£9.99
NOW Entertainment
Cheapest no-contract option
£15
Sky Stream
No dish, includes Netflix
£18
EE TV Big Entertainment
Formerly BT TV
£25
Virgin Stream
Box fee then channel packs
Quick verdict: which TV package is best for you?
The "best" TV package depends on three things: how much you want to spend, how locked-in you are willing to be, and whether you care about sport. Here is the shortest possible answer to the question, based on prices verified in August 2026.
| If you are... | Best pick | Starting price |
|---|---|---|
| On a tight budget and want no commitment | NOW Entertainment | £9.99/month |
| Want one app for Sky, Netflix, Disney+ and Paramount+ | Sky Stream | £15/month |
| A football or rugby fan with BT or EE broadband | EE TV with TNT Sports | From £25/month |
| After the maximum channel count in one bundle | Virgin Media Mega Volt | £61/month |
| Wedded to Sky Q and a satellite dish | Sky Q (existing customers only) | From £26/month |
Prices verified in August 2026. Headline prices typically apply for the first 18 months on minimum-term contracts, then rise.
NOW: the cheapest way into Sky
NOW (Sky's contract-free streaming brand, formerly NOW TV) is the cheapest way to access Sky channels in the UK. There is no dish, no engineer visit and no minimum term: you pay month-by-month for the "Memberships" you want and stream them through the NOW app on a TV, games console, Fire TV stick, Chromecast or phone. Note that the dedicated NOW Smart Stick was discontinued in 2024, so you now need a separate streaming device.
| Membership | What you get | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Entertainment | 11 Sky channels including Sky Atlantic, Sky Max, Sky Witness and Sky Comedy, plus box sets | £9.99/month |
| Cinema | 11 Sky Cinema channels, full Sky film library and one new premiere a day | £11.99/month |
| Sports Day Pass | 24-hour access to all 10+ Sky Sports channels | £14.99 |
| Sports Month Membership | All Sky Sports for a rolling month, cancel anytime | £34.99/month |
| Boost (add-on) | Full HD, surround sound, ad-free, watch on 3 devices | +£6/month |
Prices from now.com, verified August 2026.
Sky Stream, Sky Glass and Sky Q
Sky remains the UK's biggest pay-TV brand, but the platform has changed completely since the satellite-only days. There are now three ways to get Sky.
Sky Stream: the puck box, no dish needed
Sky Stream is a small puck-style streaming box that plugs into your TV's HDMI and runs Sky entirely over your broadband - no satellite dish, no engineer visit, just a one-day delivery. It is Sky's flagship product for new customers and is available on rolling 31-day plans as well as 18-month contracts (the contract version is around £4/month cheaper).
- Sky TV (Sky Atlantic, Sky Max, Sky Comedy, Sky History, Sky Documentaries and more) plus Netflix Basic with ads, from £15/month;
- Sky Ultimate TV adds Netflix Standard (no ads) for around £22/month;
- Sky Cinema add-on for around £12/month (also includes Paramount+ at no extra cost);
- Sky Sports add-on for around £36/month for the complete sports pack.
Sky Glass: TV and Sky in one screen
Sky Glass is a 4K QLED smart TV (43", 55" or 65") with Sky built into the operating system - no separate box at all. You can buy outright or pay monthly over 24 to 48 months on top of your Sky TV subscription. The cheapest 43" Glass model costs around £14/month over 48 months plus your chosen Sky TV plan.
Sky Q: the legacy satellite service
Sky Q is the original Sky satellite box, paired with a dish. Sky no longer actively sells Sky Q to new customers in most areas, steering them to Stream or Glass instead. Existing Sky Q customers can stay on the platform and still get all the same channels and add-ons, typically priced about £4/month higher than the equivalent Stream plan because of the engineer install.
Virgin Media TV: 360 box and Stream
Virgin Media runs its own cable network (separate from BT Openreach), which means it can offer some of the fastest broadband in the UK and bundle it with one of two TV products.
