Sky vs Virgin Media: Which provider should I choose?
Dan Howdle • January 2nd, 2025
Sky is best known for its unequalled TV service, the brilliant Sky Stream – all of Sky TV delivered over the internet since it ceased offering new satellite TV deals around the middle of 2024. Virgin, meanwhile, rather than fall behind has begun offering its own all-encompassing streaming service in the form of Virgin Media Flex, as well as continuing to offer its traditional cable TV service.
It's simply no longer the case that 'Sky wins on TV, and Virgin Media wins on broadband' as was the status quo for more than a decade. Sky trouncing Virgin Media in terms of customer service and complaint numbers only adds to the feeling that Virgin Media seems to have slipped a long way from Front Street in some regards. Still, its extremely fast broadband is still among the market leaders, and its TV offerings, opportunity to bundle O2 SIMs, and sheer value for money remain compelling. So, a nuanced battle of the Titans commences.
Sky vs Virgin Media: Key comparison
| Sky | Virgin Media | |
|---|---|---|
| Top download speed | 900Mbps (69% available) | 1.13Gbps (60% available), 2Gbps (3% available) |
| Top upload speed | 90Mbps | 104Mbps (60% available), 2Gbps (3% available) |
| TV channels | 150+ | 210+ |
| Sky Atlantic | Yes | No |
| Broadband required for TV? | Yes (any provider) | Yes (must be Virgin Media Broadband) |
| Contract length | 24 months | 18 months |
| Fixed price | No | No |
Sky TV vs Virgin TV
TV channels
It's the battle of the TV channels from the top TV heavyweights.
Both providers cover the same bases, offering pretty much every type of TV, movies and sport content you could possibly want. Only a short time back, Sky offered a range of bundles. Now, though, the situation is somewhat different. All Sky bundles start with either Essential TV or Ultimate TV, with the former being a cheaper, cut-down version of the latter. All come with a Netflix subscription as well as on-demand Sky Box Sets, and then you can bolt on whatever else you need at varying additional expense, including movies, sport or kids TV.
Virgin Media, meanwhile, is still doing things rather more traditionally. It has a range of bundles containing various quantities of channels. And you also have the option with Virgin Media to take out Flex, where you only need a Virgin Media Broadband connection to stream all your content, or the traditional TV 360 box which connects via your Virgin coaxial cable and also offers the ability to record live TV.
However, the jewel in Sky TV's crown is undoubtedly Sky Atlantic. It's the only place to watch numerous HBO shows (besides Sky's own NOW internet video service), including House Of The Dragon, Poker Face, Billions, Gangs of London and many more hits. Let us just state that again: you can't watch Sky Atlantic on Virgin Media. And that could be a deciding factor for many.
Winner: Sky TV
Sky’s entry-level Sky Stream Essential TV is a stripped-down offering, with nevertheless an impressive array of channels, including Sky Atlantic. Added to that is a free Netflix subscription and free access to Sky Box Sets, delivering over 500 TV shows on demand from Sky and HBO's back catalogue. The slightly more expensive Sky Ultimate TV is worth the extra money though it our opinion as it provides considerably more choice. Virgin Media offers plenty of channels, but crucially, not Sky Atlantic.
-
broadband not
- Zero one-off cost
- 24 month contract
- No phone line
Included broadband not
Included
Sky broadband vs Virgin broadband
This is a bit like those movies where the old master tells a 'chosen one' of some description: I have shown you the path, but only you can walk the path.
However, Virgin Media, with its own network, offers all its customers a top speed of 1130Mbps with its Gig1 service (and the twice as quick Gig2 is already available in some locations), while Sky's Full Fibre packages (running on the Openreach network used by most other providers) only offers up to 900Mbps. So Virgin Media clearly wins here if, for most people at least, only by a bit.
Having said that, it's arguable how much of Virgin Media's 1130Mbps most people actually need (or indeed Sky's 900Mbps deals). Certainly, 150Mbps is enough for most households of four or even five people, so what sort of household is 1130Mbps for exactly? One with 100 people? Truth is, 1130Mbps is only going to fully benefit those who download videogames on the regular.
