By Sky’s new Essential TV plan gives you Sky Atlantic, Netflix & Discovery+ for £15 per month. Find out how it works and compare Essential TV deals.
In the UK, Sky has launched a new Essential TV plan for just £15 per month. Promising ‘extraordinary TV’ at a ‘new everyday low price’, it gives you access to Sky Atlantic, Netflix, and Discovery+, together in one subscription. You’ll also get a Sky Stream box for watching it all on your TV.
On top of your Essential TV plan, you’ll be able to add extra content like Sky Sports and Sky Cinema. There’s also an ‘Ultimate TV’ upgrade, giving you 40+ additional premium channels for an extra £7 per month. Finally, you can get Sky’s Full Fibre broadband together with Essential TV for a discounted price starting from £35 per month.
In this article, we’ll look at Sky’s new Essential TV plan and what’s included with it. We’ll also look at the latest Essential TV deals, the inclusive Sky Stream box, and the add-ons available. This includes the Sky Sports pack and the Sky Cinema pack.
Contents
What is Essential TV?
In the UK, Sky has launched a new £15 Essential TV plan. It takes many of the UK’s top on-demand and live TV services, and packages them together into one simple monthly subscription. You’ll also get a Sky Stream box included, for watching it all on your TV.
All of the following services are included with Essential TV:
- Sky Atlantic: This is Sky’s flagship TV channel, giving you access to an exclusive library of the top US and UK shows. Recent highlights include The Day of the Jackal, featuring Eddie Redmayne and Lashana Lynch. There’s also Sweetpea, The Penguin, Dune: Prophecy, House of the Dragon, Gangs of London, Succession, The Last Of Us, and more. Sky Atlantic is available as both a live TV channel and as an on-demand catalogue where you can watch hundreds of shows, whenever you like.
- Netflix: Netflix is included with your Essential TV subscription, giving you thousands of shows and movies to watch on-demand. This includes the latest series of Squid Game 2, as well as older favourites like Bridgerton and The Queen’s Gambit.
- Discovery+: You’ll also get a Discovery+ subscription included with Essential TV. This gives you access to eye-opening documentaries, and reality TV. For instance, you’ll be able to stream shows such as Sharktopia, 90 Days Fiancé, Richard Hammond’s Workshop and the Deadliest Catch on Discovery+.
There are also more than 100 channels including all of the free-to-air favourites from the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5. These will all be available for you to watch through the Sky Stream box.
Sky Stream Box
You’ll be provided with a Sky Stream box to go with your Essential TV plan (that’s unless you get a Sky Glass TV, which has all of the technology built-in).
With Sky Stream, you can have all of your favourite content brought together into one interface, with everything being streamed over WiFi, so there’s no need for a dish.
You can connect your Sky Stream box to a wide range of apps and services including Netflix, Discovery+, Apple TV+, Prime Video, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, and YouTube.
Once you’ve done that, you’ll get all of your recommendations brought together in one place, so there’s no need to hop between lots of different apps to find something to watch. There’s also a ‘Smart Search’ feature where you can simply say what you want to watch: it will then look for it across all of your connected channels and apps. That means there’s no need to remember which channel or app each programme is on.
Essential TV on Sky Glass
If you’re looking to upgrade to a new TV, it’s also possible to get the Essential TV plan on Sky Glass.
Sky Glass is the smart TV from Sky with a 4K Quantum Dot display, plus a built-in soundbar with 6 powerful speakers. It’s available in a choice of three different sizes, ranging from 43-inches to 65-inches. There are also five different colours to choose from, so you can easily match it to the size and the look of your room.
Essential TV Deals
At present, Sky’s Essential TV plan is available from £15 per month. You can choose between a 24-month contract and a 31-day rolling contract:
| Service | Broadband & TV | Monthly Cost (may rise during contract) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
 Sky Stream, Essential TV & Netflix
|   
Broadband not included | £15.00 per month No upfront fee 24 month contract | See deal |
Sky Stream, Essential TV & Netflix (31 day)
|
Broadband not included | £18.00 per month No upfront fee 1 month contract | See deal |
The above table shows the pricing for Essential TV on Sky Stream. It’s also possible to get Essential TV with Sky Glass. Please consult Sky’s website for the latest pricing information.
Essential TV Add-Ons
When you choose Sky’s Essential TV plan, it’s still possible to add their premium TV packs to it. This includes all of the following:
- Sky Sports: With the Sky Sports pack, you’ll get access to all 9 Sky Sports channels, including Sky Sports Premier League, Football, F1, Tennis, Golf, and Cricket. It’s the best way of watching live sports on your TV, with over 1,400 live football games each season, plus every F1 race, every England home cricket match, all 9 Golf majors, and more. You’ll also get Sky Sports+ included at no extra cost.
- Sky Cinema: When you add the Sky Cinema pack, you’ll get access to all of the Sky Cinema channels and a catalogue of over 1,000 movies to watch on-demand. This includes the latest blockbusters, as well as new and exclusive Sky original films. You’ll also get 2 free Vue cinema tickets each month, plus Paramount+ at no extra cost (worth £6.99 per month).
- TNT Sports: For access to even more sports, including extra games from the Premier League and UEFA Champions League, you can add the TNT Sports pack.
- Sky Kids: With the Sky Kids pack, you’ll get 9 additional children’s TV channels, including the ad-free Sky Kids channel. There’s also a Sky Kids app, giving you access to on-demand shows and games, on a smartphone or tablet.
It’s also possible to upgrade your Netflix plan, and to add the ‘Whole Home’ pack so you can watch Sky TV in multiple rooms at the same time.
Essential TV with Sky Broadband
You can take Sky’s Full Fibre broadband together with their Essential TV plan. This gives you one simple package that combines broadband with TV, with a major saving compared to the individual selling price of each one.
At present, you can get Essential TV with Netflix and Full Fibre 75 Broadband for a combined price of £35 per month. This compares to an individual selling price of £15 for Essential TV and £28 for Full Fibre 75 broadband. In total, this saves you £192 over a 24-month contract.
| Service | Broadband & TV | Monthly Cost (may rise during contract) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
Sky Stream, Essential TV & Netflix with Full Fibre 75 Broadband
| 75Mbps average download
| £35.00 per month No upfront fee 24 month contract | See deal |
Sky Stream, Essential TV & Netflix with Full Fibre 150 Broadband
| 150Mbps average download
| £35.00 per month No upfront fee 24 month contract | See deal |
Sky Stream, Essential TV & Netflix with Full Fibre 500 Broadband
| 500Mbps average download
| £41.00 per month No upfront fee 24 month contract | See deal |
Essential TV vs Ultimate TV
If you’re looking for even more entertainment, the Ultimate TV plan is available from £22 per month.
With Ultimate TV, you’ll get 40 extra premium TV channels. This includes the Sky Entertainment channels like Sky Max, Sky Witness, Sky Crime, and Sky Sci-Fi. There are also other channels included such as National Geographic, Comedy Central, and U&GOLD.
For a comparison of the channels available, see the Sky website.
More Information
For more information about the new Essential TV plan, please see Sky’s official website.
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