Sky TV Essentials (also known as Sky Q Lite) gives you a Sky Q box and superfast broadband for £33 per month. See the Sky TV Essentials channels.
If you’re looking for a low-cost TV and broadband deal, you can get Sky Essentials for just £33 per month (this is also known as Sky TV Essentials or Sky Q Lite).
The £33 per month fee includes a Sky Q box and Sky Superfast 35 Broadband.
Sky TV Essentials comes with access to more than 200 channels on a Sky Q box, with the ability to pause, rewind and record live TV. You’ll also be able to watch catch-up TV on BBC iPlayer and other apps through your Sky Q box.
In this article, we’ll review the Sky Essentials deal with Sky Q Lite and Superfast Broadband. We’ll look at how the TV Essentials plan works, the channels you’ll get included with it, and how you can switch your broadband & TV provider to Sky.
Contents
What is Sky TV Essentials?
In the UK, Sky now offers a lower-cost TV Essentials deal. Available exclusively to new Sky TV customers, it comes with a Sky Q box and access to more than 200 free-to-view channels. You’ll get all of the normal functionality available on Sky Q such as apps and the ability to pause, rewind and record live television. You’ll also get a clever remote with voice control functionality built-in.
Alongside your Sky Q box, you’ll also get Sky’s Superfast Broadband included. This gives you an average download speed of either 36Mbps or 59Mbps, depending on the plan you choose. You’ll also get a speed guarantee included as standard on your broadband.
| Service | Broadband | Television | Monthly Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 Sky TV Essentials with Superfast 35 Broadband | 36Mbps average download | Sky TV Essentials 200+ channels included | £33/month for 18 months plus £29.95 upfront |
Sky TV Essentials with Superfast Broadband | 61Mbps average download | Sky TV Essentials 200+ channels included | £36/month for 18 months plus £29.95 upfront |
You’ll normally pay £26 per month for Sky Superfast broadband on its own, without any TV included.
Other Sky TV & Broadband Deals
Unlike Sky’s other TV and broadband deals, you won’t get access to premium TV channels on the Sky Essentials deal.
For access to premium TV channels like Sky Atlantic, Sky Max, Sky Sports and Sky Cinema, you can choose one of the following TV and broadband deals from £36 per month:
| Service | Broadband | Television | Monthly Price |
|---|---|---|---|
Sky Stream, Sky Entertainment & Netflix with Superfast Broadband | 61Mbps average download |     150+ channels included | £36/month for 18 months |
Sky Stream, Sky Entertainment & Netflix with Superfast Broadband + Sky Cinema | 61Mbps average download |  150+ channels included | £44/month for 18 months |
 Sky Glass, Sky Entertainment & Netflix with Superfast Broadband | 61Mbps average download | 150+ channels included | £48.50/month for 48 months plus £29.95 upfront |
Sky Stream, Sky Entertainment & Netflix with Superfast Broadband + Sky Sports | 61Mbps average download |  150+ channels included | £56/month for 18 months |
In particular, we recommend the £36 Sky Stream, Sky Entertainment & Netflix with Superfast Broadband deal. This comes with Netflix included (worth £6.99 per month). You’ll also get Sky’s entertainment channels, along with on-demand content through the Sky Box Sets service.
Sky TV Essentials Channels
With Sky TV Essentials, you’ll have access to more than 200 free-to-view channels through a satellite dish. This includes all of the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Five channels. You’ll also get Sky Arts and other entertainment channels like CBS Drama, Food Network, Dave, Quest, Pick and more.
All of the following channels are available on Sky TV Essentials:
- BBC One
- BBC Two
- ITV
- Channel 4
- Five
- ITV2
- ITV3
- ITV4
- ITVBe
- E4
- Film4
- More4
- 4Music
- 4seven
- 5*
- 5USA
- Paramount Network
- CBS Drama
- CBS Reality
- CBS Justice
- Challenge
- Sky Arts
- Food Network
- Dave
- Drama
- Really
- Yesterday
- Quest
- Quest Red
- DMAX
- Pick
- BBC News
- Sky News
- Bloomberg TV
- CBBC
- CBeebies
- Arirang
- NHK World
- plus more…
On Sky TV Essentials, you won’t get Sky’s premium TV channels like Sky Atlantic, Sky Max, Sky Cinema and Sky Sports. It also won’t be possible to stream from the Sky Box Sets service. You can, however, still use catch-up TV apps on your Sky Q box (including BBC iPlayer, All4, Spotify, YouTube and more).
You can also use the Netflix application to watch shows and movies on your Sky Q box (a separate subscription to Netflix is required for this). If you do this, however, you might be better off getting a Sky TV & broadband deal that comes with Netflix included. At present, you can get a plan from £36 per month with Sky’s entertainment channels, Netflix and Superfast Broadband included.
The channels available on Sky TV Essentials are similar to what was previously offered on the Freesat from Sky service which is now discontinued.
Switching to Sky
If you’re currently using another broadband or TV provider, it’s easy switching your service to Sky.
Start by ordering your Sky Essentials plan online. When you place your order, you’ll be able to schedule the installation date for your service.
In most cases, Sky will contact your old broadband provider to automatically cancel the old service for you. However, this won’t be the case if you’re a Virgin Media customer – if so, you’ll need to contact them separately to cancel.
For step-by-step instructions on how to change your broadband & TV provider to Sky, please select your current provider from the list below:
Switch to Sky Broadband
Your step-by-step guide to switching
You can also read our full guide on switching broadband providers in the UK.
More Information
For more information about the Sky TV Essentials deal, please see Sky’s official website.
Nigel said:
what are the 200 channels with SKY Essentials – the Sky web site only lists about 20 channels.
Also it mentions a reduced service on SKY GO – just how reduced is it.
Just been told by SKY that Sky GO is not included – be good to know since I use this quite a bit.
Ken replied:
Hi Nigel,
Thanks for your email. They’re mostly just free-to-air channels, received over a satellite rather than a television aerial. For the most part, you’re getting Freeview channels, plus a few extras (e.g. international channels) that are not available on Freeview.
Hope this helps,
Ken
Mark Thompson said:
Just got the Sky essentials package , struggling with basic set up on my Sony Tv . Freeview is on there now but am having to use the built in Youview for on demand
do i take the aerial out and just connect my Sky Q box – conflicting answers on Google .
Is there a home page for Sky essentials ( i had regular sky package until just lately – will that same page come up )
Ken replied:
Hi Mark,
Thanks for your comment. With Sky Essentials (Sky Q Lite), you’ll get all of your channels through a satellite connection. So there’s no need for a TV aerial, though of course, there’s no harm in leaving that connected so you’ve got a backup, if required.
Hope this helps,
Ken
Geoffrey Cramp said:
I have been with Sky for 23 years. I am 73 and just seen what my package is going to cost over the next two months. It’s staggering believe me. But with a new customer you get fantastic deals. Just doesn’t seem fair. 23 years means nothing to Sky.
Nigel replied:
Hi – sounds about the same as me. I’ve been on to Sky 5 times to see what deal I can get but there’s nothing sensible so I’ve cancelled my SKY broadband and part of my SKY TV service. Just been offered Sky Essentials TV for £5/month for 12 months (no contract term) then £15 a month, since I’m now out of contract on all my services. Seem like the best deal and I can get a cheaper broadband somewhere else.