Dan Howdle May 29th, 2024
BT TV has been having quite the bumpy ride of late. It scrapped its line-up of set-top boxes of various capabilities for a simpler 'everyone gets the same box' solution in the form of the BT TV Box Pro. It sold its BT Sport property – arguably BT TV biggest draw. And, finally, it's been rebranded to EE TV, giving up on the entire concept of a BT-branded TV service altogether.
Nevertheless, BT TV isn't really going anywhere, albeit under another name, since BT already owns EE. There may well be changes to the service in terms of the channels you can and can't get as time goes on, but honestly? It's much the same service that BT TV already delivered. Let's take a look at what you get.
Here's a big picture overview of EE TV:
Feature | BT TV/EE TV |
---|---|
TV channels | Up to 200+ |
On-demand content | Netflix, NOW Entertainment |
Contract length | 24 months |
TV-only available? | No – BT or EE Broadband mandatory |
Prices from | £44.99 p/m (incl. broadband) |
If you've tried looking for a definitive channel list for EE TV elsewhere, you may have noticed the information is hard to come by, almost always incomplete, and doesn't really make clear how EE TV currently works. Part of this is lack of effort in uncovering which specific channels EE TV provides, certainly, but mostly it's that EE TV's particular way of delivering its content is really quite difficult to get your head around.
Despite almost all lists of the channels its EE TV Box Pro provides listing a handful of Freeview channels, the reality is there are a great many of them, including HD versions in some instances, as well as +1 time-shifted channels. We have the full list further down this guide.
While there aren't all that many of them, EE TV does offer some channels as standard in its Entertainment pack that you'll be hard-pressed to find elsewhere. It doesn't make a big song and dance about them, but they are mostly exclusive to EE/BT. AMC is one example of that type of channel. We have listed those separately later in this guide.
Whether it's Sky entertainment channels such as Sky Max and Sky Atlantic, or premium add-on channel packs like Sky Sports and Sky Cinema, EE TV uses the NOW TV service to deliver that content. And in some ways that's less than ideal. NOW TV isn't known for good picture quality. It's also known to be the single ost expensive way to subscribe to Sky Sports, and EE TV packages including those channels have a price that reflects that.
BT Sport is now TNT Sports, and BT no longer owns it. This isn't as of right now adding much in the way of complexity to EE TV packages, but since it's no longer a native service to EE TV, it doesn't come bundled free anymore.
To make channels easier to find, we have separated our channels list into a number of sub-categories. Each sub-category will be introduced with a brief description of the circumstances under which you'll get these channels with EE TV.
All EE TV packages will offer the following Freeview channels out of the box as standard. All come as part of the basic EE TV Entertainment pack:
BBC One (local version) | BBC Two (local versions in Wales and Northern Ireland) | ITV1 (local version) / STV (Scotland only) / UTV (Northern Ireland only) | Channel 4 (England, Scotland and Northern Ireland) / S4C (Wales only) |
Channel 5 | ITV2 | Local TV channels (England and Northern Ireland) / BBC Alba (Scotland) / Channel 4 (Wales) | That's TV |
BBC Four (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) / BBC Scotland (Scotland only) | ITV3 | Sky Mix | Quest |
E4 | Film4 | Channel 4+1 | QVC |
Really | More4 | Dave | Drama |
5USA | Ideal World (7am-midnight only) | BBC Three | BBC Four (Scotland only) |
W | ITV4 | Yesterday | ITVBe |
ITV2+1 (7am-3am only) | E4+1 | E4 Extra | 5Star |
5Action | GREAT! movies | ITV1+1 (England and Wales but not Channel Islands), STV+1 (Scotland), UTV+1 (Northern Ireland) | Sky Arts |
QVC Beauty (7pm-1pm only) | Channel 5+1 | DMAX | Quest Red |
