiership, too.

And if you want more than just the footie, there's also an upgrade available for fans after an F1 livestream, or those partial to a spot of golf, cricket, and the like. Pay an additional £25 a month for all eight Sky Sports channels thrown into your package.

Setting you up for the sporting season ahead, bag one of these excellent Sky TV upgrades, available for existing Sky Q and Sky+ customers only.

Kick off the Premier League with these Sky TV deals:

What do I get with Sky?

Sky is home to a plethora of entertainment that aims to keep everyone under your roof satisfied. Even at its baseline with just the basic Sky TV package, you can enjoy over 100 new channels, including Sky One, Sky Atlantic, Sky Comedy, MTV, Comedy Central, and so many more. You'll also have 500 boxsets ready and waiting for you to binge your way through.

Of course, the most exciting aspect of Sky TV deals is the ability to personalise and build a package that's perfect for you. With the likes of Sky Sports and BT Sport, the sporting fans in your house can spectate straight from the sofa with the ability to watch the Premiere League, NFL, and much more with channels dedicated to your favourite sports.

Other add-ons include Sky Cinema, bringing you the hottest releases straight from the red carpet. You can also pay more to get HD or even Ultra HD channels for that truly immersive viewing experience, as well as all Sky customers enjoying the portability of Sky Q, which means you can watch on the go, or pick up where you left off on another device.

• Looking for the best Sky broadband deals?

When it comes to drama and movies for those of us in the UK, Sky’s dominance over the market has been reined in recent years with the likes of Netflix, Prime Video and Disney Plus all taking bites out of its televisual pie. But, when it comes to sport, and, in particular, football, it’s still a Tyrannosaurus Rex, surveying its kingdom, totally dominant over the market. 

So, when the invitation came up for me to get the chances to have a behind the scenes look at Monday Night Football, Sky Sports’ flagship Premier League offering, where one-time Liverpool and Manchester United greats Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville analyze and eviscerate the action of the previous weekend and talk you through a new Premier League extravaganza, I jumped at the chance to go along. 

Now, for most of you reading this, I know football is gridiron and what we’re talking about is soccer, but as we spent a day behind the scenes at a show quite literally called Monday Night Football, we’ll call it football for the duration of this article. 

Taking a trip down to Sky’s mammoth campus in Isleworth in West London, I was squired around the show’s production, including a brief chat with Neville, Carragher and presenter David Jones. As a lifelong football obsessive, that was exciting enough, but I was then treated to watching the whole thing go on air and play out during Newcastle United’s 2-0 win over Arsenal. 

Now I’ve calmed down a bit, I thought I’d compile my thoughts and share six things that I learned from this peak behind the curtain.

The team starts early. Very early…

Given Monday Night Football doesn’t go on air until 7pm, you might expect a more leisurely start for the production team. But no such luck – most are in at 9am like the rest of us, getting the technical side of things lined-up. Neville, Carragher and Jones arrive for a meeting at midday and it is then the work on the running order starts. As the production team joke throughout our visit, it’s a running order that gets ripped up a good four or five times during the day.  

Sky Sports get the team news before you do…

15 minutes before to be precise. It doesn’t leave much time for Monday Night Football’s team to scramble to find clips if an unexpected player comes back into the team. As we watch things go live, even as the Arctic Monkeys’ Brianstorm thunders through the opening titles, the producers are still running through the early clips in Jamie Carragher’s ear and changing  things around. And you thought facing Premier League strikers was tricky.

Everything is smaller than you think…

The studio where Neville, Carragher and Jones face off isn’t the gargantuan, carpark-esque space you might imagine it would be. Things are kept tight and no bigger than your living room at home. They’re moving to a bigger space for next season – we’ll have to hope that the fizzing debate and intense atmosphere that the two pundits are so great at creating doesn’t fizzle out when they move studios. 

Every Premier League game needs a lot of cameras…

Monday’s (May 16) game, while important in the race to see who will finish in the Champions League places, but not an absolute humdinger, required the use of 14 cameramen and camerawomen. When Manchester City and Liverpool played out a 2-2 draw earlier in the season, Sky enlisted 22 cameras to make sure absolutely everything was captured. Sky has plans to expand this and for the biggest games next season you’ll see that number creeping up towards 30.

Watching in Sky Glass is a step up for sports fans…

Enhanced modes for sports viewing in the past have been haphazard affairs, largely consisting of turning the pitch a lurid, Matcha-tea green or just turning the volume up a few notches, but when you watch a game in Sky Glass, you can feel the step up. 

The experience of watching Arsenal blow their chance of Champions League football on Sky Glass on a 4K UHD Quantum Dot screen with 8.3 million pixels wasn’t quite like the pitchside experience, as the promotional material promise, but the sound is crisp and the picture is so sharp you can see every bead of sweat on the players’ brows. 

Being relegated not only means your team will get worse, so does your viewing experience…

If you fall out of the Premier League, as my beloved Norwich City are about to, then not only do you lose the vast riches of English football’s elite, you will also get a poorer viewing experience when you watch at home. Sky broadcasts the Premier League in UHD HDR with Dolby Atmos, and, while they endeavour to do the same for the English Football League, it’s not the case for every game. It’s hard to imagine any coach in the Championship using that in one of his team talks, but it does make the sting of relegation that little bit sharper for us fans.

• Sky to launch standalone streaming puck that does (almost) everything Sky Glass does

Sky has confirmed it will release a standalone version of its Sky Glass-adjacent streaming puck later in the year. 

The Sky Stream puck (as it’s officially known) was announced alongside the satellite-free Sky Glass TV in October 2021, but only as an optional extra allowing subscribers to add Sky’s all-inclusive streaming service to other TVs in their home (in a manner akin to Sky multiroom).

Now, though, the British broadcaster has revealed plans to sell the Sky Stream puck as an independent product, meaning customers will soon be able to enjoy the hassle-free benefits of Sky Glass without needing to replace their existing TV sets.

By simply plugging a Sky Stream puck into their current home displays, users will get access to all the channels, shows and apps offered by Sky – including Sky Atlantic, Netflix, Disney Plus, Apple TV Plus, Spotify and so on – through the internet, eliminating the need for an external dish. 

The puck will also grant instant access to Sky Glass’ voice controls, as well as its personal playlist and tailored recommendation features. Essentially, it’ll smarten up outdated TVs and give owners the opportunity to rid their existing home cinema setups of messy terrestrial cables. 

Of course, being a plug-in-and-play streaming stick, the Sky Stream puck won’t magically anoint every TV it touches with the 360-degree Dolby Atmos sound and quantum dot screen technology of its Sky Glass sibling – but compatible displays will still benefit from former, while the puck also supports 4K streams up to 60 frames a second.

In that regard, the Sky Stream puck isn't an objectively better offering than Sky Glass proper, though it’s certain to be a product that attracts interest from prospective customers reluctant to trade in their existing TVs for a flashier version of Sky. 

Sky has confirmed that its Sky Stream puck will hit shelves “later this year,” though no further details have been provided as yet. The same is true of its price – we know that each puck currently costs £10 per month when bought to complement Sky Glass TVs, but we expect a standalone version of the device to add several more zeros to that price.

• Looking to subscribe to Sky? These are today's best deals

Things are pretty rosy for Formula 1 fans right now. A week after Drive to Survive returned to Netflix and pre-season testing got underway in Bahrain, Sky looks set to broadcast the first Grand Prix of the year in glorious High Dynamic Range (HDR). 

John Archer, TechRadar TV reviewing-regular and reporter for Forbes, recently reported on a tip suggesting the UK broadcaster would be debuting 4K HDR video options for this weekend’s practice, qualifying and race sessions – a rumour that has since been confirmed by a senior Sky source, Archer claims. 

What’s more, while the company has yet to officially announce the move to introduce HDR video options into its live F1 coverage in the UK, the menus of Sky’s programme guide now include an (albeit hard-to-find) F1 tab entitled “Introducing Ultra HDR.” 

It’s worth noting that said menu tab doesn’t include any reference to time – there’s no mention of “soon” here – but judging by Archer’s claims regarding direct confirmation from Sky, we’d say that a HDR video option does indeed seem likely to arrive with the broadcaster’s Bahrain Grand Prix coverage this weekend.

It’s also worth clarifying that HDR-enhanced F1 coverage has been available on Sky platforms elsewhere in the world for some time. Germany, for example, currently offers the premium video quality option on all qualifying sessions and races for those with the appropriate subscription packages (they still don’t get Dolby Atmos, though).

Sky’s terminology is a little off, mind. Ultra HDR is not a technical term, per se – but it presumably refers to Sky’s implementation of HDR enhancements on its existing Ultra HD (UHD, i.e. 4K) video coverage. 

 What is HDR, exactly?

So, what would HDR actually bring to F1 coverage on Sky? 

Well, HDR is essentially all about colour vibrancy and peak brightness. Not to be confused with the HDR photography options that have recently been added to smartphone cameras, TV-ready HDR is based on the source content used to display images on a screen (rather than a combination of still images).

The end result is the same, though; HDR TVs still deliver an expanded colour gamut and contrast ratio. That means bright spots are even brighter and darker areas of an image even darker – HDR black is noticeably different to non-HDR black, for example. 

How that translates to improved F1 coverage is fairly self-explanatory. Especially with this year’s particularly extravagant decals, each F1 car would look even more detailed on-screen (picture the vibrant turquoise strips of the Mercedes W13 or deep crimson red of the Ferrari F1-75).

Essentially, then, Sky TV customers in the UK will soon have the option to enjoy this year's title race in better quality than ever. 

Looking for the best Sky TV deals? Depending on whether you want to watch the broadcaster's branded content via satellite with Sky Q, or access its streaming service over broadband with a Sky Stream device or Sky Glass TV, there are multiple pay-TV packages to choose from.