Virgin Media broadband speeds
| Broadband Package | Download Speed | Upload Speed | Contract Length | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M125 Fibre Broadband | 132Mbps | 20Mbps | 18 months | £26 per month |
| M250 Fibre Broadband | 264Mbps | 25Mbps | 18 months | £30.50 per month |
| M350 Fibre Broadband | 362Mbps | 36Mbps | 18 months | £34.50 per month |
| M500 Fibre Broadband | 516Mbps | 52Mbps | 18 months | £32.99 per month |
| Gig1 Fibre Broadband | 1.1Gbps | 104Mbps | 18 months | £38.99 per month |
| Gig2 Fibre Broadband | 2Gbps | 200Mbps | 18 months | £69.99 per month |
Sky broadband speeds
| Broadband Package | Download Speed | Upload Speed | Contract Length | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Superfast | 61Mbps | 16Mbps | 24 months | £26 per month |
| Full Fibre 75 | 75Mbps | 17Mbps | 24 months | £26 per month |
| Full Fibre 150 | 145Mbps | 28Mbps | 24 months | £28 per month |
| Full Fibre 500 | 500Mbps | 60Mbps | 24 months | £32 per month |
| Full Fibre Gigafast | 900Mbps | 100Mbps | 24 months | £42 per month |
For that purpose, 1130Mbps means you'll be playing within a few minutes of buying in most cases (not on PlayStation, though as PSN throttles speeds at their end), rather than having to wait an hour. Sky's available-everywhere Standard Fibre averages speeds of around 61Mbps, but even that's enough for many households. For perspective, with 61Mbps you could watch several high-definition screens showing different movies all at the same time.
So ask yourself again: whose broadband is better? It's still, just about, Virgin Media's at the top end, but if we're talking about their entry-level packages, there's really not that much in it. And like we say, very few folk will actually benefit from either Virgin Media or Sky's top speeds.
Winner: Virgin Media broadband
Virgin Media has faster broadband than Sky (1130Mbps on Virgin's Gig1 versus 900Mbps on Sky's Full Fibre 900). Virgin Media also has the 2Gbps Gig2, but it's barely available to anyone right now and far more than anyone really needs anyway. It's better – on paper. How much of that extra speed is going to be useful to you? The answer's only 'all of it' if you download a lot of huge videogames and don't have much patience. And let's be honest, there's not much in it.
- £50 Bill Credit
-
132Mb average speed
- Unlimited monthly downloads
- Zero one-off cost
- 18 month contract
- No phone line
Sky vs Virgin Media
Landline and calls package
And there really isn't much difference when it comes to both providers' call packages put side-by side. Sky offers pay-as-you-go (PAYG) calls as standard, but with Virgin Media no phone line is the default, so you'll need to add one on at checkout if you need it. From there, you can choose to bolt on anytime calls or international calls. Sky offers evening and weekend calls, anytime calls, or international calls as optional bolt-ons.
Winner: Draw
Virgin Media and Sky tie here. Both similar options with the main difference being you'll get a PAYG phone line by default with every Sky Broadband package, whereas the default is no phone line with Virgin Media.
Sky Hub vs Virgin Hub (3 and 5)
Who's got the best broadband router?
The router is the bit of kit that plugs into your phone line (or installed cable in the case of Virgin Media) and distributes broadband throughout your house either via LAN cables or, more commonly these days, via Wi-Fi (wirelessly).
These things are very hard to judge in any way other than subjectively. Sky supplies the Sky Hub for all its broadband and TV deals unless you opt for the Sky Wi-Fi Max bolt-on, in which case you'll get the faster and more capable Sky Max Hub. Both enable fast, reliable connectivity for a large number of devices, have multiple Ethernet ports for wired connections and are dual band, enabling excellent coverage around your home. If you pay extra for the Sky Wi-Fi Max add-on, the Max Hub adds mesh routing and Wi-Fi 6 compatibility for better speeds at longer range.
Virgin Media offers the Hub 3 with all its packages, except for its Gig1 package, which comes with a Hub 5, and the Gig2 package which offers the Hub 5x. The Hub 3 is a highly capable router, again enabled with dual-band technology. It also has four Ethernet ports and five antennas for sending the wifi signal around your home. Its Hub 5 is Wi-Fi 6 enabled and is supplied at no extra cost if you plump for the top speed, though, and is comparable to Sky's Max Hub in terms of its specs. The Hub 5x only comes with Gig2 and almost no once can get that. Suffice to say it's a bit of a powerhouse because it has to be.
