£14.99
NOW Sports Day Pass
Cheapest one-off Sky Sports access
£34.99
NOW Sports Month
No contract, full Sky Sports
£30.99
TNT Sports via Discovery+
No-contract Champions League
£36
Sky Sports add-on
On Sky Stream, Glass or Q
Quick verdict: which sports package wins?
There is no longer a single "best sports package" because Sky and TNT each hold rights the other cannot match. The right answer depends on what you actually watch.
| If you mainly watch... | You need | Cheapest route |
|---|---|---|
| Most Premier League matches, F1, EFL, cricket, golf | Sky Sports | NOW Sports Month £34.99 |
| UEFA Champions League and Europa League | TNT Sports | Discovery+ £30.99/month |
| Premiership Rugby, FA Cup, MotoGP, UFC | TNT Sports | Discovery+ £30.99/month |
| A one-off match or fight | Sky Sports Day Pass | NOW Day Pass £14.99 |
| Every Premier League match shown in the UK | Both | From £65/month combined |
Prices verified in June 2026. Headline prices are introductory on contract plans and rise mid-contract by RPI plus 3.9% each April.
From BT Sport to TNT Sports: what changed
If you arrived at this page looking for a "BT Sport vs Sky Sports" comparison, the BT Sport brand no longer exists. On 18 July 2023, BT and Warner Bros. Discovery launched a 50/50 joint venture and rebranded BT Sport as TNT Sports. The channels, the studios and most of the on-screen talent are the same, but the line-up moved to:
- TNT Sports 1, 2, 3 and 4: the four main HD channels (TNT Sports 4 was added in 2024 to handle Champions League matchdays);
- TNT Sports Ultimate: the 4K UHD HDR channel for marquee fixtures;
- Eurosport 1 and 2: now bundled into the same Discovery+ Premium subscription that gives you TNT Sports.
The biggest functional change is the subscription model. You now get TNT Sports through Discovery+ Premium for £30.99/month, with no contract, no minimum term and access on any device that runs the Discovery+ app. The old "12-month BT Sport contract" no longer exists for new customers.
Sky Sports: 10 channels and most of the Premier League
Sky Sports remains the largest sports broadcaster in the UK by channel count and live-rights spend. The line-up runs to 10+ channels, each carrying a specific sport or theme.
What is on Sky Sports
| Sky Sports channel | Main content |
|---|---|
| Main Event | The flagship simulcast channel for the biggest live fixture of the moment |
| Premier League | Premier League matches, build-up shows and Monday Night Football |
| Football | EFL Championship, League 1, League 2, Carabao Cup, Scottish Premiership |
| F1 | Every Formula 1 Grand Prix, qualifying and free practice session |
| Cricket | England Tests and white-ball internationals, IPL, The Hundred |
| Golf | PGA Tour, DP World Tour, The Masters, Ryder Cup |
| Tennis | ATP, WTA, Davis Cup, US Open (Sky took over the WTA Tour from 2024) |
| Action | Rugby Union and League, NFL, NBA, darts, snooker, boxing |
| Arena | Overflow channel for parallel fixtures and EFL match coverage |
| News | 24-hour sports news, transfer-deadline coverage |
| Mix | Highlights and repeats from across the network |
| Racing | Daily horse racing from UK and Irish meetings (separate Sky Sports Racing channel) |
Sky Sports channel line-up verified in June 2026.
How much does Sky Sports cost?
There are now four main ways to subscribe to Sky Sports, depending on how committed you want to be.
- Sky Sports add-on on Sky Stream, Glass or Q: around £36/month on top of a Sky TV plan (£15+) - 18 or 31-day contracts;
- NOW Sports Month Membership: £34.99/month, no contract, all Sky Sports channels streamed via the NOW app;
- NOW Sports Day Membership: £14.99 for 24 hours - ideal for a single fixture or fight night;
- Virgin Media Mega Volt: bundled with broadband and TV for £61/month (18-month contract).
TNT Sports: Champions League, FA Cup and rugby
TNT Sports is smaller than Sky Sports in channel count but holds some of the most-watched rights in the country. For the 2024-25 to 2026-27 seasons it has exclusive UK rights to all UEFA club competitions, which means every Champions League, Europa League and Conference League match in the UK is on TNT Sports.