- Virgin TV 360: the full set-top box with up to 230+ channels, voice search, Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+ integrated into the on-screen guide;
- Virgin Stream: a smaller streaming box launched in 2022, sold separately for £35 plus channel-pack subscriptions.
| Bundle | Broadband | Channels | Monthly price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bigger Combo | M125 (132 Mbps) | 155+ | £40 |
| Biggest Combo | M350 (362 Mbps) | 200+ | £51 |
| Mega Volt | M500 or Gig1 (1130 Mbps) | 230+ including TNT Sports and Sky Sports | £61 |
| Ultimate Volt | Gig1 (1130 Mbps) | 230+ plus Sky Cinema, Netflix Standard | £86 |
Virgin Media bundle prices verified in August 2026, 18-month contract. Prices rise by RPI plus 3.9% each April.
EE TV: the new name for BT TV
BT TV no longer exists as a brand for new customers. In October 2023, BT rebranded its TV service to EE TV as part of the group-wide consolidation of broadband and mobile under the EE name. The biggest functional change: EE TV now ships with an Apple TV 4K box rather than the old YouView box, which means you get every major streaming app natively plus Sky channels, BBC iPlayer and TNT Sports on the same device.
| Package | Key content | Monthly price | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Entertainment | All Freeview + 20 Sky channels (Sky Atlantic, Sky Max, Sky Witness) + Apple TV 4K box | £18 | 24 months |
| Big Sport | Freeview + TNT Sports 1-4 + Eurosport | £25 | 24 months |
| Big Entertainment + Sport | Sky channels + TNT Sports + Eurosport | £40 | 24 months |
| Big VIP | All channels above + Sky Sports + Sky Cinema + Netflix Standard | £74 | 24 months |
EE TV prices verified in August 2026 and require an active EE or BT fibre broadband line. £20 upfront device delivery fee applies.
Side-by-side: the four big providers
| Feature | NOW | Sky Stream | Virgin TV 360 | EE TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price | £9.99/m | £15/m | £40/m (with broadband) | £18/m |
| Contract | None (rolling monthly) | 31-day or 18 months | 18 months | 24 months |
| Equipment | App on your own device | Sky Stream puck (loaned) | Virgin TV 360 box | Apple TV 4K box |
| Satellite dish | No | No | No | No |
| Netflix bundled | No | Yes (Basic with ads) | No (but integrated) | Big VIP only |
| Sky Sports | Add-on £34.99/m | Add-on £36/m | Mega Volt and above | Big VIP only |
| TNT Sports | Not available | Add-on £30.99/m | Mega Volt and above | Big Sport and above |
| 4K content | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Comparison verified in August 2026. Headline prices do not include broadband unless stated.
Pros and cons of pay-TV in 2026
Advantages
- No-dish streaming TV from Sky, Virgin and EE - quicker setup, no roof work needed.
- NOW gives genuine no-contract access to Sky channels for under £10 a month.
- EE TV and Sky Stream both let you watch Netflix, Disney+ and Apple TV+ from the same remote.
- Sky Stream prices are now competitive with Netflix Premium plus Disney+ combined.
- 4K content is finally widely available across all four providers.
Disadvantages
- Mid-contract price rises (typically RPI or CPI plus 3.9%) hit every April on Sky, Virgin and EE.
- Sports add-ons are still expensive: roughly £35 to £40 a month for Sky Sports or TNT Sports.
- NOW streams in 720p with ads unless you pay £6/month for Boost.
- EE TV requires an EE or BT fibre broadband line - not a standalone product.
- Sky Q is being slowly retired, with all new effort going into Stream and Glass.
How to choose the right TV package
Picking a TV package in 2026 is less about channels and more about which provider's ecosystem suits your household best. Here is what to weigh up.
- Your broadband first. EE TV requires an EE or BT line. Virgin TV needs a Virgin Media cable line. Sky Stream and NOW work over any broadband connection, including non-Sky providers;
- Contract tolerance. If you do not want to be locked in, only NOW (rolling monthly) and Sky Stream's 31-day plan fit the bill;
- What you actually watch. Football and rugby fans need TNT Sports, which rules out NOW and pushes you to EE TV, Sky Stream add-on or Virgin Mega Volt;
- Streaming apps you already pay for. If you already pay for Netflix and Disney+ separately, a bundled Sky Stream Ultimate plan may save money overall;
- Mid-contract price rises. Sky, Virgin and EE all raise prices each April. Ofcom now requires these rises to be quoted in pounds and pence at sign-up (rule effective January 2025).
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