Need to trim your budget and wondering what are the best alternatives to Sky TV to save you £££ are?
Although Sky used to dominate the at-home UK TV and movie market, there are now tons of options and the good news is they come in much cheaper than a monthly Sky fee.
I ditched Sky TV several years ago after realising the amount of exclusive Sky content I was watching simply did not justify the cost of around £30 a month at the time (that was just for Sky TV, not including our broadband).
I chose to leave Sky – although we still use their broadband – even though I had been able to negotiate a decent reduction in our monthly bill. Game of Thrones wasn’t enough to keep me as a customer!
There are tips for haggling Sky TV fees down in this article if you aren’t quite ready to call it quits just yet.
So if you’re at the same crossroads of wondering whether to ditch Sky, or you are thinking about taking out a Sky subscription but aren’t sure if there are cheaper options, this article is going to break it all down for you.
It has become a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine that I sign up to brand new streaming services when I spot an exclusive show I just have to watch! The most recent ones have included Succession, which is on Now TV and I am totally obsessed with!
I’ll routinely assess my subscriptions and axe things where I feel that I’ve watched everything that I currently want to watch – this is one of my top frugal living tips.
I’m certainly not a loyal customer – apart from with Netflix which keeps bringing out series that I love on a regular enough basis to keep me with them.
So this article is going to explain the pros and cons of the Sky TV alternatives, and whether they are worth the money.
You may also like: Tips for living on a tight budget
What is the best alternative to Sky TV?
For most people’s needs, Netflix provides a decent alternative to Sky TV and price-wise it works out cheaper – with packages starting at £6.99.
There’s a good mixture of original programmes and movies alongside binge-worthy classics such as Friends (I must have watched every episode 50 times!).
Plus there is plenty of good children’s content for all age groups, whether you want a family movie night or to give your kids an hour of their favourite TV shows.
My second best recommendation would be Disney+, because it’s so much more than just the classic and popular Disney kids movies! It includes amazing original shows such as The Dropout and Dopesick.
Rest assured, Disney+ isn’t just for the kids and its certainly the best option if you are a family of Star Wars and Marvel movie/TV spin-off fans. The monthly cost is reasonable too – cheaper than Netflix’s standard package.
If you want all the TV shows that Sky has to offer, without the contract and added cost of paying for the Sky TV digital box, then Now is your best bet. It includes new Sky exclusives, such as the latest Game of Thrones spin-off, in the entertainment package. Even if you add the movies package to that, it’s still cheaper than Sky TV.
PRO TIP: Once you have taken out a Now subscription, wait a couple of months and try to cancel it. You’ll probably be offered a cheaper deal – without even having to call anyone. Just click the option to cancel in your account, and a cheaper offer will pop up. It may only be a limited time, but it’s well worth a go!
The above options are the best all-rounders. The other streaming services are worth a look just to see if it will fit your personal tastes better – Apple TV+ has the odd show that is truly amazing and Hulu is a cheap option for reality TV fans.
If you had Sky TV largely for the sports then it gets a little trickier. The best alternative in that case is a Now TV subscription – they do have an option to pay for access for just one day which is good if it’s just the odd game you want to watch.
Best alternatives to Sky TV in the UK
The TV services here are all great alternatives to Sky TV that also cost less per month than Sky’s monthly TV package.
There are of course key differences between signing up to an online streaming service and Sky TV – for example part of the Sky TV cost is for use of their digital TV box. And Sky would argue you get hundreds of channels as part of the package.
If you are someone that does like to sit in front of the TV and watch live television, channel hopping from cooking programmes to reality TV and documentaries to reruns, then Sky TV is still going to be the one for you.
But if you like to watch TV as and when YOU want to, not be limited by the TV timings and ads that come in-between, then a streaming service is much better (although please note some of these streaming services do have ads before their programmes).
The big pro for all of the streaming services is you are not under contract – you can cancel at any time if you are paying monthly.
For some of these services, such as Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video, it works out cheaper to pay annually, in which case you can’t get your money back once you are committed to the year.
PRO TIP: It’s worth noting that some of these services offer free trials. These typically last for seven days, but if you are taking out the service for one specific show then that’s enough to binge the whole thing and then ditch the service before it starts to charge you money.
Please do double check the prices before taking out any subscription as these can change at any time. The prices are provided to give you an idea of the most expensive alternatives and least expensive alternatives.
