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 Superfast 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.

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 remote control with voice 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.

Service Broadband & TV Monthly Cost
No price plans could be found matching this criteria.

You’ll normally pay £25 per month for Sky Superfast broadband on its own, without any TV included.

Other Sky TV & Broadband Deals

Unlike on the Sky Stream deals, you won’t get access to premium TV channels on the Sky Essentials (Sky Q Lite) 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 & TV Monthly Cost
(may rise during contract)
Sky
Sky Stream, Sky Entertainment & Netflix with Superfast Broadband
  • Sky Superfast
  • Sky Stream
61Mbps
average download
Sky ShowcaseSky AtlanticNetflix
Sky Entertainment & Netflix
  • Sky TV channels (inc. Atlantic)
  • Netflix Standard with Ads
£36.00
per month
No upfront fee
24 month contract
See deal  
Sky
Sky Stream, Sky Entertainment & Netflix with Superfast Broadband + Sky Cinema
  • Sky Superfast
  • Sky Stream
61Mbps
average download
Sky ShowcaseSky AtlanticSky CinemaNetflix
Sky Entertainment & Netflix + Sky Cinema Pack
  • Sky TV channels (inc. Atlantic)
  • Sky Cinema channels
  • Netflix Standard with Ads
£44.00
per month
No upfront fee
24 month contract
See deal  
Sky
Sky Stream, Sky Entertainment & Netflix with Superfast Broadband + Sky Sports
  • Sky Superfast
  • Sky Stream
61Mbps
average download
Sky ShowcaseSky AtlanticSky SportsNetflix
Sky Entertainment & Netflix + Sky Sports Pack
  • Sky TV channels (inc. Atlantic)
  • Sky Sports channels
  • Netflix Standard with Ads
£56.00
per month
No upfront fee
24 month contract
See deal  

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

Select your current broadband provider:

More Options

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.

Your Comments 29 so far

We'd love to hear your thoughts and any questions you may have. So far, we've received 29 comments from readers. You can add your own comment here.

  • 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.

  • Ellen said:

    At my age I just want to turn the TV on and watch/record a programme. No fuss no bother with signals or apps etc. The Essentials package with Broadband and landline is perfect for me and includes all the channels, except Alibi, that I would normally watch, but have noticed the Drama Channel now has some of them. Just wish I had known about it earlier.

    • Ken replied:

      Hi James,
      Thanks for your comment. You’ll get a new satellite dish installed on your property as part of this service 🙂
      Hope this helps,
      Ken

  • Lorraine Allison said:

    Yes I agree with Wendy Thurman.
    I certainly don’t need it and also already had freesat all set up on my ‘old tv’ which worked perfectly fine.
    Now I’m getting confused with 2 mote controls as I had to get a smart tv. (Which I didn’t need).
    So now I’m paying £7 month for nothing.
    Not happy!
    Lorraine

  • Wendy Thurman said:

    How I have been conned. I was initially told that the tv essential was part of a package including fibre broadband and unlimited telephone calls. I thought that is ok as it’s included. I now have a separate contract for the tv essential which is just basically freeview channels on the sky Q box. I can record pause and rewind live tv. Of course I can. I can do that on the tv apps and I don’t need a sky W box . Told to be thankful the essential tv is usually £14 and I have it for £7.
    It’s free I shouldn’t be paying anything. I already paid for my tv license and now I’m paying double for catchup which is a free service. Very disappointed to be paying for an application which is free. Just to use the box. I don’t need it and I can do the same on my smart tv.

  • Brigitte said:

    Hi. I am currently with Virgin Media but cannot afford it now with the new price rise. Don’t know whether to go back to Sky and have their Essentials package with Superfast Broadband and phone line or buy a Freesat box and just have Sky for Broadband and phone line. Is a Freesat box better than the Sky box? Any advice? Many thanks.

    • Ken replied:

      Hi Brigitte,
      Thanks for your comment. I think they’re both good options. In terms of pricing, you’ll currently pay £26/month for Sky’s Superfast Broadband on its own, or £31/month for Superfast Broadband with TV Essentials. It’s therefore just £5/month more for the Sky Q box with Sky TV Essentials. The chances are you’ll pay a lot more than that for a Freesat box (maybe £200 or so for a box), so the TV Essentials deal probably works out better value. However, there’s also the benefit with the Freesat option that you own your box – whereas you’ll need to return your Sky Q box if you cancel TV Essentials in the future.
      Hope this helps,
      Ken

      • Wendy Thurman replied:

        Don’t get the tv essential. It’s basically freeview Chanel’s which are free anyway. You already pay for a tv license and you will be paying twice. I have been conned into getting it and was told it was no extra charge and was included in the package. I was quite happy with my tv as it was. You can’t access sky go on the sky q box only on your phone or tablet. So what am I paying £7 a month for. My phone does more than the sky q box and please don’t buy

        • Tina replied:

          I did check and you do get more channels on Sky essentials versus a freesat box or freeview. I suppose it depends what you want from your tv. I am down grading my sky package as its just far too much to pay in these difficult times we are in and I barely use it.

  • Simon Claydon said:

    Will the Sky Q box work for more than 1 TV or enable a linked system, we propose having 3 or 4 TV’s around our new home.

    • Ken replied:

      Hi Simon,
      Thanks for your comment. The Sky Q box will work for one television. If you’d like to watch on multiple TVs, I believe you’ll need to get Sky Signature instead as you can add their Multiscreen service to that.
      Hope this helps,
      Ken

    • Ken replied:

      Hi Sean,
      Thanks for your comment. I believe it’s an extra £5 for inclusive evening & weekend calls, or £12 for anytime calls.
      Hope this helps,
      Ken

    • Ken replied:

      Hi Paula,
      Thanks for your comment. Unfortunately, it isn’t possible to add Sky Atlantic to the Essentials TV package. Instead, you’ll need to upgrade to Sky Signature which will include Sky Atlantic and other Sky Entertainment channels.
      Hope this helps,
      Ken

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