Each of the Sky TV and Sky Glass TV packages unlocks access to Sky Stream – not the streaming device, but the streaming service that allows you to access Sky TV content – and can be bundled together with various Sky TV channels into one neat account that can work out cheaper than buying each separately.

• Find the best Sky TV deals and packages for you straight away

From discounted TV channel add-ons to faster broadband, there are some great upgrades for existing customers, too. Sky is also known to offer some extra savings if you're looking to get more value out of your overall account, especially if you negotiate a fairer deal with them.

Keep reading to find out my pick of the best Sky TV deals and packages for new customers, as well as Sky TV upgrades – including for extra TV channels and some of the best streaming services – for loyal customers that are looking to get more out of their subscriptions.

Best Sky TV package deals

The most affordable way to get access to Sky is by purchasing one of its Sky TV deals, which all come with a Sky Stream device – unless you decide to stick with satellite by opting for Sky Q (scroll down to see the latest offer available for that).

I've included a selection of some of the best offers available below, but the cheapest is 'Essential TV', which is an entry-level package that offers access to one of the best Sky TV channels 'Sky Atlantic', Netflix and Discovery+ all in one neat account.

From there you can build it up by selecting any add-ons to your package, or simply enjoy the fantastic selection of content that comes with it, with over 90 included channels and a mix of highly-acclaimed featured TV shows.

Best Sky Glass TV package deals

If you're currently shopping around for one of the best TVs, then it's worth considering Sky Glass. The 4K smart TV combines Sky's streaming service and TV channels all in one place, which means you don't need a separate streaming device or satellite dish.

Sky Glass is the broadcasters very own OLED TV, well and truly assimilating Sky into your home. With the ability to voice active its AI, you can be taken straight to what you want to watch and enjoy great entertainment in all its full potential.

There are two main models to choose from: the flagship Sky Glass Gen 2, which comes equipped with all of its premium features such as Dolby Atmos and a QLED screen, and the more affordable Sky Glass Air. Discover the best Sky Glass deals and accessories below.

Sky TV Q deal

Although Sky Q requires a satellite dish, it's Sky TV's way of adapting to the way people now watch television, with less tuning in to live broadcasts, instead opting for video on-demand and streaming services.

Bringing you a modern interface where you can find all the content you want to watch in one place, including each individual service you subscribe to as well as Sky TV itself, Sky Q integrates both Netflix and Sky TV into one easy-to-use ecosystem.

Better still, Sky Q allows you to access content across devices, not simply your TV. Download the app and login on your smartphone or tablet, as well as being able to access on desktop, meaning you can watch just about anywhere, and can be combined with any new Sky TV packages purchased.

Sky TV channel deals

There are over 130 different channels to choose from on Sky: these include Sky's own entertainment channels, such as the genre-specific 'Sky Comedy' and 'Sky Crime' as well as 'Sky Atlantic' and 'Sky Max', which features content from HBO and HBO Max. There's also various 'Sky Cinema' and 'Sky Sports' channels on top of 'Sky Kids' as well others.

While existing customers will need to log into their account to get the full breadth of Sky TV channel upgrades and existing customer deals, here's just a taster of what's on offer to those already with a Sky package in their household. These TV packs are also available to new customers looking to customise their Sky TV package.

Sky TV add-on deals

Want to spice up your Sky TV subscription? Well, there are plenty of add-ons outside of extra content to binge, whether you want to change the way you watch and how you watch it.

It's also worth bearing in mind that you can add each of the below add-ons to any Sky TV package you sign up for during your subscription. So, keep your eyes peeled below, and mix and match to keep everyone under your roof satisfied.

Sky TV and broadband deals

Want a bit more choice? We have a page dedicated to the best Sky broadband deals, where you'll find Sky's current Internet packages in full.

However, if you want to combine your Sky TV and broadband bill in one clean sweep, then Sky has you covered with its excellent Sky TV and broadband bundles. Benefit from exceptional speeds, and – if you're not satisfied – get your money back with Sky's Speed Guarantee.

Choose between its Full Fibre and Gigafast broadband packages, which have varying upload and download speeds to choose from, and browse, stream, and game to your heart's content.

Sky TV deals: FAQs

All the latest Sky TV deals

It’s fair to say that when it comes to the best broadband and TV packages, Sky is arguably the leading provider, especially here in the UK. 

Sky stands out for its wide choice of options on everything from broadband speeds to different entertainment options that can suit pretty much every household. So, whether you want a fibre broadband deal with Sky Sports and Sky Cinema or more affordable slower speeds with the basic TV plan, Sky has a plan that will fit your needs.

However, it will be no surprise that with all of these features, add-ons, and extras, Sky often isn’t the cheapest option for those looking for a dependable internet and TV plan. But at the same time, there are still plenty of Sky Broadband deals and Sky TV deals and bundles to be found if you know where to look.

Everything outlined in this guide should be enough for you to decide whether or not a Sky TV and broadband package is right for you or if you need to look elsewhere for one of the best broadband and TV deals.

Best Sky Broadband and TV Deals

Sky has currently got a selection of offers on its broadband and TV packages, and as it happens, these are also some of the best Sky Broadband and TV deals around right now:

What broadband speeds can I get with Sky?

There are various different broadband options to choose from, ranging from ADSL connections through to ultrafast, gigabit internet ‘Full Fibre’. Sky uses the Openreach network for its fibre broadband, so not all speeds are available to all households. You can check what’s available to your property with Sky directly, or you can look at the latest fibre and ‘Full Fibre’ rollout information here.

The available Sky Broadband choices are:

• Sky Broadband Essential Plus – has average download speeds of 11Mbps and is meant for casual browsing and email.
• Sky Broadband Superfast 35 – has average download speeds of 36Mbps and can suit small to medium households for browsing, streaming and gaming.
• Sky Broadband Superfast/Superfast 80 – one of the most-popular choices, this has average download speeds of 59-61Mbps and is a dependable choice for households with high streaming and downloads.
• Sky Broadband Full Fibre 100 - Sky’s newest package which, as the name suggests, gives average download speeds of 100Mbps. It does require a ‘Full Fibre’ connection.
• Sky Broadband Ultrafast – if you want to do lots of streaming, gaming and browsing without interruption, this fibre broadband has average download speeds of 145Mbps.
• Sky Broadband Ultrafast Plus – this 500Mbps connection requires ‘Full Fibre’ but it can allow multiple users to stream in UHD, make video calls, game and download all at once.
• Sky Broadband Gigafast – this is Sky’s fastest ‘Full Fibre’ with an average download speed of 900+Mbps. You can also stream in UHD, game in 4k, make video calls and depend on what Sky calls its ‘future proof broadband for the busiest homes’.

Sky Broadband and TV customer services

With any broadband and TV package, you get a variety of excellent customer support options. You can get help via email, phone, live chat, online FAQs and through social media - and Sky is one of the best providers for resolving customer issues.

Not only has it won awards for its customer services, the latest Ofcom consumer reports show how Sky has the lowest number of complaints from its customers compared to all the other major UK providers. This is an accolade Sky has had for the last few years and it continues to set the standard for customer support.

What TV add-ons are available from Sky?

Whether you’re purchasing a TV package or a TV and broadband bundle through Sky, you’ll typically be offered the chance to add additional entertainment ‘packs’.

The available packs will of course be determined by what’s already included in your chosen deal. However, it’s important to note that some extra channels might not be available with certain promotions and deals. Also, if you do choose to add another pack, it will likely add to your monthly costs, so make sure you check this first before you agree to any.

That said, you do get quite a lot of TV channels without any add-ons. To see for yourself you can take a look at the latest listings across all Sky's TV packages here.

In addition to the standard TV package, the four most popular packs Sky customers tend to select are Sky Sports, Sky Cinema, Sky Kids and TNT Sports.

You can also pick or upgrade your TV package at a later stage – and in some cases other streaming services – including subscriptions to Disney Plus and Paramount Plus. 

Sky also gives opportunities to add a better viewing experience with these bundles. This can come in the form of upgrading the screen quality to HD and/or Ultra HD and you can have the ability to have this function across multiple TVs in your home. These options can essentially be bolted on at an additional cost to your monthly price.

You can find out more about this in our best Sky TV deals and bundles guide.

Sky Broadband and TV deals: FAQ

Getting the best Sky Broadband and TV deals can also depend on knowing what the top features and extras are that you can enjoy when there’s a promotion that catches your eye. 

So here we’ve answered some of the most common queries asked about Sky TV and broadband to help you determine how to get the most bang for your buck.

• Sky Talk – its home phone service.
• Sky Pay As You Talk – a phone service that you only pay for when you use it.
• Sky Talk Shield – a function that allows you to block unwanted calls and numbers.
• Sky Broadband Shield – additional online security protection for Sky Broadband users.
• Sky Broadband Boost – an upgrade package giving you features like a Wi-Fi dropout protection guarantee and daily checks from Sky on your internet line.
• Sky WiFi – an app that lets Sky Broadband customers connect for free to Sky’s UK-wide Wi-Fi hotspots.
• Sky Broadband Hub – Sky’s class-leading router that can allow up to 64 devices to connect to it.
• Sky Protect - you may be offered Sky's latest home insurance product that has a specific focus on protecting smart tech, this is also 5-star Defaqto rated.
• ‘Wall to Wall’ broadband guarantee - for each broadband tariff Sky offers this promise that you’ll get guaranteed minimum speeds throughout your property. If you don’t it promises you your ‘money back’.
• 'Whole Home' - allows you to have multiple Sky accounts used in different rooms of your home.

More reasons to choose Sky for your broadband and TV

If all the above isn’t enough to make up your mind, it’s worth remembering that Sky is one of the most popular broadband and TV providers and millions of customers use its services every day - so it must be doing something right!

Alongside the many positive aspects we’ve discussed in this guide, like its choice of broadband speeds and its huge entertainment range, another big draw is its reliability. This is largely down to the fact Sky uses the trusty Openreach network to supply its broadband, but also its worth pointing out that satellite TV systems have been the preference of many for decades now.