1. Netflix
Cost: £6.99 for the basic package with adverts (I’m not a huge fan of this package, not just because you have to watch ads but also because some of their biggest shows aren’t included), so I suggest going with the £7.99 basic package. The highest priced package is £15.99 for premium, which lets you watch on four devices at one time. We’re a family-of-four and manage on the Standard, £10.99 a month, package that allows you to watch on two devices.
We binned Sky TV for good in favour of our Netflix subscription.
The kids can watch favourite shows such as Storybots and Paw Patrol, while we’ve enjoyed watching shows like Better Call Saul and Ozark.
It’s very rare that I can’t find anything at all to try on Netflix and they have a decent range of things to watch in all kinds of different genres.
Their original documentaries have been something I’ve particularly enjoyed.
I consider Netflix to be a decent all-rounder that most households will be very happy with. I would be concerned if they decide to keep upping the price of the standard package as it has now tipped over £10 a month.
Want help with saving money on Netflix? Check out these tips for getting Netflix for free.
Basic with ads | Basic | Standard | Premium |
---|---|---|---|
£6.99/month | £7.99/month | £10.99/month | £17.99/month |
Watch on 1 supported device at a time | Watch on 1 supported device at a time | Watch on 2 supported devices at a time | Watch on 4 supported devices at a time |
Some content unavailable | All content | All content | All content |
HD | HD | Full HD | Ultra HD |
No ads | No ads | No ads | |
Download on 1 device at a time | Download on 2 devices at a time | Download on 2 devices at a time |
Pros
- From hit TV shows like Stranger Things to amazing documentaries like The Tinder Swindler, Netflix has some awesome exclusive content. It also has other popular shows like Friends and The Office US and gets some decent classic and newish movies.
- New content added regularly.
- Provides recommendations based on what you have already watched. Generally speaking, Netflix seems to know me pretty well and the homepage is easy to navigate to find something to watch.
Cons
- Netflix keeps upping the price and while it certainly is bringing out more content all of the time, I haven’t seen anything brand new that justifies the increases in recent years. So that is a little frustrating.
- You generally won’t find brand new movies on Netflix, at least not until they are a few years old. For brand new releases you need streaming services like Now and Paramount+, or to pay to rent them through Amazon.
2. Disney+
Cost: £7.99 a month.
You may assume Disney+ is all Disney princess movies and not much else. However there is tons of great stuff on there that I have loved watching, including TV series like The Dropout.
It’s the absolute best streaming service for fans of the Marvel movies – as the whole Marvel universe is here!
Disney also owns the rights to Star Wars, so all of the Star Wars movies and spin-offs can be found here as well.
Disney+ does not add quite as much brand new content regularly as other streaming services, I have found. But there’s a great selection of classic movies – including some of my favourite rom coms and thrillers – that have kept me entertained.
The kids love it for the Disney movies and children’s TV shows.
Pros
- Access to some of the biggest movies from the Marvel and Star Wars universes.
- Great selection of kids Disney movies and TV shows, from classics to the brand new movies such as Inside Out.
- Price is very competitive compared to other streaming services.
Cons
- Not as much brand new content added regularly as with other streaming services.
3. Amazon Prime Video
Cost: £8.99 a month, or £95 a year. Includes access to next day Amazon Prime delivery.
I’m beginning to lose my patience with Amazon Prime Video, although it still has enough content to keep me going with it.
Our main reason for taking out Amazon Prime years ago was to get the next day free delivery. We are frequent Amazon customers and this just made sense for us as a household.
It still has a fair amount of content I like, but increasingly the homepage feed is pushing movies that aren’t included with Prime and need to be rented or bought. I don’t like how dominating the upsell is, it just highlights the lack of new content on the platform.
Having said that, Amazon does create some great originals such as the Jack Ryan and Jack Reacher shows, plus some movies too. There are also occasionally some good new movie releases too.
Pros
- Decent original content include TV shows, documentaries and movies.
- Ability to rent or buy brand new movies easily. This is in the pros and cons column, on the one hand it’s good to have this option to pay extra for brand new movies as not every streaming service has it. On the other, they are pushing it too hard in the homepage and it’s a little annoying.
- You also get access to free Amazon delivery.
Cons
- In our house our biggest complaint about Amazon is it shows you tons of content on the homepage that is not included and you have to pay extra for.
- New content is not added as frequently or in as greater volume as on other streaming platforms.
4. Paramount+
Cost: £6.99 per month.
We’ve recently started using Paramount+ and I’m impressed with how many great TV shows are on there. We’re currently working our way through Yellowstone and its spin-offs.
