Signing up for a Sky TV package can be a big financial commitment. And it can be a potentially huge one if you’ve set your heart on having all the channels beamed to every room in your home. Exercise a little patience, however, and you can save yourself a packet with our pick of the best Sky TV deals.
There's only one potential stumbling block: It can be tough to pick the exact right Sky package to suit the unique viewing habits of your household. With so many different Sky TV add-ons on offer, and such a wide range of options available, it’s easy to feel paralysed by the sheer volume of choices. If you're baffled by all the options, then scroll past the deals below and we'll explain them all at the bottom of the page.
The best Sky TV deals in May 2018
Sky TV Multiscreen deal: Get £350 off a new TV
If you’ve been looking to supercharge your home entertainment system, this could be the deal you’ve been waiting for. This offer bags you a 2TB Sky Q box, a Sky Entertainment package and a Multiscreen add-on for £32 per month. You also get a £350 voucher to put towards at 43” 4K Ultra HD LG TV, which brings the telly’s price down from £599 to £249. The one-off set-up costs associated with this package add up to £40. And if you’re already a Sky Entertainment customer, you can add this deal to your existing package for an extra £12 per month.
Buy Sky Q with the Multiscreen deal and claim your £350 TV voucher
Key specs - Monthly payment:£32 for new customers, or £12 to add to an existing package; Set-up fee:£40; Contract length: 18 months; Includes: 2TB Sky Q box, Multiscreen, Sky Entertainment; Added extras:£350 TV voucher
Sky Sports deal: 2 for 1 on football channels
With this 2 for 1 offer, you can snap up Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Football together for the usual price of one sports channel, which means you can add them to an existing Sky package for £18 per month. This will give you a whole host of action from the 2018/2019 football season, featuring games from the Premier League, EFL, Scottish Premiership, League Cup, and other competitions from around the globe.
Use the 2 for 1 offer to get Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Football
Key specs - Monthly payment: Adds £18 per month to your package; Contract length: 18 months; Includes: Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Football
Sky TV & Sky Broadband Unlimited deal: A year of cheap internet
This Sky TV and Sky Broadband offer is a great all-rounder for your home. For £12 months, you’ll be paying £38 per month, which gets you a 1TB Sky Q box, a Sky Entertainment TV package, line rental, a ‘Pay As You Talk’ phone package, and Sky Broadband Unlimited. The broadband has an average download speed of 11Mb, which should be enough for smaller households. There is a set-up fee of £29.95 to pay, though, and the monthly cost will rise to £50 after the first 12 months.
Buy the Sky TV and Sky Broadband Unlimited package
Key specs - Monthly payment:£38 for 12 months, then £50 for six months; Set-up fee:£29.95; Contract length: 18 months; Includes: 1TB Sky Q box, Sky Entertainment, Sky Broadband Unlimited (router cost included in set-up fee), Sky Line Rental, Sky Talk Pay As You Talk
How to choose the right Sky TV package for you
Once you’ve chosen a Sky package, chances are that you will be tied into a contract for 18 months. Although you can add extra things to your package at a later date, you don’t want to be stuck with a core service that doesn’t match your requirements.
Which Sky Q box should you choose?
Choosing between a 1TB Sky Q box and a 2TB Sky Q box is one of the first choices that Sky will give you when you’re trying to pick a package. There are some significant differences between the two, so you’ll want to choose very carefully.
The 1TB Sky Q box can hold 500 hours of standard definition recordings, and it can record three shows at once while you watch a fourth one live. Depending on your Sky package, you can watch in either standard definition or high definition with a Sky Q 1TB box. You can also stream to one device with this particular box, if you pay extra for a Multiscreen add-on. If you pay extra for Multiscreen, and purchase a ‘Sky Q Mini box’, you can also watch on up to two TVs.