In addition to this, if you do experience downtime with either of your broadband and TV services, Sky tends to get its team on the case quickly and invariably resolves these issues within a short timeframe. 

Comparing Sky with the rest of the market

All of the above should be able to give you a better understanding of what’s on offer with a Sky Broadband and TV bundle, but if you’d like to see how its packages compare with the rest of the market, be sure to read our guide to the best broadband and TV bundle deals. 

Equally, you may wish to see how Sky’s broadband in isolation measures up against other providers, which you can do with our guide to the best broadband deals.

Compare Sky TV & broadband deals

Whether it’s nail-biting action on Sky Sports, room-shaking blockbusters on Sky Movies or hit shows such as House of the Dragon on Sky Atlantic and Stranger Things on Netflix, there’s never been so much great stuff to watch.

Unfortunately, sometimes accessing all of that stuff can be a hassle. There are dongles to dangle down the back of your TV, apps tucked away in dark corners of app stores and all kinds of things to set up and sign into. Wouldn’t it be great if everything you wanted was already there in your TV? That’s what Sky Glass delivers. 

Sky Glass is the only TV with Sky Inside, so you can stream every channel and app over Wi-Fi. There’s no dish, no box and no fuss. It’s the ultimate smart TV. 

Don’t miss Sky’s biggest shows

Because Sky Glass is the only TV with Sky inside, it’s the only TV that gives you access to Sky’s incredible range of programming as well as streaming apps such as Netflix. In TechRadar’s review, we said it “opens the door to a whole new age of streaming TV.”

That’s because Sky Glass gives you an incredible range of must-see TV, from the gritty urban drama in Gangs of London and the fantasy world of House of the Dragon on Sky Atlantic to cult shows such as Stranger Things, Sandman and Cobra Kai on Netflix. And there’s tons of fun for younger family members on Sky Kids too.

We love it. Our customers love it. And we think you’ll love it too.

 A world of TV at your command

If you can’t imagine life without Alexa or Google Assistant you’re going to love Sky Glass’s integrated voice control. With a simple "Hello Sky" you can find your favourite channels, shows or movies and even switch to connected devices like games consoles using only your voice.

Only Sky Glass puts a world of TV at your instant voice command. You can find anything in a flash no matter what channel it’s on, create an endless playlist, store recorded TV in the cloud and restart shows on any channel, and its super-smart recommendations ensure there’s always something amazing to watch next. 

Spectacular screen and spine-tingling sound

Whether it’s the Premier League on Sky Sports or Squid Game on Netflix, Sky Glass enhances your entertainment with jaw-dropping picture quality and stunning sound. 

Sky Glass delivers the ultimate home entertainment experience straight out of the box. Its Quantum Dot display technology delivers vibrant colours and deep blacks, and it supports all the key high dynamic range (HDR) standards for astonishingly realistic visuals: HLG, HDR10 and Dolby Vision. 

No matter what you watch, it comes with an incredible soundtrack thanks to Sky Glass’s built-in Dolby Atmos system: who needs a soundbar when you’ve got six speakers including a subwoofer pumping out immersive audio?

 Easy to use and incredibly affordable

With Sky Glass you can buy your TV like a normal TV – or you can buy it like your mobile phone, spreading the cost with interest-free monthly payments to make it even more affordable. And there’s a two-year guarantee for extra peace of mind.

With three different sizes, five rich colours and a whole world of content to choose from, we think Sky Glass is the ultimate TV for everyone. 

We’ve seen the future of Smart TV, and it’s Glass.

Click here to find out more about the incredible Sky Glass and how it’ll change the way you watch – and buy – your TV.

Sky Italia will launch Sky Cinema 4K on January 28, with the new channel acting as a dedicated home in the TV Guide for the service’s 4K movie content. It’ll be exclusive to the 4K-ready Sky Q set-top box, and to customers who pay the premium for accessing ultra-high-definition movies.

120 films, including Ghostbusters, The Amazing Spider-Man and F9 (Fast and Furious 9), will be available to watch on the new channel, scheduled throughout the day.

This format differs from how Sky offers 4K content in the UK, where Sky Q customers instead access 4K movies through on-demand content pages in the Sky Q interface, and download them over a broadband connection.

It’s TechRadar’s understanding that Sky Cinema 4K in Italy will instead broadcast its shows over a satellite connection (in addition to offering on-demand downloads) in the same way Sky’s current 4K sports output works – we’ve contacted Sky for clarification on this point.

Analysis: Will Sky Cinema 4K come to the UK, and do we need it?

It would appear that Sky Italia has taken the decision to serve 4K content over satellite to get around the limitations posed by slower broadband speeds across the country. Looking at Italy’s median broadband speeds as recorded on the popular speedtest.net service measuring site, the download speed average for November 2021 was 34.53Mbps, making it rank 49 in the site’s global index. 

By comparison, the United Kingdom scores a 47Mbps median average speed, putting it in 32nd place. Both are perfectly serviceable speeds for 4K streaming, but it’s worth noting that Sky Q doesn’t offer streaming, instead serving 4K films as downloads – and those with speeds significantly lower than the average might have quite a wait before their films download, making a satellite broadcast an instant 4K fix by comparison. (Netflix, Disney Plus and Amazon Prime Video do offer 4K streaming on Sky Q, but within their own distinct apps).

It’s interesting to note here that the recent launch of Sky Glass, Sky’s television set with Sky streaming content built in, is a completely dishless approach to serving up its channels. It instead relies on the viewer’s internet connection to deliver standard, high- and ultra-high-definition content to the user’s TV, and is indicative of Sky’s longer term plans in this regard.

Broadly speaking then, the UK’s broadband speeds are fast enough that, for many, a dedicated 4K satellite channel isn’t required, and an over-the-internet approach may even be more stable. But for those living in broadband slow-spots, a satellite option for 4K movies would likely be welcome. Likewise, for those moments when broadband access inevitably fails, having a satellite fallback would help to bolster the service’s reliability. It’s not a necessity therefore, but it would still be nice to have the channel as an option for UK viewers.

We’ve contacted Sky for comment on how and why Sky Italia is going down this route for its 4K cinema content, and we’ll update this article if we hear back from the company.

• Sky Q review: the best set top box we've tested

Voted Best Streaming Device at the TechRadar Choice Awards 2021

Sky Q is Sky’s TV subscription service and it’s one of the best ways to watch TV right now. To keep ahead of the competition, it receives constant updates and improvements that we think make it stand apart from the rest.

Originally launched in 2016, the premium TV platform has grown over the years with a range of new technologies, which include 4K video and HDR, Dolby Atmos audio, support for voice control, integration with Netflix and Spotify, as well as newly-added access to Apple TV Plus, and a wide range of viewing options across smartphones and tablets, which means you can watch content while you’re on the move wherever you are. 

We genuinely couldn’t find any major downsides to the Sky Q subscription service – and it’s rare that we say that. The best part is, Sky knows competition is fierce, so new features are added constantly, like Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV Plus.

Sky Q brings you a consistent, unified experience, no matter which device you're watching on – from your living room TV, tablet, second room Sky Q Mini box, or your phone. 

There are a huge range of TV shows and movies to watch, and Sky Q outperforms much of the competition due to the size and quality of its library. It still has the most comprehensive entertainment selection of any similar service, with on-demand, Sky TV and Cinema subscription packages, rental offerings, and much more to choose from.

As you might expect from such quality performance and content, there is a premium price tag attached to the Sky Q service. But that’s expected. After all, the quality of the TV shows and movies on offer through Sky's magic box, paired with the strong performance and responsiveness of the underlying hardware, make this one of those rare examples of truly getting what you pay for – even when you're paying a lot for it. 

The Sky Go app is even on PlayStation and Xbox, as well as mobile devices, and it's clear that Sky is confidently staying up to speed with the super flexible way we're all consuming movies and TV shows these days, after changing the game itself with the launch of Sky HD a decade ago.

Sky is really keen for its subscription service to stay consistently at the top of its game. That’s why the fantastic Sky Q system is set to get better. Read on to find out what we think makes Sky Q so special right now – and why you should consider it over BT TV, Virgin Media, or even a standalone Netflix subscription.

• Need a no-contract streaming option instead? Check out Now TV 

Sky Q FAQ

Sky Q FAQ: quick questions answered

Latest system updates for Sky Q

Sky Q has been available since 2016. Five years in and the service continues to improve. The web-connected box had a significant upgrade in summer 2020 and a number of improvements came at the end of 2020, including lots of HDR movies, as well as a feature that allows viewers to watch their recordings and video on-demand apps even when their satellite signals go down.

As well as the long-awaited introduction of HDR video content, the service gets a Disney Plus app in HDR. The interface has been reworked to give more space over to content descriptions and related shows, making it easier to find the types of things you'd like to see more of. 

A new Sky Sports Recap feature offers a picture-in-picture view of key highlights from sporting events should you join the broadcast after it has began, letting you catch up on the action without missing on the live game as it happens. A new 'Sports Centre' collates sporting content from all across the Sky service – including third-party providers like YouTube, BT Sport and Red Bull, while Sky Go, the mobile offering, is now slated to get more significant and regular updates for Android and iOS users.

Sky previously also introduced the Ultimate On Demand subscription package. It allows you to combine your Netflix bill with your Sky one, and enjoy a Sky Q interface that integrates top Netflix shows alongside your Sky Q favourites and recordings.

So, you'll see Stranger Things sitting alongside Game of Thrones, before letting you jump right into the standard Netflix interface. It works seamlessly, and is a wonderful way to browse all your viewing choices in one place.

Regardless, it's a thoughtful way of implementing the Netflix catalogue and well worth the wait, with the recent addition of Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ filling out the most often-requested streaming services. It's a complete entertainment powerhouse now.