The cost also includes access to Paramount+ blockbuster movies, which is great as Now TV charges extra for this.
It’s a cheaper option to Now TV and has some cool original content. Plus it had the new Top Gun Maverick movie as an exclusive release, which is great if you have the need for speed!
Pros
- Good value cost-wise.
- Good quality content including some originals.
- Particularly good if you like to find new TV shows to binge.
Cons
- The content catalogue is not quite as extensive as other platforms, although I think the price reflects that.
- It’s unlikely having Paramount+ alone will fulfil all your streaming needs.
5. Now TV
Cost: £9.99 a month for entertainment – which includes Sky exclusive TV shows. £19.98 for entertainment and cinema, which includes some new movie releases. You can get day passes for the Sky Sports content, which works out far cheaper than the pricey monthly cost of accessing the Sky Sports channels.
I’ve started and then stopped our Now TV subscription multiple times. I generally take it out for specific shows, such as Succession.
However the cost is what leads me to frequently cancel it – however I would say I get my money’s worth when we are paying for it.
There’s a great range of exclusive TV shows and brand new movies. I would say this is the best platform for brand new films, which is a big draw for me as we don’t get to the cinema as much as we would like these days.
Annoyingly there are adverts before every show or movie you watch, which bugs me when I am paying monthly for the service.
Pros
- Amazing range of quality content and brand new releases. Access to Sky exclusive TV shows such as Succession and The Last of Us.
- Option to access Sky Sports for 24 hours to watch specific events. This makes it the best alternative to Sky TV for those who would miss the sport access.
- Cancel any time. Whenever I have gone to cancel Now TV they have always offered me a reduction in the monthly fee for a fixed period to keep me on.
Cons
- The adverts are the most annoying things about Now for me. Its a big downside when comparing Now to other streaming services, such as Netflix and Disney+, that are totally ad free. I’ve paid for a subscription service, I don’t expect to have to pay any more with my time! Having said that, the ads only appear at the start of the show or TV and they are less than five minutes. It’s an inconvenience and annoyance, not a deal-breaker.
6. Hayu
Cost: £4.99 a month.
If reality TV is all you watch and you want a cheaper service then Hayu is the one for you.
It’s packed with all the biggest reality shows, from Keeping Up With the Kardashians (which by the way you can also access on other services such as Netflix) and Botched.
However if you want access to the new shows everyone is talking about then it’s not going to meet your needs.
Pros
- One of the cheapest streaming services.
- Huge number of reality TV shows on tap.
Cons
- Many of the reality TV shows on this platform are available on others too.
- Focus is on reality TV and so it’s unlikely to meet the needs of all family members.
7. Lionsgate+ (formerly STARZPLAY)
Cost: £5.99 a month for Amazon Prime members (which costs £8.99 a month).
The STARZPLAY service is now called Lionsgate+.
Cynically, this seems to have been a way for Amazon to charge extra for its “premium” shows, such as Outlander which used to be available to all Prime Video members but now has been moved to Lionsgate+. Boo!
Amazon occasionally offers the option to have a 30 day free trial for this service, which gives you a chance to try it out (don’t forget to cancel if it’s not for you).
There is decent original content on here but I doubt it will appeal unless you already are a Prime member and the exclusive shows are something you’re desperate to watch.
Pros
- Some popular exclusive content such as Outlander.
Cons
- An extra charge on top of the Amazon Prime monthly fee may be a bitter pill to swallow for some consumers.
- If you’re on a budget there’s not really enough here to justify the cost.
8. Britbox
Cost: £5.99 a month.
Britbox was brought out at ITV and BBC’s answer to Netflix in the UK.
Unfortunately everything on there has already been aired on TV, and therefore you may find yourself scrolling through a ton of stuff you’ve already watched.
Of course there are some shows you WANT to binge again and indeed the other streaming services are packed with old movies and TV shows that we clearly love to watch again. Downton Abbey is on Britbox, for example.
However it sticks in the throat paying a monthly fee for something that was originally broadcast free and I think you would have to have a LOT of old shows you’re keen to rewatch to justify the cost – even if it is comparatively low.
Pros
- Great quality UK TV programmes from BBC and ITV.
Cons
- Limited content and a lot of it can be found elsewhere on other streaming services. This is not a one-stop-shop streaming service.
9. Acorn TV
Cost: £4.99 a month.
This is one of the cheapest alternatives to Sky TV and so may appeal on that basis.
There is quite a few British series and one-off dramas to enjoy here, as well as some Acorn Originals.