What is on TNT Sports
| Sport | What TNT Sports holds |
|---|---|
| UEFA Champions League | All matches, exclusively in the UK (2024-25 to 2026-27) |
| UEFA Europa League and Conference League | All matches, exclusively |
| Premier League | 52 matches per season, mostly Saturday evening kick-offs |
| FA Cup | Shared with BBC and ITV (TNT Sports has the lion's share) |
| Premiership Rugby | All Gallagher Premiership matches, plus Champions Cup |
| MotoGP | Every Grand Prix, qualifying and sprint race |
| UFC | All numbered PPV events and Fight Night cards |
| Boxing | Boxxer-promoted UK cards, occasional headline fights |
| Eurosport content | All cycling Grand Tours, tennis Grand Slams (excl. Wimbledon and US Open), winter sports |
TNT Sports rights line-up verified in June 2026.
How much does TNT Sports cost?
There is essentially one price: £30.99/month. The route to that price changes depending on which provider you use as your TV service.
- Discovery+ Premium: £30.99/month, no contract, watch on app on smart TV, console, phone or browser;
- EE TV Big Sport: £25/month on a 24-month plan including TNT Sports - the cheapest contract route;
- Sky Stream TNT Sports add-on: £30.99/month on top of a Sky TV plan;
- Virgin Media Mega Volt: bundled with the broadband and TV package.
Sky Sports vs TNT Sports side by side
| Feature | Sky Sports | TNT Sports |
|---|---|---|
| Number of HD channels | 10+ (plus Sky Sports Racing) | 4 (plus TNT Sports Ultimate in 4K) |
| Premier League matches per season | ~215 | 52 |
| UEFA Champions League | No | All matches |
| F1 | Every race | No |
| MotoGP | No | Every race |
| Cricket | All England fixtures, IPL, The Hundred | No |
| Premiership Rugby | No | All matches |
| Boxing | Matchroom cards, Saudi promotions | Boxxer cards |
| Cheapest no-contract route | NOW Sports Month £34.99 | Discovery+ £30.99 |
| Day pass available | Yes (£14.99 via NOW) | No |
Comparison verified in June 2026. Premier League match split based on the 2025-2029 rights cycle.
Combining Sky Sports and TNT Sports
Because the rights are split, the only way to watch every UK-televised Premier League match plus every Champions League fixture from one platform is to subscribe to both Sky Sports and TNT Sports. There are three sensible bundles.
| Route | Combined monthly cost | Contract |
|---|---|---|
| NOW Sports Month + Discovery+ Premium | £65.98 | None (monthly) |
| Sky Stream TV + Sky Sports + TNT Sports add-on | ~£82 | 31-day or 18 months |
| Virgin Media Mega Volt (broadband + TV + both) | £61 | 18 months |
Combined sports pricing verified in June 2026. Virgin Mega Volt includes Gig1 broadband and TV in the £61 price.
Pros and cons of the UK sports-TV market
Advantages
- No-contract routes now exist for both Sky Sports (NOW) and TNT Sports (Discovery+).
- TNT Sports is half the price of the old BT Sport flagship plan and works on any device.
- 4K coverage on TNT Sports Ultimate and Sky Sports F1 is the best on UK pay-TV.
- A £14.99 Day Pass means you can watch a one-off fixture without subscribing.
- Champions League rights consolidated under TNT Sports (no more split coverage).
Disadvantages
- You need both Sky Sports and TNT Sports to watch every UK-televised Premier League match.
- £35 to £40 a month for each subscription stacks up quickly for committed fans.
- Mid-contract price rises hit Sky and Virgin every April.
- TNT Sports has no day-pass equivalent to the £14.99 NOW Sports Day.
- Boxing rights are fragmented across Sky, TNT, DAZN and pay-per-view promoters.
How to pick the right sports package
Sports rights change every few years, so the best advice is to choose the lightest commitment that covers your must-watch list.
- Write down the three to five competitions you actually watch. Be honest - if you have not watched Premiership Rugby in two seasons, it does not need to be on your list;
- Map each one to Sky Sports or TNT Sports. If everything is on one side, you can stop reading here;
- If both, default to NOW Sports + Discovery+. Two rolling-monthly subscriptions costing £65.98 you can pause whenever the season ends;
- Only commit to a 24-month EE TV or Sky contract if the headline price is materially cheaper. Factor in April price rises;
- Use the NOW Sports Day Pass for one-off events - a single Anthony Joshua fight or a Six Nations decider is £14.99 instead of £35.
Compare broadband and TV bundles with sports included
Find the right contract length, price and channel mix - all on one independent comparison, so you stop paying for what you do not watch.