• Sky Q HDR is here: what you need to know to get it

Another important extra you can enjoy now is advanced voice control. Talk to the remote and you can ask for specific movies, or actors, and use commands to navigate the interface. It's a pretty quick way to get around Sky Q. 

You can also access Spotify music streaming through your Sky Q box. Your existing Spotify account will work fine, or you can sign up for a free one, which now gives you access to a limited number of playlists you populate yourself. 

Sound for your movies has improved too. Sky Q supports overhead Dolby Atmos audio in many of its Sky Cinema movies, to get you closer to the "cinema in your home" experience.

Sky Q also has a Kids Safe Mode. The feature is designed to give parents peace of mind by locking their Sky Q box in the Kids section, which means little ones can only access television shows and movies Sky Q has deemed suitable for its youngest viewers.

In response to way more at-home workouts, Sky Q also announced a partnership with the Fiit fitness training platform, bringing all kinds of video-based workouts natively to the TV service through the Fiit app. 

Accessible through a Sky Q box or the Sky Q Mini box, you'll find it on the Sky Q menu, and can be triggered with the voice commands 'Launch Fiit' or 'fitness' through Sky Q's voice remote.

The Sky Q update for Spring 2021 rolled out a number of accessibility features to the platform, including new voice search functionality, as well as a dark mode.

The most recent update to Sky Q brings Apple TV Plus to the service. This is a very welcome addition, particularly as Apple's streaming app isn't guaranteed to make an appearance on your smart TV, and you can't download it to your Android phone, either. As such, a Sky Q box or Sky Glass smart TV could now be the easiest and most cost-effective way to access the unique shows and movies Apple TV Plus offers.

Sky Q design and setup

Sky Q design and setup

Sky Q may be more expensive than some other streamed video services, but its technology is simply ahead of the rest.

It is completely connected – each Sky Q box you add to the system speaks to the others. If you record something on the main Sky Q box downstairs, you can access it upstairs. If you are mid-watching something, you can pause (as long as it has been recorded or is being recorded), then pick up from where you left off anywhere in your home using the iPad app.

There are two options with Sky Q. We have the pricier Sky Q 2TB box, but there is a 1TB box that can still take advantage of the "Fluid Viewing" experience – it just misses out on a few features.

The standard Sky Q box has 1TB storage, the ability to record three things at once and watch a fourth, and you can also stream to one tablet; both boxes also act as a Wi-Fi hotspot. The Sky Q premium 2TB box ups the storage, lets you record six things and also watch a seventh. And you can stream to two tablets. You also need the higher-end box to watch 4K content.

There's no difference in size between the two. The boxes both measure 232 x 155 x 34mm, which is a considerable reduction in footprint compared to the older Sky HD box (398 x 283 x 81mm for reference).

These main boxes are part of a bigger mesh network. It is powered by a new Sky Hub that offers dual-band wireless 5GHz technology (Sky may have to upgrade your router if you sign up for Sky Q).

As Sky Q creates its own mesh network, there's no additional pressure on your normal Wi-Fi connection. It actually improves Wi-Fi coverage as each box you add also acts as a Wi-Fi hotspot.

The technology behind this mesh network is being provided by AirTies. According to this company, the service allows 10 premium video streams simultaneously from multiple sources, including live broadcast, PVR recording, OTT from the internet or from a local NAS server.

• The best Sky TV and Sky Q offers available now

Sky Q installation

Sky Q installation

To review Sky Q, we were given a bundle that included a 2TB Sky Q box, two Sky Q Mini boxes and a Sky Hub. The Sky Q mini boxes have a similar design to the hub, meaning that they are even smaller than the main Sky Q system.

The reason they are smaller is because they only stream the content from the main box – all recordings are made on the main box, then mirrored to each Mini box.

As with all Sky setups, a Sky engineer will have to come to your house – and be warned, setting up will take longer than normal Sky.

Not because it is more complicated to do – getting the boxes to speak to each other is a little fiddly but the software side of the setup process has actually been shortened – but because they will want to talk you through all the new features, of which there are plenty. Oh, and they'll need to make changes to the dish itself.

If we were you, we would make sure you do the following before the setup takes place: keep a note of your current series linked recordings and binge-watch as much as you can on your current Sky setup.

This is because all of your current saved programmes will be lost. Sky has no way of replicating the programmes you have on a HD box and porting them over. Thankfully this isn't too much of a pain: we saw it as a programme purge, given the amount of shows that were gathering dust on our HD box.

While it's not a pain, it is frustrating. We can understand that providing a method to open up the Sky HD hard drive would be a gift to hackers, but the amount of advanced technology on show with Sky Q, you would think the billion pound company would have figured out a way to help its users.

In some cases, Sky may replace your entire satellite dish. People with newer dishes won't have to have the whole dish replaced, just a new LNB (Low Noise Block Downconverter, to give it its fancy name).

Once this is done, Sky hooks your system up with the hub and figures out the best way to map the devices in your house – this is the longest part of the installation, as Sky needs to make sure that nothing interferes with television signal and vice versa.

As mentioned before, each box you install in this modular system acts as a hotspot. Even if your internet connection isn't the best, Sky will make the best of it with its new technology. The hub makes use of the 5GHz band as well, so it really doesn't interfere with any gaming or movie streaming you may want to do while watching television.

Sky Q remotes

Sky Q remotes

Sky Q now comes with a choice of three remote controls: a touch controller that's half the heft of the traditional Sky remote, and a Bluetooth non-touchy variant, and a new third remote that sits somewhere between the two. Pictured below, it looks like the touch controller, but adds clicky buttons where the touch remote only has touch-sensitive zones:

The touch remote is fine. It does take a little getting used to but the touch part – which is situated on the top – is intuitive and it will have you swiping through all the different menus and services in no time.

That said, it's clearly going to be divisive for many, at least until they have come to adjust to the new system. Of two longer-term testers we spoke to, one actively disliked the touch remote whilst the other loved it, which replicated what our reviewers thought. In this respect, the halfway-home that sees the touch design matched with physical buttons will probably be the go-to weapon of choice for most users.

Fast-forwarding on the Sky Q remote control is precise enough. We all try and get that perfect sweet spot of forwarding through all of the adverts and hitting Play just before anyone on a show or movie starts to speak, and the touch control is capable of doing this with a bit of practice. 

There is an issue where the Sky Q remote just goes into overdrive: this seems to happen if your fingers are a little moist to touch. When this occurs we just give it a few minutes to let it sort itself out

The touch remote and the newer clicky remote also accept voice input, letting you search for shows just by talking to the remote. Keep a button on the side of the  remotes held down, and the Sky Q box starts listening, ready for your queries.

It works surprisingly well – the remote obviously accepts voice commands like simple show and movie titles, but can also understand more complex requests. Search for "dramas rated five stars with Tom Hanks", and it'll duly provide you with Forrest Gump.

It's not 100% perfect, but easily as good as any other TV and movie voice search application we've used, and certainly a step up from searching using the Sky Q's frustrating scrolling text input method. It's very fast too – results are returned almost the instant you stop talking.

You can also make other voice commands, like navigating to areas of the interface, changing channels and switching subtitles on and off.

If you lose the Sky Q remote, press the glowing Q on the front of your box for a few seconds and the remote will emit a whistling sound, which you stop by finding the remote and clicking any of the buttons.

Sky Q EPG

Sky Q EPG

To go alongside the hardware change, Sky has completely revamped its EPG for Sky Q, and it's a massive and welcome change. Gone is the the basic grid, and in its place is a swish new vertical setup, with great animations and a more seamless way to mesh both live TV and on-demand.

In 2018 Sky further refined its new-look Sky Q EPG with a refreshed widescreen-optimised interface, taking full advantage of the huge screen real estate offered by modern televisions, while the start of 2019 saw the introduction of the afore-mentioned Ultimate On Demand package, which adds details on and links to Netflix titles into the main Sky interface. 2020 saw further refinements, with new show hubs and sports centres to make finding related content easier.

Even things like how your recordings are stored have been improved: you can view them alphabetically if you like, or dive straight in to the most recent, and see them all with shiny new visual thumbnails.

Multiple recordings of the same show are nested, and any recording you have yet to view on Sky Q has a white dot next to it. It makes keeping track of your watching much more straightforward.

There's no clicking the 'i' button in the EPG anymore, either. Just slide (or click) to the episode you want and all its information is displayed at the top of the EPG grid. The live picture has switched from the top right corner to the middle of the left panel – this is a sound move, as it means you have around four-fifths of the display dedicated to the EPG.

The Sky Q menu system will be familiar with anyone who has used Sky before. There are sections for movies, sport, the Sky Store, kids and music (including content from video-streaming site Vevo).

A new section is Sky Box Sets. As we said, Sky is blurring the line between on-demand content and live programming, and box sets offers a whole host of television shows ready to be watched.

Giving box sets their own section makes them easier to find – this is a theme that's consistent with the new Sky Q setup, which consistently tries to offer up new content for you to watch.

One of the new areas is Top Picks. Here Sky touts its wares – there's a mixture of everything, from things you need to pay for (box office movies were front and centre when we looked) to interesting tidbits from other channels. This area isn't contextual, more a general best-of what Sky currently offers. Top Picks is also the default area the box heads to when you hit Home on the remote – it really really wants you to use this area of the service.

Online Video is where you can munch on short-form content from YouTube and the like, and there's finally a Netflix app if you haven't fronted up for an Ultimate on Demand subscription package. Disney Plus is now also supported with a Sky Q app, as is Amazon Prime Video.

More useful is the 'Kids' section, which compiles shows, channels, movies, recordings  and live TV in one child-friendly section, filtering out adult content. In some respects, it's almost a little too good; Sky savvily keeps text here to a minimum, using character portraits to represent shows rather than words and descriptions, letting your little ones find what they want to watch even if they can't read. Whether or not that's something you support is a personal parenting choice, but it's a clever design consideration nonetheless.