Legend | GREAT! action | Food Network | HGTV |
Gems TV | 5Select | Film4+1 | Challenge |
4seven | GREAT! tv | TJC | GREAT! xmas |
TG4 (Northern Ireland only) | RTE One (Northern Ireland only) | RTE2 (Northern Ireland) | That's TV |
Dave ja vu | ITVBe+1 (3am-5am only) | ITV3+1 (9pm-6am only) | Drama+1 |
GREAT! movies+1 | GREAT! tv+1 | GREAT! xmas+1 | Blaze (5am-2am only) |
That's Christmas | TBN UK | CBS Reality | Reality Xtra |
HorrorXtra | Quest+1 | That's 60s | Jewellery Maker (8am-1pm only) |
Hobby Maker | Yesterday+1 (5am-7am only) | That's 90s (Greater Manchester only) | That's Christmas (Greater Manchester only) |
That's 60s (Greater Manchester only) | TCC (3am-5am only) | Earthx TV | That's 80s (Greater Manchester only) |
Blaze+1 (3am-4am only) | Talking Pictures TV | Together TV (12pm-3am only) | PBS America (1pm-5am only) |
Create & Craft (7am-10pm only) | That's 90s | TV Warehouse (Greater Manchester only) | TV Warehouse+1 |
ITV4+1 (5am-7am only) | WildEarth | Shop Extra | Manchester TV (Greater Manchester only) |
BBC One HD (regional versions in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) | BBC Two HD (regional versions in Wales and Northern Ireland) | ITV1 HD (England and Wales only) / STV HD (Scotland only) / UTV HD (Northern Ireland only) | Channel 4 HD (except Wales) / S4C HD (Wales) |
Channel 5 HD | BBC Four HD / BBC Scotland HD (Scotland only) | BBC Three HD | BBC Four HD (Scotland only) |
Channel 4 HD (Wales only) | ... | ... | ... |
These are the kids channels also brought to your EE TV box via Freeview, and included in the EE TV Entertainment pack:
CBBC | CBeebies | CBBC HD | CBeebies HD |
Pop | Tiny Pop | Pop Max | Ketchup TV |
Ketchup Too | Yaaas! | Pop Player (Greater Manchester only) |
This short list shows which news channels are available on Freeview with the EE TV Entertainment pack:
BBC News | BBC Parliament | Sky News | Al Jazeera English |
GB News | TalkTV |
The final round-up of the many Freeview channels you can watch on EE TV is also included in the EE TV Entertainment pack:
BBC Red Button | 365 Travel | Kiss Chat & Date | Proud Dating |
Vision TV | Arise News | SonLife Broadcasting Network | Fail Army |
On Demand 365 | Pet Collective | Al Jazeera English | Al Jazeera Arabic |
WION News | Real Crime | Channelbox | Asharq TV |
ASHARQ News | Al Arabiya | Shots! | UK Radio Portal |
Zee World | Alaraby Network | Rok | Revelation TV |
GOD TV | 3ABN | Together TV+1 | NHK World |
Newsmax | Amazing Facts | Nyx | Mech + |
The following channels aren't exclusive per se, but they aren't Freeview either. You'll get these in all EE Entertainment packages:
Sky News | BT Preview | BritBox | AMC |
National Geographic |
The NOW TV Entertainment pass is included with all EE TV Entertainment bundles. It provides access to the following additional, premium entertainment channels:
Sky Showcase | Sky Witness | Sky Atlantic | Gold |
Comedy Central | Sky Max | Sky Comedy | Sky Sci-Fi |
Sky Crime | Sky Arts | MTV | Sky Documentaries |
Sky History | Sky Nature | Sky Showcase HD | Sky Witness HD |
Sky Atlantic HD | Gold HD | Comedy Central HD | Sky Max HD |
Sky Comedy HD | Sky Sci-Fi HD | Sky Crime HD | Sky Arts HD |
MTV HD | National Geographic HD | Sky Documentaries HD | Sky History HD |
Sky Nature HD | Sky News HD |
These are the sport channels you will get as part of the basic EE TV Entertainment package:
Eurosport 1 | Eurosport 2 | Eurosport 1 HD | Eurosport 2 HD |
If your EE TV package includes Sky Sports (look for packages with 'Sport' in the title), these are the channels you will get access to. These are delivered via NOW TV, but the do have their own channel numbers, and so operate like regular channels – no need for the NOW TV app:
Sky Sports Extra | Sky Sports News | Sky Sports Main Event | Sky Sports Premier League |
Sky Sports Football | Sky Sports Cricket | Sky Sports Golf | Sky Sports F1 |
Sky Sports NFL | Sky Sports Arena | Sky Sports Racing | Sky Sports Mix |
Sky Sports Main Event HD | Sky Sports News HD | Sky Sports Premier League HD | Sky Sports Football HD |