The 2TB Sky Q box has more to offer in every department. It can hold up to 1000 hours of standard definition TV, and it can record six shows while you watch a seventh one live. It can also support ultra high definition, if you have a package that allows that. With a 2TB box, you can also stream to two devices instead of just one using the Sky Q app. And if you have the Multiscreen add-on and two Sky Q Mini boxes, you can watch on up to three TVs.
Do new customers get special Sky Q deals?
If you’re a new customer and you opt to buy a Sky Q package, you won’t pay a penny for the box itself. With both the 1TB and 2TB packages, the box is free, but the set-up fee varies wildly: there is an installation cost of £20 for the 1TB, which seems fairly reasonable, but that set-up fee skyrockets to £199 if you go for the 2TB box. However, by choosing certain add-ons and deals, you can bring that set-up fee down.
What do you get with the basic package?
For £20 per month, new Sky TV customers can get a 1TB Sky Q box with a basic Sky TV Entertainment package, which covers all the terrestrial and Freeview channels, as well as premium channels like Sky Atlantic, Sky One, Sky Two, Sky Living and Sky Arts. There is no cost to buy the equipment, although there is a one-off £20 charge for setting it up.
How do the 1TB and 2TB Sky Q packages vary?
It can get a bit complicated to remember all the differences between the two main Sky Q packages. Here are the core specs you'll want to bear in mind when picking a package:
Sky Q 1TB package | Sky Q 2TB package | |
Core monthly price | £20 | £20 |
Set-up cost | £20 | £199 (drops to £65 if you add Multiscreen to your package) |
Length of contract | 18 month minimum | 18 month minimum |
Total storage | 1TB (can hold up to 500 hours of standard definition TV) | 2TB (can hold up to 1000 hours of standard definition TV) |
Recording capabilities | Record 3 shows while watching a 4th one live | Record 6 shows while watching a 7th one live |
Best picture quality available | HD (only if you pay an extra £5 per month to add HD to your package) | Ultra HD (only if you pay an extra £12 per month to add Multiscreen to your package) |
Extra monthly cost to add Sky Q Multiscreen | £12 | £12 |
Maximum capabilities for Multiscreen customers | Watch at the same time on 2 TVs* and 1 tablet. | Watch at the same time on 3 TVs* and 2 tablets. |
*If you want to watch on a second TV, you’ll have to pay a one-off fee of £20 to purchase a Sky Q Minibox, on top of the £12 monthly fee for Multiscreen. If you want to add a third TV, purchasing a second Sky Q Minibox would cost you £119.
What are the options for extra channels and add-ons?
There are numerous Sky TV add-ons that you can work into your monthly payment to bolster your viewing capabilities.
Sky Box Sets | £5 extra per month
You can get access to 400 box sets for just a fiver each month. Current highlights include House and Ballers.
Sky Cinema | £10 extra per month
Sky Cinema gives you access to 1,000 movies for ten pounds a month. This includes a new premiere every single day, which is often something you missed at the cinema.
Sky Kids | £5 extra per month
The perfect tool to help keep your little ones entertained, Sky Kids gives you access to 11 children’s channels and over 4,500 hours of on-demand entertainment.
Sky Q Multiscreen | £12 per month (plus set-up fees)
With Multiscreen, you can watch content from your main TV on alternate tellies or portable devices around the home. Each extra television will cost you, though: there’s a £20 set-up fee for the second TV in your home, and a £99 one-off cost for each telly after that.
Sky Sports Complete Pack | £20 per month
If you’re willing to be on an 18-month contract, you can add the complete Sky Sports pack to your Sky package for £20 a month. Or if you want to do it without a contract, it will cost you £28 per month. Either way, you’ll never miss a Sky-screened sporting event again.
Sky TV in HD | £5 per month
If it’s high-budget pristine TV shows that you’ll be watching, such as Westworld and Game Of Thrones, converting to HD could vastly improve the picture quality. Sky’s HD add-on runs on a rolling 31-day contract, so if you don’t see a benefit, you can switch it off the following month.