There's also the ability to have a sidebar of apps, so you can keep viewing your current programme on Sky Q, but with information from the likes of Sky Sports and Sky News overlaid at the side.

It feels a little weird to view this sort of information on your TV rather than just using a smartphone or tablet, but Sky has continued to add more functionality since launch, including track previews for Formula 1.

Sky also recently added a 'goal alert' system, where you can set a notification to appear on the screen whenever someone scores in a game being shown on another channel.

With a single button press you can then switch to the channel in question to watch the event. The feature is now also being widened into other sports such as Formula One.

Another fun function is the ability to AirPlay music through the box from an Apple device. The thinking behind this is that your main TV is usually connected to the best sound system in the house, so why not allow users to stream their music through it? A Bluetooth option is also offered. If you'd rather stream your music straight from the box, a fully-fledged TV version of the Spotify app is also onboard.

The Sky Q UI is remarkably simple to use, but there are some minor oddities that will take some getting used to.

An obvious example is the way the box handles hitting the end of a single recording. On the previous system you would hit Sky to go back to live TV, or back up to go to your recordings and then to delete the show. The Sky Q system just hits the end and, as far as we can tell, makes you go through the whole menu system, unless you swipe right and go to the last viewed channel and deal with the deletion later.

It's remarkable that you have to go this granular to pick out any faults, however. Given the sheer level of complexity in terms of the features this is an intuitive and refined experience.

Sky Q home screen

The Home of your content

If you want contextual recommendations and to see the heart of Sky's new system, head to the Home section, which has a dedicated remote button. This section is the crux of the Sky Q setup: it's here where you should be able to pick up any programme you have been watching and play it from where you left off, whether you are watching from the main box, one of the Sky Q Mini boxes or on the iPad.

Recommendations are littered throughout the interface now, whether that's a suggestion to carry on with an in-progress Netflix boxset, or a selection of movies contextually selected based on previous viewing habits. There's no longer one single area where these are confined to – Sky weaves them in intelligently throughout the interface. It takes into consideration sensible factors, like time too, so Sky Q won't recommend you watch Mad Max: Fury Road before you've had your breakfast.

The Sky Q app weaves in here similarly. The app, which is available for both iOS and Android, is an extension of your Sky Q watching – at its best as a secondary screen in the house, it does however now also support on-the-go playback of your recordings, provided you set them up 

Setup is really quick. Head into it and, so long as you're connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your box, it'll take just a few seconds to recognise that there's a Sky Q setup ready to latch on to.

Once this happens, you're done. Strangely we didn't actually have to log into the app until we started watching a movie. It looks like the log-in process only actually kicks into gear when you try and view premium content (the log-in uses your current Sky account password).

You may have noticed that Sky Go has recently been given a makeover, and its look is very much like the Sky Q app. The design mirrors the new Sky Q setup and is really simple to use.

Unfortunately Fluid Viewing (Sky's marketing fluff for watching your stuff wherever you want) only works when you're within your home setup, so you can't watch things in this way on the go.

Instead, much like Sky Go, you download the show or movie to your iOS or Android device – which is another big feature worthy of a deeper look.

Sky Q performance

Sky Q 4K HDR performance and content

If you've got a 4K HDR TV, Sky Q is just about the best satellite TV service to show off all those extra pixels your set is packing. While streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have been peddling 4K for some time now, Sky Q offers the most comprehensive 4K catalogue from a TV satellite subscription provider.

From the latest blockbuster releases to Sky Atlantic exclusives, Attenborough nature documentaries to Premier League football and Formula One racing action, there's hundreds of hours of UHD content available to Sky Q subscribers. There's even brand new releases, ready to be rented in 4K.

However, there's no dedicated 4K channel yet – movies and entertainment have to be downloaded before viewing (though the box intelligently lets you watch the beginning of a show quickly after starting a download as the rest of the download completes), while live sports in 4K have to be accessed through a red button menu or by scrolling through the myriad submenus within each genre viewing category. 

It's a halfway house, but a sensible compromise for the time being – when watching 4K content on a sometimes patchy broadband connection, it's better to have a fully downloaded show ready to be viewed in all its pin sharp glory rather than juggling with a scaled streaming option that jumps wildly between resolutions. Just make sure you line up the hefty downloads in advance of settling down for them (they often run into the tens of gigabytes in size).

But it's worth the wait. With 10-bit colour depth we've been consistently impressed with the quality of the 4K footage we've seen so far from Sky Q. With Dolby Atmos overhead audio now supported too, it's a truly cinematic experience. 

HDR functionality is now also included. It's currently limited to downloads of movies, with sports being rolled out at a later date. But it's a really detailed and eye-popping experience once you fire up Sky's HDR movies. There's currently no way to search for HDR content, however, which is a shame – you have to hit and hope that the 4K movie you're downloading supports the format, and that your TV kicks into gear and shows the content. A HDR section would be greatly appreciated.

'Side-loading' to a tablet or phone

Being able to transfer your recordings to your smart device is a feature that many have been seeking for years. Catch-up TV and streaming have been around for a long time on multiple services and Sky Go Extra allowed you to go a step further and download an amount of TV and films to your device to watch offline.

But what the Sky Q app does is take this process and make it feel integral to your experience rather than bolted on. It looks and behaves like the main box's functionality, and when you're out of range of your Sky Q boxes and without a connection, the offline functionality is clear and obvious.

Sky has done sterling work in securing a huge amount of content that you can side-load onto your phone or tablet for offline or streaming viewing. It's not everything though – Channel 4 and BT's content are two big omissions.

When you open the app away from your home you'll see one of two messages. If you have a connection it will look like this:

Or if you are offline:

The streaming is great – you can watch catch-up for a great deal of content, or live stream anything currently being shown live on TV.

But it is the offline viewing that's the real clincher. If you have downloaded programmes or films to your Sky Q app on your device, you can watch this even without a connection.

A minor point of note, but you only get 48 hours to complete watching. Unlike Amazon's or Netflix's offline viewing, even if you go back online the licence doesn't renew.

These recordings sit in their own section and the playback is standard definition but fine – with the annoying poor sound quality of Sky Go solved.

Sky Q price and bundles

Sky Q price and bundles

This is where it gets a touch complicated. Sky, for the most part, has always been seen as a premium service, and Sky Q adds yet another premium layer. This is a service that, if you buy into it completely, is for those who want the best TV experience around – an experience that will come at a price.

The good news is that it is attainable, even if you haven't got the wage of a Premier League footballer. Sky Q is a modular system and its pricing reflects this accordingly.

There are, however, setup costs that you need to take into consideration when thinking about Sky Q. Currently the cheapest way to get Sky Q is with a one-off £20 fee for the installation of a standard Sky Q 1TB box.

• The latest Sky TV deals and packages for Sky Q

If you want a 2TB box you'll need to pay an installation fee of £199 for the 2TB box without Sky Multiscreen, or £65 with a Multiscreen subscription.

Sky Q Multiscreen will cost you £12 extra a month, with additional Sky Q Mini boxes costing you £99 each. 

Meanwhile existing Sky+ customers will have to pay a £199 setup fee. 

There are three tiers of Sky Q on a monthly basis. £20 a month gets you 270 channels, £32 a month gets you 300 channels and 4,500 episodes of kids' shows, and £38 a month gets you an additional 50 channels, and access to 350 box sets. 

There are also Cinema and Sports add-ons that cost you £10 and £20 a month extra respectively, and that aforementioned Ultimate On Demand deal, which combines your Netflix and Sky Q bills into a single payment, as well as uniting both service's interfaces.

Verdict

We liked

This is, without a shadow of a doubt, a box that's at the absolute cutting-edge of television technology. It's brimming with bright ideas, wonderful features and yet brought together with a simple, clean and intuitive new user interface which is remarkably quick to fathom.

Sky has invested a lot in this system, emotionally and financially, and it shows. This is, by some margin, the best television box and experience available – knocking competitors like BT and Virgin Media for six.

If you want the largest amount of broadcast 4K content around, then there's really no one else that comes close. The best news is, Sky's constant updates and partnerships with new services means we expect it to get better and better over time. 

The mini boxes and on-the-go streaming-slash-mirroring support is inspired, with the experience replicated on mini-boxes more-or-less seamlessly. 'Side-loading' to a tablet is fantastic, and everything looks clean, fresh and next-generation. The system continues to get upgrades too, and has come on leaps and bounds since launch, despite already being incredibly comprehensive from the offset.

We disliked

The UI does have a few flaws – but it would be churlish to be too harsh about them at this stage, and we're hopeful that the Sky Q app will be enabled across a broader swathe of devices as soon as possible.

There's also no getting around the fact that it is very expensive. But it truly is the best on the market, and quality of this kind always comes at a premium.

Final verdict

If you're willing to pay for the best television experience on the planet at the moment, then Sky Q is by far the best that money can buy. It's slick, speedy and a fantastic mix of both on-demand, recorded and live content.

This point is further driven home by the arrival of the first non-streamed 4K television content, and the banquet of UHD shows and movies that the service is speedily acquiring.

Even a few years after its initial launch, Sky Q feels leagues ahead of the competition. That's partly due to just how forward-thinking and ahead of the pack Sky was upon Sky Q's initial launch. But, to its credit, that's also thanks to Sky's continued commitment to the service. It takes viewer feedback seriously and acts upon it, meaning that significant quality of life updates have continued to improve what's already a superlative TV viewing platform. We can't wait to see what's coming in the future for Sky.

• Best set-top box: the top streaming media players for 4K and HD

Sky has finally added the Apple TV Plus app to Sky Glass and Sky Q. 

Sky customers will now be able to access Apple TV Plus shows, including smash hits Ted Lasso and The Morning Show (via Sky’s Homepage or Apps rail), on demand for £4.99 per month after a free seven-day trial. 

The move means Apple’s burgeoning streaming service joins the likes of Netflix, Disney Plus, Prime Video and Spotify in the ever-expanding roster of entertainment apps available on Sky platforms. 

What’s more, subscribers can now download Apple TV Plus content to watch on the move via the Sky Go app, which the company has pledged will also be coming to UK-based Apple TV devices at some point next year.

Apple TV Plus' arrival on Sky platforms follows its introduction to Panasonic TVs in the UK and Europe earlier this month, marking the streamer's continued push to put more eyeballs in front of its growing library of content. 

Global Player and NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock – which came to Sky Q earlier in the year – will both become available on Sky Glass this week, too. 

The former is a new audio app that offers access to some of the UK’s biggest radio stations, including Capital FM, Heart and Classic FM, while the latter boasts a large selection of US-first movies and TV shows, like Halloween Kills, Keeping Up With the Kardashians and Parks and Recreation. Both will be available at no extra cost.

Peacock isn’t the only US streamer opening its doors to overseas customers, either. HBO Max Europe launched in select European countries – including Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Portugal and Spain – last month, while ViacomCBS has its own plans to launch Paramount Plus on the continent next year via Sky Cinema subscriptions.

That means Sky Glass and Sky Q customers are set to benefit from even more third-party services in the near future, solidifying the latter's status as the best entertainment subscription money can buy in 2021.

After all, there’s a reason we voted Sky Q the Best Streaming Device at the TechRadar Choice Awards 2021 – it’s even got a Peloton app, for goodness sake!

Peacock, NBC Universal's streaming service, has launched in the UK for Sky and Now TV customers.

As of November 16, subscribers to either provider – including those with Sky Q and Sky Glass hardware – can access Peacock programming for no additional fee.

This is the first time the platform has been made available outside of the US since launching last year, and it’s expected to roll out further afield in other European territories over the coming months. 

What can I watch on Peacock?

So, what can audiences expect from this still-young streaming service?

Well, like most platforms out there, Peacock boasts a mix of original and licensed entertainment content. The former includes movies and TV shows like Halloween Kills and Dr. Death, while users will also get access to US-first shows including The Office, Parks and Recreation, Friday Night Lights, Keeping Up With the Kardashians, The Real Housewives and many more. 

Peacock's library doesn't come close to matching the bigger budget equivalents of Netflix and Amazon, but it does offer UK viewers a window into shows otherwise confined to the borders of America – at no extra cost, too.

The move to grant Sky and Now TV customers access to Peacock doesn’t come as a surprise, mind. 

NBC Universal announced plans to introduce the service as a free add-on for Sky’s satellite TV customers in Europe back in 2020, and US subscribers have for a long time been able to stream a selection of Sky originals like Hitmen and Save Me on their version of the platform – suggesting a content swap the other way was imminent. 

Peacock isn’t the only US streamer opening its doors to overseas customers, either. HBO Max Europe launched in select European countries – including Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Portugal and Spain – last month, while ViacomCBS has its own plans to launch Paramount Plus on the continent next year via Sky Cinema subscriptions.

All of which is to say that 2022 will be an even better time for on demand entertainment – if you're prepared to pay for it, that is.

• These are the best Netflix shows to watch right now

Sky Q has so far proven to be a fantastic hub for its customers to easily access a wide variety of streaming apps, including ITV Hub, Netflix, Disney Plus and Prime Video. Now, it might just become the ultimate subscription box with the addition of Apple TV Plus.

Launching later in 2021 on both Sky Q and Sky Glass streaming smart TVs, Apple TV Plus hosts a variety of excellent shows that you can't find anywhere else, including the Emmy award-winning Ted Lasso, Foundation and The Morning Show.

Additionally, if you own an Apple TV device like the Apple TV 4K, you'll be able to access the Sky Go service starting sometime in the first half of 2022, although no concrete release date for this has been announced as of yet.

Sky Q boxes are available to subscribe to from £29 a month, while a Sky Glass smart TV is available to buy outright, varying in price based on the size you choose. The base 43-inch model costs £649, increasing to £849 and £1,049 for the 55-inch and 65-inch models respectively.

You can of course also opt into a subscription model for a Sky Glass smart TV, which will run you £13 a month for the 43-inch model, going up to £17 and £21 a month for the larger sizes. This is before taking into account any potential Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals the company could well offer, which we will of course be keeping an eye out for from now until the end of the online sales period.

Analysis: Is Sky Q the ultimate subscription box?

Sky Q has consistently impressed us since launch, and it's only gotten better with time. Now boasting incredible features such as Dolby Atmos spatial audio, support for 4K and HDR and a litany of streaming apps helps to justify the admittedly high cost of subscription. However, when paired with Sky's Ultimate on Demand package, customers can keep the subscription costs down by integrating Netflix and other apps into one monthly bill.

The imminent addition of Apple TV Plus to the service is actually very welcome, particularly as Apple's streaming app isn't guaranteed to make an appearance on your smart TV, and you can't download it to your Android phone, either. As such, a Sky Q box or Sky Glass smart TV could be the easiest and most cost-effective way to access the unique shows and movies it offers.

You will of course have to pay for Apple TV Plus separately in order to access its range of entertainment. But from just £4.99 per month, it positions itself as one of the cheaper streaming apps around, and we'd say it's well worth it to be able to watch some of the best TV and film that you can't get anywhere else.

• Apple TV Plus is having a moment – and Netflix should be worried

The long rumoured Sky television set, the Sky Glass, has finally been revealed. With all of the best bits of Sky Q built in, the TV range comes in three sizes, each offering 4K quantum dot displays, with a broad range of HDR support and built-in Dolby Atmos sound systems and voice control.

It’s an all-in-one TV package quite unlike any other that’s come before it – and that includes the way you purchase the sets. 

Launching on October 18, not only do you have three screen sizes to choose from (a ‘Small’ 43-incher, a ‘Medium’ 55-incher and a ‘Large’ 65-incher) but you’ve also got the choice of buying the TV outright, having it subsidised against the cost of a monthly fee as you would a phone contract, and also a wide array of TV channel packages that you can bolt on top.

It could get a bit confusing, so let this Sky Glass TV pre-order guide walk you through how to pick the right set up for you ahead of that October 18 release date.

• Hands-on: Sky Glass TV review

How to pre-register for Sky Glass TV

At present, Sky is not taking any orders or deposits on Sky Glass TV sets. However, it is allowing interested customers to ‘pre-register’ their interest in the new televisions. You’ll then be on the list for the latest news and ordering information as they become available.

It’s a simple process – just head over to the Sky Glass pre-registering page. You’ll be asked for your first and last name, email address and phone number. Pop them in and you’ll be first to know when the Sky Glass TV goes on sale.

Sky Glass TV purchasing options

After having a read of our hands on Sky Glass TV review, the first decision you’ll have to make is for what screen size you’re looking to purchase.

If you’re after the 43-inch models, they can be purchased outright for £649, or on a 48-month contract at £13 a month. That works out at a total cost of £624.

For the 55-inch model, you can buy one for £849, or £17 a month on a 48 month contract. That contract’s the equivalent of £816.

Finally, the 65-inch version will be sold for £1049, or £21 a month on a 48 month contract. That monthly fee will cost £1008 by the end of the contract term.

With all the contract options, shorter contracts of 24 months can be negotiated in return for a higher monthly outlay (43-inch, £26pm, £644 total / 55-inch, £34pm, £836 total / 65-inch, £42pm, £1028 total). 

All contracts also include a one-off, upfront fee – £20 for 24 month contracts, and £10 for 48 month contracts. 

Remember though that all purchases currently must be paired with a Sky TV subscription package, so factor that cost in too – more on those next. 

After that, you’ve then got the option to customise the screen’s aluminium casing in one of five colors – blue, green, pink, white or black. Remote controls will be offered in matching colors, while a range of magnetic front plates with various patterns will also eventually be offered at an additional cost.

• Paying for a Sky Glass TV is already way too confusing

Sky Glass TV packages

With the two year minimum commitment on the subscription purchase options proving more affordable than the outright purchases, Sky is obviously banking on you splashing the cash with its TV packages and raking the cash in that way. There are some affordable options here, but the most fun stuff here is inevitably locked behind the more expensive tiers.

The basic package is the ‘Sky Ultimate TV’ bundle. This throws together Sky’s entertainment channels and TV boxsets in with a Netflix subscription for £26 a month. It’s great for binge TV watchers.

If you’re after Sky’s very extensive sports programming that includes loads of Premier League football, golf, cricket and motorsports action, that’s an additional £25 a month. If you want access to the sports content that rival provider BT Sports offer, that’s another £24. With that, combined with the Sky stuff, that’ll be basically all televised paid-for sporting content, aside from what Amazon Prime Video offers.

The best-value add-on is the Sky Cinema bolt on, which costs an extra £11 a month. Sky has a great catalogue of movies from across the ages, and excellent on demand movie boxset packages too, collating complete series of popular movie franchises.

If you’ve got kids running around, you can add the Sky Kids programming, with lots of exclusive characters your little-ones will recognise, for an extra £5 a month.

Perhaps the most cheeky part of Sky’s pricing options is that 4K HDR TV content, and Dolby Atmos options, are locked behind an additional £5 per month add-on, the ‘Sky Ultra HDR and Dolby Atmos pack.’ That feels quite cynical, but will be needed to get the most out of the content you’re watching.

All packages are sold on a 31-day rolling contract, letting you adjust them on a near-monthly basis as your finances allow.

Sky Glass Whole Home options

So what if you’ve already got a TV that you’re in love with, but still want to get Sky Glass’s feature set? Well, at present, whatever happens you’re going to need to buy a Sky Glass TV – but there is a package that will let you additionally add the features to another TV set in your home.