Sky Sports Cricket HD | Sky Sports Golf HD | Sky Sports F1 HD | Sky Sports NFL HD |
Sky Sports Arena HD | Sky Sports Racing HD | Sky Sports Mix HD | Sky Sports Box Office HD |
Sky Sports Box Office 2 HD |
You will need to add on TNT Sports to a basic package, or plump for one of the higher-tier EE TV packages that includes it. It doesn't come with the basic Entertainment pack. However you get it, these are the included channels:
TNT Sports 1 | TNT Sports 2 | TNT Sports 3 | TNT Sports 4 |
TNT Sports 1 HD | TNT Sports 2 HD | TNT Sports 3 HD | TNT Sports 4 HD |
TNT Sports Ultimate | TNT Sports Box Office HD | TNT Sports Box Office 2 HD |
These additional kids channels are the same ones you'd find in a Sky TV subscription, and are included in the EE TV Entertainment package, which includes NOW Entertainment:
Cartoon Network | Boomerang | Nickelodeon | Nick Loud House |
Nick Jr | Cartoonito | Sky Kids | Cartoon Network HD |
Boomerang HD | Nickelodeon HD | Nick Jr HD | Sky Kids HD |
You will need to add on the 'movies' pack to your EE TV Entertainment basic package in order to get these. The 'Big Entertainment' and 'VIP Entertainment' packages have these channels as standard. Sky Cinema channels are delivered on EE TV via the NOW TV Cinema pass:
Sky Cinema Animation | Sky Cinema Premiere | Sky Cinema Heroines | Sky Cinema Bourne |
Sky Cinema Greats | Sky Cinema Family | Sky Cinema Action | Sky Cinema Comedy |
Sky Cinema Thriller | Sky Cinema Drama | Sky Cinema Sci-Fi and Horror | Sky Cinema Animation HD |
Sky Cinema Premiere HD | Sky Cinema Heroines HD | Sky Cinema Bourne HD | Sky Cinema Greats HD |
Sky Cinema Family HD | Sky Cinema Action HD | Sky Cinema Comedy HD | Sky Cinema Thriller HD |
Sky Cinema Drama HD | Sky Cinema Sci-Fi and Horror HD |
Well, what to say about these? They're there if you want them:
Smile TV3 | Babestation | Xpanded TV | Studio 66 |
Yes, like many Freeview and subscription TV services, you can get radio stations via the EE TV Box Pro if you so wish. They are:
BBC Radio 1 | BBC Radio 1Xtra | BBC Radio 2 | BBC Radio 3 |
BBC Radio 4 FM | BBC Radio 5 Live | BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra | BBC Radio 6 Music |
BBC Radio 4 Extra | BBC Asian Network | BBC World Service | Hits Radio |
KissFresh | Kiss | Kisstory | Magic |
Greatest Hits Radio | Kerrang! Radio | Smooth Radio | talkSPORT |
Capital | Premier Christian Radio | Absolute Radio | Heart |
RTE Raidio na Gaeltachta (Northern Ireland) | RNIB Connect | Classic FM | LBC |
Trans World Radio |
If you've skimmed or browsed through that lot, we're sure you'll agree EE TV does offer a pretty comprehensive TV service. It's just a shame that where BT (and EE's) own information is concerned it's somewhat lacking in showing its potential customers exactly what channels they're going to get. Luckily, you have us!
Of course, live channels are not the only game in town when you subscribe to Sky Stream. You'll get the Entertainment channels we've outlined in this guide, sure. But BT will also bundle in both a Netflix subscription, and access to Sky Box Sets via NOW TV, where Sky dumps a lot of its best shows for you to watch whenever you like.
Let's be real here. Compiling an exhaustive list of everything on Sky Box Sets is like trying to count all the stars in the sky – never-ending and constantly changing.
What you'll discover there is a treasure trove of Sky's finest historical shows from every Sky Channel, including the illustrious Sky Atlantic, where you'll find HBO and Sky Original shows like Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, Succession, and plenty more.
With about 500 shows at your fingertips, it's a binge-watcher's paradise. Just a word of advice: The content tends to shuffle more often than a deck of cards. One moment House of the Dragon might be in your watchlist, then poof! It vanishes for a bit, only to reappear later on.
The main things you need to know about Netflix on EE TV are as follows: