Sky Sports guide: Channels, packages & how to watch

Dan Howdle • November 26th, 2024

Sky Sports is the leading sports TV subscription service in the UK. Launched more than 30 years ago, it has evolved and changed over the years and now shows a vast amount of sport that you cannot see anywhere else, including the exclusive rights to a huge range of top sporting events around the world, from football to golf, to F1 and even darts.

Sky Sports is, unsurprisingly, not cheap, but you do get a lot for your money. It is available via a Sky TV package, as a NOW TV membership, or as a bolt-on with various other TV providers, including Virgin Media and EE TV. In this guide, we take a detailed look at everything that’s included in Sky Sports, along with the best – and most affordable – ways to get it.

Introduction

Sky Sports is a paid-for TV package comprising nine channels devoted purely to sport; from football and cricket to Formula 1 and horse racing. It's available on a long contract as part of a TV subscription bundle, or as a monthly add-on that you can cancel when you wish.

Sky Sports is available as part of a Sky TV subscription, and also with a number of other TV providers, including BT/EE, TalkTalk and Virgin Media. You can also watch it via NOW (now just called NOW instead of NOW TV) – Sky’s streaming service – on a flexible monthly or daily subscription.

As well as watching Sky Sports directly on your TV, you can watch it via the Sky Sports app or the Sky Go app on a mobile phone, tablet, laptop or games console. For Mac or PC users, you will need to download the Sky Go desktop player to stream content.

The Sky Sports app comes free with any Sky Sports subscription, offering live scores, personalised news feeds, and extended fixture results. The app also allows you to watch your Sky Sports subscription live both at home and on the go, with improved tools for tracking your favorite teams and competitions.

With the introduction of Sky Stream (and Sky Glass), there is no longer a requirement for a Sky satellite dish to access Sky Sports. If you choose to subscribe via NOW, you can also watch on any device that supports the NOW app, including smart TVs, mobile phones, and tablets.

What’s the cheapest way to get Sky Sports?

Sky Sports isn’t exactly cheap, but there are a few options to suit different budgets. The absolute cheapest way to watch it is by heading to your local pub – if they’re showing the match or event you’re interested in, that is.

The next cheapest option is a £14.99 Day Membership on NOW. This gives you access to all 12 Sky Sports channels for 24 hours. It’s perfect for occasional viewers who just want to catch a specific game or event without committing to a longer plan. However, it becomes the most expensive way to watch if you need to get a pass for several days in the month.

For those who want to watch Sky Sports regularly but still prefer flexibility, NOW also offers a Sports Pass for £34.99. This lets you watch all Sky Sports channels for a full month with no long-term contract. It’s a good middle ground for avid sports fans who don’t want to be tied down, but definitely not the cheapest way to watch.

The cheapest way to get Sky Sports on a monthly basis is with a Sky Stream subscription. Adding the Sky Sports package costs around £20 per month on a rolling monthly contract. Sky Sports is also available through other providers like Virgin Media, TalkTalk and EE TV (via EE or BT), as part of bundled packages or add-ons. Pricing varies depending on the provider and plan, so it’s worth comparing deals to see which option works best for you.

Cheapest Sky Sports packages and prices

Compare Sky Sports packages

Sky Sports channels

As mentioned, Sky Sports offers coverage of a vast range of live sports, but also offers documentaries, features, news and interviews as well as replays of previous events. But the question is, can you watch the sport that you are interested in? To help you decide, we’ve summarised what’s on offer on all the channels.

Ways to get Sky Sports

Sky Sports is not exclusive to Sky TV customers – it is also available with many other subscription TV services as either a bolt-on or as part of a package.

Sky Sports on Sky TV

To get Sky Sports with Sky, you can choose to have it in a bundle with Sky TV, or add it on as an extra. It is cheaper to take it in a bundle, and either way it comes on an 24-month or one-month contract at slightly different price points. By signing up to Sky, you will also get free access to the Sky Sports app as well as Sky Go, meaning you can watch your favourite sports when you are away from home.

Compare Sky Sports deals

Sky Sports with BT or EE broadband via EE TV

BT offers customers its EE TV Big Sport bundle, which comes both with TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport) and a NOW Sports membership, giving you the full monty of sport TV in one package. Alternatively, you can choose to bolt on NOW Sport to your basic EE TV package. This works out more expensive, but as it is on a rolling monthly contract, you can choose to cancel at any point.

Compare BT TV deals

Sky Sports on Virgin Media

As with BT, you can choose a pre-built Virgin Media bundle, such as the Biggest Bundle + Sports, which comes with both Sky Sports and TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport), or you can just add Sky Sports to your chosen bundle. Either way, you are tied to an 18-month contract.

Compare Virgin TV deals

Sky Sports on NOW

NOW is the obvious alternative to getting Sky Sports with Sky TV. NOW offers Sky Sports on both a monthly or a daily subscription. Both options work out expensive, but on the upside, you aren’t tied into a long contract. Just be aware that NOW monthly memberships roll on automatically unless you cancel. Day memberships do not roll on, but are absurdly expensive in our opinion.

You can watch a NOW subscription via the NOW app on a Smart TV, on a games console, via a streaming stick (such as Roku), via the web or even on your phone or tablet. If you want to watch Sky Sports in HD, you will need to pay extra for the NOW TV Boost, or Ultra Boost for 4K, which allows you to watch in HD or 4K respectively, and increases the number of devices you can watch on at once from one to three.

Compare TV deals

Alternatives to Sky Sports

If you don’t fancy forking out for a Sky Sports subscription, there are other ways to watch sporting action on your TV. The main one of which is TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport), which, unlike Sky, has exclusive rights to the UEFA Champions League. If you want to make sure you have access to all the top-flight sport, you will have to sign up for both TNT Sports and Sky Sport.

TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport)

For football fans, BT Sport is a great option as it has exclusive coverage of the UEFA Champions League, the Emirates FA Cup, the UEFA Europa League, and also 52 Premier League matches that are not shown on Sky Sports. It is also the go-to place for Rugby Union fans, showing Premiership Rugby along with the European Champions Cup and the European Challenge Cup.

NOW Sports Membership

NOW is Sky’s little sibling – offering the best of Sky but without the lengthy commitment. You can get access to all Sky Sports channels on a rolling monthly contract or a one-day membership should you want to watch a specific event. As a bonus, this option also gives you access to five Sky Sports channels (including Premier League) on your mobile for a month.

Freesports from Freeview

Freesports is the new sports specialist channel from Freeview – available without any subscription fee. It shows thousands of highlights from sporting events in the UK and around the world, including football, rugby league, hockey, tennis, motorsports, showjumping and more.