For an extra £10 a month, you can upgrade to the “Whole Home” package, which offers up the Sky Stream Puck. This box, connecting to your old TV over HDMI, will bring all the software features of Sky Glass to your television – but, obviously, won’t magically add Dolby Atmos surround sound or built-in microphones to your old TV set. Think of it like Sky’s equivalent to a streaming stick, though sadly it’s not currently set to be sold separately, hence the requirement to still sign up for one of the Sky Glass TV offers. Each Puck costs a one-off £50 fee.

• Sky Q review: still the best set top box in the business

Update: So, it looks like the rumours were true – Sky is officially launching its own TV with no dish, QLED technology and Dolby Atmos built in – read everything you need to know about Sky Glass.

Original story continues below.

Broadcaster Sky already makes the best set top box and TV interface on the market, and sources now point to the company being on the verge of unveiling its own Sky smart TV too.

Having dominated the paid-for satellite TV market in the UK and Europe for three decades, if the rumors are true it’ll be the first time the company has put together not just the set top boxes and content that lives on your television, but the display hardware to show it off in your living room too.

Sky has always offered a premium, luxurious service when it comes to its subscription packages, and while they don’t come cheaply, they’re worth every penny for those that want access to the latest blockbuster Hollywood releases, live sports coverage from across the globe, prestige TV box sets and an ever-growing list of catch up and app-based TV content from the likes of Netflix, Amazon and Disney.

So what would make a Sky smart TV special? It’s almost a given that the company will include its subscription TV packages as part of any sale, making for a TV set that is sold more like a contract mobile phone than a traditional television. But there’s lots to speculate over – and lots to look forward to – if Sky decides to work on these six things we want to see on a Sky Q smart TV.

• What are the best smart TVs?
• Or the best small TVs
• OLED vs QLED explained

The Sky Q interface

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The Sky Q interface is the best set top box software out there. Through a combination of great search tools (including smart voice recognition capabilities) and algorithmic recommendations, you’re easily able to find exactly what you want to watch at any time of day. Sky’s glass-like interface panes can be better at knowing what you’re into than you are, always capable of determining your tastes – and even what you’re more likely going to want to watch at different hours of the day. With detailed editorial descriptions of content, an easy-to-explore guide, side-by-side apps, sensibly laid out menu options and an intuitive recording library, Sky would be foolish to equip its TV with anything other than the Sky Q interface.

User profiles

One thing that Sky Q interface is missing though is user profiles. If you’re in a household of several family members, those aforementioned recommendations can get a bit muddled as multiple people feed data into Sky’s algorithm. A Sky Q smart TV would benefit from the option of individual user profiles, letting high-level users separate out recordings, favourite channels and recommendations between family members, while the casual user can just stick with a single global profile.

The complete 4K / HDR Dolby suite

One of Sky Q’s top selling points is its huge catalogue of 4K Ultra HD content. While Sky may want to keep costs low by putting together a mid-range smart TV set, I think it’d be doing its library of excellent films and TV shows a disservice to not put them out on a television with some top-drawer home cinema tech. Sky already offers up content in HDR with Dolby Atmos sound – I’d like to see the set step up to the plate with Dolby Vision support in tow too, a looking glass into the very best that cinema has to offer. If it pushes the price up, I think it’s still a smart idea – after all, you have to have a fair bit of disposable income to afford a Sky TV package in the first place. At the very least, I’d like to see a range of TVs offered up by Sky, with one model offering a top-tier checklist of cutting-edge TV technologies built in.

HDMI 2.1

If we’re talking about high-end TV features, here’s hoping the Sky Q smart TV offers HDMI 2.1 ports. These are increasingly vital to gamers with the latest PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles, as they’re required to hit 120Hz refresh rates on a display with variable refresh rate tech activated, keeping gameplay buttery smooth. Oh, and don’t scrimp on the amount of HDMI ports either – four feels like the bare minimum these days.

Devialet speaker smarts

Though a Sky smart TV might be the first time the company has dabbled in television set tech, it’s previously partnered on Sky TV audio accessories to great effect with premium audio manufacturer Devialet. The Sky Soundbox was an impressive accompaniment to the company's set top boxes, and we’d love to see Sky partner with Devialet again here on the audio front for the smart TV. And if Sky’s already supporting Dolby Atmos in its TV library, let's get those speakers doing some virtualized overhead surround sound, too.

Live TV over-the-internet back up

Sky Q still has one achilles heel – its live TV is reliant on a consistent satellite signal that can be negatively affected by adverse weather and poor dish placement. However, for years the company has been working on offering the complete Sky Q service entirely over the internet, making for a more flexible (and in some cases, reliable) package. It’d be great if the Sky smart TV could offer a mixture of both satellite and over-the-internet delivery systems for its live broadcasts, with perhaps the broadband connection acting as built-in redundancy for any satellite issues that from time to time occur.

• Sky Q review: the very best TV service in Europe

The UK broadcaster Sky may be about to unveil its own range of smart TVs, says a new report in the Financial Times – with the hardware poised to launch as soon as October of this year.

Sky is largely known for its (rather excellent) Sky Q subscription service and set-top boxes, which collate various TV streaming services alongside the broadcaster’s many premium satellite channels such as Sky Cinema, Sky Sports, and Sky News – with on-board storage for recording and rewatching live TV.

As a long-time partner with TV streaming services, and a manufacturer of TV-adjacent hardware, it’s not a hugely surprising proposition, but it does signal a shift in Sky’s strategy – away from a mixture of aggregating channels and exclusive and third party TV content for a monthly fee, and towards more concentrated control over your viewing experience.

• What are the best smart TVs?
• Or the best small TVs
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We’ve recently heard rumors of much the same thing from Amazon – which may be making its own Amazon-branded smart TVs rather than simply passing out its Fire TV platform to the likes of Insigna or Toshiba. Meanwhile, even the luxury TV brand Loewe is set to return to the market with a new operating system designed in collaboration with Chinese technology giant Hisense.

The Sky Q platform is no slouch, the best way to access both broadcast and online content in the UK and Europe – something the company’s millions of customers will attest to. And it’s clear that the race for TV dominance is increasingly in being able to control every stage of the pipeline – from the content available through a certain platform to the hardware capabilities of the screen you can watch it on.

What would a Sky smart TV look like?

There’s no detail yet on what kind of screen this could be, or what TV companies could be assisting Sky in its mission. 

We’d expect a mid-price LCD rather than a high-end OLED, though it’s likely Sky would desire a modicum of quality over necessarily bargain prices (something that would distinguish it from Amazon’s smart TVs, for one). Afterall, its Sky Q package is already a premium service.

It’s also unclear whether a Sky smart TV would be designed for use in tandem with a Sky set-top box, or whether it would come with the same hardware functionality built in, banishing the need for a separate streaming box at all.

There’s tough competition in the TV market, though, and in the UK Sky will likely be going head to head with the likes of Panasonic, Philips, Samsung and Toshiba in a battle for shoppers’ hard-earned cash. Unless, of course, it’s one of these manufacturers that Sky is working alongside to bring the TV to fruition.

Given the success of Sky Q, though, and the appeal of a Sky smart TV that comes with that platform built into the system – if that’s indeed the road Sky is going down – there’s every reason to think a Sky smart TV could be worth your cash.

• Check out the best streaming devices out there

Sky TV customers, take note: The satellite television provider is teasing “something magical” set to arrive during a big launch event in London on October 7.

The invite gives little away beyond the date and the tagline “something magical is coming… be one of the first to see it” with the Sky logo backed by a glittering wave of color. But historically Sky only rarely does in-person reveals, usually suggesting a big hardware refresh is on the horizon.

With Sky Q now five years old, the subscription TV service, which offers live 4K TV, HDR content, and Dolby Atmos sound support, remains the best option for TV and film lovers across Europe. So what could Sky have up its sleeve?

• Sky Q review: the best TV platform, tried and tested
• Sky Q HDR upgrade: what you need to know

Analysis: Internet-powered TV streams and hardware refreshes

There is one thing we’ve known that Sky has been working on for a while, and that’s Sky Q over a broadband connection.

Currently, though the Sky Go app lets users access TV shows and movies for streaming and downloading on connected TV sticks and mobile devices, you’re still required to have a satellite installed to take advantage of the full suite of Sky Q features, including its excellent user interface.

However, Sky Q over an internet connection has been being tested and is slowly rolling out across Europe. Germany was the latest nation to get the service using this method – could the UK be next on the list?

Sky Q over broadband could tap into a huge new market for Sky, reaching those (like renters) who aren’t in a position to commit to having a satellite TV installed on their properties. While a strong and steady internet connection would be required to take advantage of the service, it’d be far more flexible for those that took advantage of it. Also, the internet-powered Sky Q boxes are said to be much smaller than the current ones Sky offers, with an upgrade from the 1080p resolution cap expected to be lifted to 4K in time for any UK launch event.

That’s not to say this could be the only surprise Sky has in store for us. The company has long dabbled in hardware partnerships, previously bringing the likes of the Sky Soundbox to customers with the help of audio experts Devialet. We’d love to see some similarly brand-new hardware launching to lift the veteran TV platform – perhaps some more audio devices, or standalone TV set integrations?

Whatever is revealed, TechRadar is set to be in attendance for the October launch event, so keep an eye out for our coverage.

• Sky TV deals: the best subscription offers today

It’s time to rethink how you keep the family entertained at home. Sky offers an amazing deal that covers your TV, home broadband and calls for just £42 a month. 

Sky TV offers more than 300 channels, including over 100 you won’t find on Freeview, and all the catch-up and streaming apps you need. You access the lot from Sky’s slick, award-winning Sky Q box. This little tech marvel will make you reconsider a life of pure streaming allowing you to pause, record and restart live TV. It houses a 1TB hard drive, on which you can record up to 500 hours of live TV. 

You get a massive amount to stream with this bundle too. Sky TV includes hundreds of binge-able box sets including 200 originals. Some of our favourite shows from the last decade are part of this library, such as Mare of Easttown and Chernobyl. 