Our verdict
Tie
There are pros and cons here. The Sky Hub is a better router than Virgin Media's Hub 3 but if you want a stonkier router, you'll have to either plump for Gig1 with Virgin Media or add Sky Wi-Fi Max at extra cost. It's much of a muchness with both providers offering good routers and upgrade paths if you're willing to shell out.
Sky Stream vs Virgin TV 360/Flex
Who's got the best set-top box?
Sky Stream and Virgin TV 360 are now very different products, but Virgin Media has added a curveball with its own version of 'Stream': Virgin Media Flex. Note that you can no longer get Sky Q (satellite) as Sky no longer offers it to new customers, and Sky Stream is just a far better and more convenient value proposition anyway. Virgin TV 360 requires a physical Virgin Media coaxial cable to reach it, while Flex requires only an internet connection but it must be with Virgin Media. Sky Stream only needs an internet connection, and that can be from any provider.
So TV 360 is now just a lot more fuss than a Sky Stream box. The latter is also way smaller – so much so you can tuck it behind even most wall-mounted TVs. Virgin Media Flex meanwhile is a small streaming box that doesn't require extending a Virgin Media coaxial cable to, so like Sky Stream is much more convenient to install.
Future-proofing is valuable in and of itself, and whether you have a 4K TV or not, whether it's the 65"+ that you need to really appreciate 4K or not, there is no denying that Virgin's 360 box, and Virgin Flex, are highly capable devices. Meanwhile Sky's betting (rightly) on internet based television being the only game in town in the not too distant future.
Our verdict
Sky
Virgin's TV 360 Box feels old-fashioned – a hangover of the cable TV of the 90s and noughties, despite providing a lot of modern features. Virgin Media Flex is a better way to go now in our opinion, but in this respect it feels a little like it's playing catch-up with Sky Stream. The Sky Stream Puck is more future facing and doesn't require any new cables to be installed in your home. It's also available without Sky Broadband, while Virgin TV is only available to Virgin Media Broadband customers.
Sky Mobile vs Virgin Mobile
Who's got the best SIM deals?
Both Sky and Virgin Media – or to correctly use their sub-branding: Sky Mobile and O2 – both offer mobile SIMs that are at various times and to various extents cheaper than those offered to non-customers. It's a little pointless us going into the details of how many gigabytes of data you get and how they compare and what the coverage is like because these either change all the time or are subjective.
Both O2 (owned by/merged with Virgin Media) and Sky Mobile offer 5G where available. Both O2 and Sky Mobile run on the same network – O2. So there's little to choose between them. However, you can't bundle a Sky Mobile SIM with your broadband and TV deal, whereas Virgin Media will only supply you with an O2 SIM with its 'Volt' bundles. If you want an O2 SIM on its own you only need to go directly to O2.
Our verdict
Virgin Media
It's Virgin Media (O2). Virgin beats Sky by offering SIMs bundled in with its broadband and TV, where Sky doesn't do this. Virgin Media's 'Volt' bundles tend to be expensive because they include everything, but broken down they're actually terrific value.
Other influential factors
As well as the headline acts, there are a number of other things you need to consider when choosing between these two providers. Sky has the convenience of delivering its TV only via your pre-existing internet connection via Sky Stream whether you're with Sky Broadband or not, while Virgin Media only offers TV to its own broadband customers. And depending on the type of house or flat you own or rent, this could be a significant factor because getting Virgin Media still means drilling a hole through your exterior wall.
Our verdict: Virgin Media or Sky?
Sky wins
With Sky offering up to 900Mbps, and Virgin's Gig2 package available to almost no one, there's not all that much in it anymore when it comes to speed. With Sky now offering Sky Stream, it is hands-down the most convenient and cost-effective way to access Sky's content, and although Virgin Media now has Flex (streaming TV), you'll still need Virgin Media Broadband to get it. You also won't get Sky Atlantic or Sky Box Sets no matter which Virgin Media TV package you choose,
Things do change slightly – in that it's a more even toss-up – if you live somewhere you can get Virgin Media but can't get Full Fibre when it comes to broadband. But in terms of TV, content, convenience, customer service, and the ability to get TV on its own, Sky wins handily.
