8 Cheaper alternatives to Sky TV in the UK

If you’re looking to save money on your Sky subscription the only way that you can do this is by trying to haggle with Sky, but this might not always work and as a result, you might want to look for alternatives to Sky.

For something to be a true alternative, it’s important to understand what their basic package offers.

Sky’s basic package is called Sky Signature and as a new customer, this costs £26 a month and will you also have to pay a £49 set-up fee.

This package gives entertainment, documentaries, music, a minimal number of sports channels and boxsets, being the basic package it doesn’t come with Sky Sports or Sky Cinema, so you are relying on those channels that you do get access to show movies from time to time.

The nearest alternative to Sky comes from its own streaming service, Now.

Not only do some of these channels offer original content, but you will also find some of your old favourites on there too.

What alternatives to Sky are there?

Service	Cost per month/year	Information
Amazon Prime Video	£7.99 per month £79 per year	Gives you access to Amazon Prime and all the services that this includes.
Apple TV+	£4.99 per month	Get three months free when you buy an eligible Apple device
Britbox	£5.99 per month	Backed by the BBC and ITV, watch British classic films and TV shows as well as new and original content.
Disney+	£4.99 per month	Exclusive originals from Marvel Studios, Pixar and more Unlimited downloads on up to 10 devices
Netflix	£6.99 – £15.99 per month	Comes with three plans, Basic, Standard and Premium. The prices are for new members but will be applied to current members.
Now	£9.99 per month	Pays for the Entertainment pass. Add Cinema for £9.99 and Sports for 24hrs for £11.99 or £33.99 per month.
Paramount+	£6.99 per month	Watch some of your favourite shows from Paramount studios
StarzPlay	£5.99 per month	Sign up with Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Rakuten TV, Roku and Virgin TV

Do any of these services offer a free trial?

While some of these streaming services offer a free trial, many will also offer a reduction in price for a few months.

You might have to provide your credit card details to benefit from the free trial which means that you will have to know when your trial runs out otherwise you will be charged.

What are the pros and cons of a sky subscription?

Pros

Not reliant on you having an internet connection.

You will receive your transmission through a dish unless you subscribe to Sky Glass.

Exclusive content

Sky invests in original content, which it calls Sky Originals

In 2021 there aired 125 Sky Originals.

Cons

You’re signed up to a contract

If at any point you decide that Sky isn’t for you, you have two options, wait until your contract ends or breaks the contract and end up paying an early termination charge.

It’s expensive compared to other services

When you consider that some of these other services cost as little as £10 a month, Sky makes for an expensive option.

Internet access is required to benefit from all of the Sky Q features

While you don’t need an internet connection to watch Sky Q, some of its features.

This includes On-demand content, apps, search and much more.

Can be affected by weather conditions

If you find yourself plagued by bad weather conditions, you might find that you’re stuck without a TV for the duration of these conditions.

You might require a satellite dish

While I’ve indicated that having a satellite dish is positive, some might feel that having someone drill into the side of their house isn’t something that they would be comfortable with, especially if later on they decide after their contract they no longer wish to continue with their subscription.

Do I need broadband for streaming services?

Yes.

Streaming services won’t work without you having broadband.

When factoring in the cost of broadband, the cost of these streaming services is comparable to Sky Signature.

How many MBs does a streaming film use? 

How many MBs are used to stream a film show or film will depend on a range of factors, including how long the film or show is, whether you’re watching it on standard or high definition

The speed that you get from your service provider can sometimes be a lottery, and there’s nothing worse than getting to a good part in a movie to get that buffering circle due to your network connection.

If you’re looking to watch movies in standard definition the recommended download speed is around 1Mb, if on the other hand, if you’re looking to watch movies in HD then you’re likely going to need a minimum of 5MB.

If you’ve invested in a 4k TV and want to watch movies in this definition, it’s likely that you’re going to need a minimum broadband speed of 25 Mbps.

Can I download content from these streaming services?

There will be occasions when you don’t have access to the internet, but still want to enjoy your favourite shows on the go.

Depending on the service that you are subscribing to, you can download your shows to your preferred device, but remember that this will require you to have a lot of space on that device.

Downloads aren’t yours to keep forever and you will generally have the ability to keep them for up to 30 days, in which if you haven’t watched your download you will need to download it again.

What are the most popular streaming TV Subscription Services?

Here in the UK, the most popular TV subscription services come from Netflix, Disney+ and Prime Video.

In the first quarter of 2022, Netflix had 18m households subscribing, Disney+ 7m and Prime Video 14m.

How to choose the right streaming service for you?

With so much choice, it’s unlikely that you’re going ever to find one service that is right for you, and you don’t have to.

As there is no contract with these subscription services, there is no need to be loyal to just one, instead, you should flip flop between all of them so that you experience the best from all of them.

In staying with one, you’ll probably end up watching everything they have on offer and watching something that you’ve already watched.

Free TV streaming

While these subscription services offer a great level of entertainment, these aren’t the only services where you can get a range of films and TV shows.

The usual terrestrial channels, BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and 5, all stream their services and with so much to choose from you this could give you hours of viewing pleasure.

If you have been a sky customer and you already have a satellite dish you might also want to consider looking into Freesat.  

To get Freesat you will need a TV with Freesat built-in or buy a set-top box which can run into the hundreds of pounds.

Conclusion

TV subscription services are here to stay.

They offer a cheaper alternative to taking your family to the cinema where a single ticket averages around £7.

The only true alternative to Sky’s is Sky’s own streaming service, Now as you can watch shows featured on their main channels, though it is cheaper than Sky Signature if you only go for the Entertainment package and you aren’t tied into a contract.

With the three most popular, Netflix, Amazon Video and Disney +, competing for your subscription there will be content created that will appeal to most audiences, of course not everything is going to be something that you’re interested in.

As you’re not required to enter into a contract, unlike Sky, you can swap and change these subscription services whenever a show might come up that interests you.