There’s more too. The Sky Q box is begging to become the mainframe of your downtime because you can also sign-up to Netflix with a keenly priced add-on that saves you money from a standalone Netflix sub. It’s a steal at just £4 a month. 

The universe of content available via Sky Q expands every day, and you can add Sky Cinema and Sky Sports to your package if you want even more. Sky Sports will get you access to stacks of Premier League matches, a must for any die-hard football fan. 

We just love that a Sky Q box lets you access Sky next to Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video, Spotify, BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, and All4, all in one place. No switching remotes or juggling HDMI connections required here. 

Meet Sky Superfast Broadband

An amazing streaming library isn’t much good without a great broadband connection to let you watch movies at their best quality without buffering headaches. It’s why this bundle makes so much sense. 

The £42-a-month bundle’s Sky Superfast Broadband is a fibre connection, and offers average speeds of 59Mb/s. That is more than enough for 4K resolution movie streaming. It brings great news for any gamers in the house too, letting them download new titles rapidly rather than having to leave them installing overnight. 

You also get Sky’s Speed Guarantee. If your internet speed drops below the minimum guaranteed rate three days in a row, you can claim that month’s costs back. When a company puts money on the line, you know it has confidence in its broadband performance. 

59Mb/s home internet not fast enough for you? Check out Sky’s step-up £60-a-month bundle, which bumps you up to Ultrafast Plus Broadband. 

This is the home broadband of our dreams, with average download speeds of 500Mb/s. Such a fast internet requires specialised infrastructure, but Sky already covers 15.7% of the UK population. You can check if your home is already on the guest list by entering your postcode on Sky’s website. 

Sky’s modern approach to communication

Sky Pay As You Talk is the final piece of the bundle puzzle. And it’s notable for what it doesn’t include. Let’s face it, most of us rarely use landline phones anymore. Sky Pay As You Talk supplies you with a phone line, but there’s no monthly fee and you don’t end up paying for a free-for-all calls package you never use. 

You only pay for the calls you make. And if you only use your smartphone these days, that means you’ll pay nothing. Perfection. 

Let’s deal with a few of the nitty-gritty bits. Sky offers hugely customisable plans, with add-ons you can change month by month if you like. 

The £42-a-month Sky TV, Superfast Broadband and Sky Pay As You Talk is our suggested starting point. New customers pay a £29.95 set-up fee, existing ones £39.95. This fee includes broadband activation, your Sky TV installation and delivery of your Hub and Sky Q box. 

Sky’s £60-a-month upgrade with Sky Ultrafast Plus broadband incurs the same setup fees, and these are both 18-month minimum contracts.

Don’t want to change your broadband provider? No problem. There’s also a £25-a-month deal with Sky TV, including streaming access via the Sky Go phone app, and Netflix. New customers will pay a £20 setup fee, £49 for existing members, but do you also get the brilliant Sky Q 1TB TV box with its 500-hour PVR feature as part of the deal. 

Why not check out the range of Sky’s deals today? You could end up paying less for a lot more entertainment, and faster broadband speeds. 

Sky One, the flagship channel of the UK broadcaster – and the oldest running non-terrestrial channel in the UK – is being closed down in September, almost 30 years after it started airing.

The channel is set to be replaced by two new channels, though, marking something of a "reset" for the broadcaster's programming. Sky One will be replaced by Sky Max and Sky Showcase, each with their own individual content lineups.

• Sky Q update will add a huge app to its already meaty roster
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• The best Sky TV deals, packages and Sky Q offers in July 2021

Sky Showcase is continuing in Sky One's 106 channel, tying together choice programming from across other Sky-run channels (Sky Crime, Sky Documentaries, Sky Nature, and the like). 

Sky Max, meanwhile, is said to be a home for "blockbuster entertainment", and will have an on demand component for watching big-name programming and original series at your leisure – with a healthy comedy component such as Never Mind The Buzzcocks and The Russell Howard Hour. 

A Sky News article states that "From September those looking for the very best of Sky will find it at the top of their programme guide on Sky Showcase, while Sky Max will become the new home of blockbuster entertainment joining the host of genre-led channels launched in the past year – so whether you're in the mood for true crime, a documentary or just a laugh there's always a channel to suit."

We're also told that "Sky Comedy will also get a content refresh, with Sky Original comedies from Sky One, such as Code 404 and Hitmen Reloaded, moving over to the channel."

Speaking to Variety, Sky’s director of program strategy (Jamie Morris) said that it's "a time for a reset", and that the company was motivated by wanting to "make our portfolio offering as clear as possible to customers."

Analysis: A way for Sky to highlight its entire programming slate?

We wouldn't be worried about the loss of Sky's flagship channel – the broadcaster has no need to cast aside popular programming, and flagship shows and series will be continuing in some form across remaining or new channels.

Sky Showcase is the most intriguing option, however, with content drawn from across other Sky channels (Sky Nature, Sky Arts, Sky Crime, etc). So if you like a little of everything, this might be the best way to get a varied content diet without having to flick through channels or make sure you're signed up for the most extensive Sky TV packages.

However, sticking to this channel may mean you're jumping between entirely different genres every hour or so – and it's hard to tell how much of a jumble it is until Sky releases a detailed programming guide.

A Sky spokesperson says that "if you're not sure what to watch Sky Showcase will curate some of the highlights from our line-up so you can find something new to watch."

The news comes amidst reports of Sky broadband outages in various parts of the UK, but with the issue seemingly now resolved, there's little reason not to be excited for the changes ahead.

• Read our Sky Q review

Fiit, an interactive fitness app made for exercising while at home, has now been added to the Sky Q set-top boxes. Also available through Amazon Fire TVs and Samsung smart TVs, Fiit enables millions of families to try out a fitness regime from the comfort of their own homes.

Previously, Fiit was only viewable on a smart TV by pairing with a mobile app. Now, that middleman has been cut out entirely in favor of a dedicated Sky Q app, which comes at a time when – according to a Fiit press release – roughly one-third of UK adults exercise are using digital formats.

Sky’s Group Chief Product Officer, Fraser Stirling, said of the announcement: “Fiit’s new feature is really exciting for at-home workouts, and we know our customers are going to love it. The Fiit app sits right beside your favourite entertainment on Sky Q, making it even easier to enjoy, interact and track your fitness, all on the big screen.” 

• The best Sky TV deals, packages and Sky Q offers July
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For the uninitiated, Fiit is a well-received digital fitness app that features well over 700 (700!) individual classes which make up over 20 different training plans, which could make it easier for you to pick a plan that’s tailored to your needs.

It’s yet another welcome addition to Sky Q, which also recently saw the addition of the popular ITV Hub to its roster of streaming apps. Alongside that came the announcement of live HDR broadcasts for both the Tokyo Olympics and the new Premier League season in their entirety.

Analysis: Sky queuing up success?

If you’ve been keeping track of the Sky Q news over the past week, then, it’s easy to draw the conclusion that the streaming service is on a bit of a roll, especially with its addition of live HDR broadcasts for sporting events. Now, Sky Q could also become one of the easiest places to keep fit (aside from maybe a gym).

It’s a huge deal for Fiit as a company, too. Before the Covid-19 pandemic hit full swing, Fiit recorded a user base that was around 70% larger than that of people actively subscribed to a gym membership. As the end of the pandemic continues to elude us, it’s likely that Fiit’s numbers could grow even further as people attempt to remain home where they can.

If you’re after a really fun way to workout at home though, Ring Fit Adventure on Nintendo Switch may be worth a look, featuring a novel and easy-to-grasp control scheme that’s ideal for just about anyone looking to keep fit.

• The best home workout apps

Sky Q will host live HDR broadcasts of the Tokyo Olympic Games, in their entirety, on the device’s dedicated Eurosport 4K channel. It marks the first time Sky Q has offered both 4K and HDR during a live broadcast. Viewers will be able to enjoy the live HDR broadcasts right from the get-go on July 23.

Sky Q users subscribed to Sky’s UHD service will not only be able to enjoy the full run of the Tokyo Olympics in glorious HDR, but they’ll also to enjoy another Sky first: live HDR broadcasts of Premier League football matches from the start of the season on August 13, meaning that live HDR broadcasts are potentially here to stay.

Speaking on the live HDR broadcasts of the Olympics and the Premier League coming to Sky Q, Sky’s Group Chief Product Officer Fraser Stirling said: “Bringing HDR to live sport for the first time means you can feel closer to all the action of the Olympics and Premier League games, with the ultimate picture quality that creates the best at-home viewing experience. For sports fans, it’s the next best thing to being in the stadium.” 

• Sky Q update will add a huge app to its already meaty roster
• How to upgrade your Sky Q box for HDR
• The best Sky TV deals, packages and Sky Q offers in July 2021

Analysis: what's the big deal?

If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of HDR (or high dynamic range), it’s essentially a feature found most commonly in 4K TVs that brings out a much wider color gamut than non-HDR displays. This means that by viewing a HDR image, you’ll be treated to a much richer contrast, but also accurate dark blacks that can really add atmosphere and immersion to a scene.

While HDR might not strike you as a good fit for sports at first (after all, they’re not always the most visually stimulating pieces of entertainment out there), the difference it can make to the picture is still staggering. The lush greens of a football pitch really pop on a HDR display, and the wider color gamut could help some viewers better differentiate the action during a busy Olympic event.

Specifically, this is a pretty huge deal for Sky. Live HDR broadcasts are largely unprecedented for the company. Not only that, it looks to be more than just a gimmick, with Sky supporting widely-viewed, long-term content as the Olympics and the Premier League certainly are.

However, the biggest winners here are Sky Q users. While Sky Q is a very convenient place to access a wide range of streaming services that also offer 4K content, live HDR broadcasts aren’t particularly common. Likely, this means that Sky Q users will be treated to the best live image quality available at the time of showing.

• Best 4K TV: the top 10 Ultra HD TVs worth buying this year