Pros
- Cheap.
- Range of different types of TV shows is good, there should be something for all tastes when it comes to adults. There isn’t much kids content to be found though.
Cons
- Includes a lot of old ITV and BBC classic one-off dramas and shows which you may have seen once, and once was enough.
10. Apple TV+
Cost: £6.99 a month.
Apple TV+ has been making real waves in recent years with the great original TV show it has been making.
It’s up there with Netflix, Amazon, Now and Disney in terms of the high quality original content it has to offer. Plus it has kids content too.
Pros
- Great quality original and exclusive content including TV and movies.
- Big stars are signed up to create and star in content for Apple TV.
- Cost is competitive.
Cons
- Smaller library than other services.
- Focus is on Apple Originals, so not much other content unlike other streaming services like Netflix.
11. Rakuten TV
Cost: You can view Rakuten TV Free content for Free, as the name suggests! This is only available on compatible devices. If you want to access premium content it’s £4.99 a month, plus some content costs extra on top of that.
The catalogue of movies on Rakuten is fairly underwhelming, although if there’s a particular old classic you love to watch again and again then you may find something you like.
It’s great that some of the content is free, and the option to rent newer content is useful if you want to watch brand new releases.
Pros
- Some free content.
Cons
- Catalogue of content is underwhelming compared to other services.
12. Stream from Virgin Media
Cost: £35 activation fee.
You will need to have Virgin broadband in order to be able to order and use Stream from Virgin Media.
There’s no exclusive content here, it’s really just some tech that will make it easier for you to access streaming services such as Netflix plus watch free to view HD channels like BBC, Channel 4, ITV, etc.
Pros
- Lets you manage all your streaming services in one place.
Cons
- You don’t get any shows for free. The cost is for the streaming box, which you plug into your TV and that tech provides you with an easy platform to manage your subscriptions to services like Netflix as well as watch free TV channels. If you have a smart TV, you don’t really need it.
13. Mubi
Cost: £10.99 a month.
If you want something truly different then it’s worth taking a look at Mubi. It includes TV shows and movies you may not see anywhere else.
There are tons of indie and foreign films to check out here.
Pros
- No ads.
- Range of unusual content that can introduce you to different genres and foreign movies.
Cons
- If you prefer the type of content Netflix and Amazon has to offer, then you’re going to be disappointed.
14. BT TV
Cost: Deals can vary, check for latest offers which can be more competitive than Sky.
BT TV is a similar service to Sky TV in that you can watch free TV channels in HD, plus add additional channels such as BT Sports for an extra fee.
You can also add Netflix and Now to your monthly fee. The downside with doing this through BT TV is you’re in a contract with them. It’s worth going through the numbers to see if you’re better off just getting your Netflix subscription direct with Netflix.
What you’re gaining by using BT TV is the box that allows you to record and pause live TV. You’ll need to consider if that’s worth it for you.
Pros
- Flexible package options, so you can add on what you will watch.
Cons
- More expensive than streaming services listed above.
15. Freeview
Cost: Free!
Maybe you don’t need a TV subscription or a streaming service at all, because in the UK you can access Freeview for free.
This includes the main channels such as BBC, ITV and Channel 4. For some people this may be enough.
Remember that you will still need to pay your TV licence if you are watching BBC channels.
Pros
- The best option for people looking to really cut back on their monthly spending.
- Can be viewed online through your phone, tablet or TV.
Cons
- As streaming services have exploded, most of the new hit TV shows and movies are now appearing on those. You may find yourself suffering from FOMO (fear of missing out).
16. YouTube
Cost: Free!
I’m throwing this option in there as a bonus extra because there is a LOT of content available totally free on YouTube.
Some of it has, admittedly, been uploaded against the wishes of the programme creators and is likely to be deleted any day.
But if you want to watch fun videos from content creators, the best clips from your favourite TV shows and some full shows, then this is a good budget option.
If you cancel Sky TV, can you keep the box?
If you stop paying your Sky TV monthly fee then technically you may be asked to return the box as you are effectively paying “rent” to Sky for its use.
But in my experience they won’t bother.
When we cancelled out Sky TV subscription we agreed to pay £10 a month in order to retain the ability to use the Sky TV box in order to live pause and record TV.
As time has gone on this service has been less useful and we now no longer need this, especially as every channel has great catch-up services.
So if you stop paying Sky for Sky TV, you may well be able to keep the box and watch the free to view channels, but you won’t be able to pause and record live TV.