All of Sky's new TV packages come with its Sky Q box, which allows you to record and store your favourite programmes. TalkTalk: TalkTalk TV is £2/mth over 18-months, and is only available if you go for its broadband and line rental. Its box allows you to pause and rewind live TV and includes access to more than 80 live TV channels. All the latest pay monthly mobile phone contracts & deals from Sky Mobile. Including the latest mobile phones from Apple, Samsung, Huawei, Sony & a lot more.
Sky will launch a pay-as-you-go film, sport and TV service online this Summer, called Now TV, in a direct assault on Netflix and Lovefilm.
The service will be available across computers, connected TVs, tablets, smartphones and games consoles with a wide range of Sky content.
It will launch with hundreds of films from Sky Movies and will expand to include entertainment and sports from Sky’s TV channels.
There will be no minimum contract with payment options from monthly Sky Movies subscriptions to pay-as-you-go for individual films, TV shows and events.
Sky’s chief executive, Jeremy Darroch, said: “We’ll offer two distinctive ways to watch: the market-leading full Sky service for the whole family, complete with the widest range of channels, high quality products like Sky+, HD and Sky Go, and the peace of mind of a monthly bill; or the flexible, more spontaneous, pay-as-you-go service of Now TV.
“Because Now TV will also be ‘powered by Sky’, customers will still know that it will give them the best, exclusive content and a high quality experience, from a provider they can trust. Either way, we believe we can offer even more customers a product that’s just right for them.”
Sky for the ‘now’ generation
Now TV is aimed at hoovering up some of the 13 million UK homes which don’t currently use a traditional pay-TV service.
Sky promised to wrap Now TV in an ‘intuitive’ interface with ‘immediate’ streaming – which may mean popular content is cached on users’ devices to mask buffering as it downloads, similar to the ‘progressive download’ system on Anytime+.
“Now TV will be available on a wide range of devices and offer instant access to a range of high quality Sky content, with no install and no contract,” Darroch added. “Starting with movies, it will soon expand to offer sport and entertainment as well. And customers will be able to pay monthly or rent a movie on a simple, pay as you go basis.
“As the quality of the TV experience over broadband has improved, people have become more willing to consume content in different ways.
“That presents a great opportunity to distribute our programmes which wasn’t there even a year or two ago. With the long-awaited explosion of connected devices now upon us, this opportunity is only going to grow. And it’s something we believe is highly complementary to our existing service.”
With a huge selection of entertainment, movie and sports channels to choose from, it's easy to see why Sky TV is so popular. But the prices for a full Sky subscription can be eye-watering.
While the lure of shows such as Westworld and Game of Thrones can be appealing, the thought of being tied in to an expensive contract can feel off-putting. The good news is you don't have to take out a long Sky subscription to watch Sky channels.
Read on for more information on TV services that will let you watch Sky TV without a Sky subscription, including Now TV, Virgin Media and TalkTalk.
Use our round up of the best and worst TV and broadband providers to discover how satisfied Sky customers are in comparison to those with other suppliers.
Try Now TV
Now TV is an internet TV streaming service powered by Sky. It offers live streaming and on-demand content from popular Sky channels - so, you can watch Sky shows as they're going out live, or catch up on them at a later date.
Crucially, you don't have to be a Sky subscriber to use Now TV. Instead you simply buy 'passes' for a day, week or month to access the channels that you want. When your pass expires it rolls over into a monthly subscription fee, but you can cancel at any time. See how Now TV compares to popular streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime, using our TV streaming service reviews.
Streaming services broadcast over the internet, so you don't need a satellite dish to watch Now TV (though you do need a broadband connection of at least 2.5Mbps or a mobile signal of 180Kbps if you plan to watch using 3G or 4G).
Pay As You Go Cable
You'll also need a device that can use the Now TV app. Some smart TVs come with this preinstalled, but if yours doesn't, you can watch Now TV in a few different ways.
One of the easiest, cheapest ways to watch Now TV is to buy a dedicated Sky Now TV box or smart stick, which cost as little as £15. This may even include a trial of free passes to watch the content, which in effect pays for the cost of the Now TV box itself.
A YouTube box will also give you access to the Now TV app - or you can install the app on a tablet, smartphone or PC.
Find out more in our guide: What is Now TV?
Add Sky channels to a service from another provider
If you've already got a TV subscription with a different provider, such as Virgin Media or BT TV, you can add most of Sky's channels to these services.
To do this, you add a 'bolt on' to your existing pay TV service. For example, you can pay BT £16 a month to add 11 Sky Movie channels to your package. There's usually no contract to do this, you just pay on a monthly basis.
If you're looking for some channels to keep the little ones happy, you can simply add children's channels to yourTV and broadband bundle - for example TalkTalk's Kids Boost adds nine children's channels, including Nickelodeon, Boomerang and Cartoon Network.
Use a shared Sky subscription
If a friend or family member already subscribes to Sky, then you can register as a secondary user and still watch Sky shows.
Now TV (see above), for example, allows you to register up to four compatible devices (such as a Now TV box, a laptop, or a tablet). The service lets you watch programmes on two devices at the same time, so four members of an extended family won't all be able to tune into Game of Thrones simultaneously on different devices.
Alternatively, Sky Go is a streaming service that allows Sky subscribers to watch programmes away from the home. This lets Sky customers register two devices (or four, if you pay more for Sky Go Extra).
In effect, this would let you log in to watch Sky programming if you used the account details of a family member who has a Sky subscription. However, users are meant to be part of the same household as the primary Sky account holder, according to Sky.
Read our Sky TV and broadband review to find out what Sky customers had to say about the service they receive in our latest satisfaction survey.
...or, stick with Freeview
If you decide that none of the above options work for you, then one alternative is to stick with Freeview. It may not offer the same sports or movie range as Sky, but it still gives you a huge selection of channels for no cost at all (other than the charge for a TV licence).
With the addition of a Freeview PVR, you can pause, rewind and record live TV, as well as setting a planner and series-link. These are all features you would get with a Sky box. You won't, however, have access to the same sports, movies and entertainment channels. Head to our round-up of the Best Buy Freeview PVRs to see which models impressed the experts in our lab.
Sky Tv Online Pay As You Go
If that's not enough for you, and you want even more channels, then Freesat offers more than 200 channels and on-demand TV from the likes of the BBC and ITV. To get it, you just need a Freesat box or a TV with Freesat built-in, plus a Freesat satellite dish. As with Freeview, there's no ongoing subscription cost. Read in depth reviews of all the latest models using our Freesat PVRs and set top box reviews.
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