Fibre services available - Broadband Superfast has speeds averaging 61Mb
Truly unlimited broadband - with no caps or traffic management
Fixed price guarantee - 24 month price guarantee on select TV + broadband deals
Large range of TV products - virtually anyone can get TV from Sky as it's supplied by satellite and doesn't depend on cable or broadband speed
Sky Q box - all new Sky TV customers get the industry-leading Sky Q box as standard
On Demand - catch up on TV you've missed, or choose from a large selection of TV box sets and movies
Sky Go - watch the channels available on your TV subscription on tablets, Xbox, laptops and phones where there is a broadband, wireless or 4G connection available
Free wi-fi for Sky Broadband customers - unlimited wi-fi in popular high street locations around the UK
Customer satisfaction - Sky has one of the lowest customer complaint levels in Ofcom's quarterly broadband, telecoms and TV complaint reports and has been reported as having the highest or joint highest broadband customer satisfaction level out of the 'big 5' providers since 2009
Possible downsides
Standard broadband not available outside of Sky network areas - although Sky's network does cover more than 90% of UK homes
No standalone broadband available - you can take Sky Broadband without TV, but phone line rental must be paid on all deals
No short contracts - standard contracts are 18 months with no shorter options available
Satellite dish needed for TV services - not for the aesthetically-conscious, though Sky dishes are as discrete as such things can be
Possible mid-contract price rises - you'll be informed in advance of any changes to your contract
Features at a glance
Superfast averages 61Mb downloads and 18Mb average upload, 11Mb average download speeds and 0.8Mb average upload speeds outside fibre areas
18 month contracts as standard
Download allowances are truly unlimited
Free activation for standard broadband, £50 for fibre, often discounted during promotions
Support available by phone 8.30am to 9pm, Tweet @SkyHelpTeam 8.30am to 11pm weekdays and 9am to 11pm weekends
McAfee Internet Security Suite, free for 12 months for three PCs
Sometimes the best way to get a feel for a broadband provider is to read what those who are already customers think of the service they're receiving. Below are all the reviews we've received for Sky.
Ratings are left by users of our speed test as well as by reviewers. Recent star ratings summarise the last 12 months of ratings or the last 100 placed, whichever is largest.
Poor and unprofessional service. Delay in delivery of router. Customer service team were very unhelpful and couldn’t give me an update or a solution
Satisfaction
1 star
Customer Service
1 star
Abdallah
Plymouth
Sky
2024-04-09
Unbelievable
Set up a contract in October 23 for the Broadband £25
I cancelled the sky TV in April 2024 end of contract Sky put the Broadband up from £25-£43 the deal was not linked I contacted them they explained it was an error and would put the initial agreement back I confirmed this several times on the phone .I have now received emails to say I have entered into our 18 month contract for £38 from the date of the phone call today
I took that agree this all that happened on the phone call was that they apologised and reinstated the initial Broadband deal they are clearly all on some sort of commission and putting you into contract you didn’t agree to
Satisfaction
1 star
Customer Service
1 star
Speed
1 star
Reliability
1 star
Kevin
Worcestershire
Sky
2024-04-05
Sky interned discoteccting few times at midnight. Today FOR 40MINUTES!!!!!!!!!!! Try to do something good sky.
Totaly disaponted
Satisfaction
1 star
Customer Service
1 star
Speed
1 star
Reliability
1 star
Raf
Raf
Sky
2024-03-26
Really, really, REALLY unreliable. From the internet service itself frequently breaking down, to the reliability of the routers and 3 boosters and the SkybQ box itself. The signal is weak, the hardware poor and the customer “service” laughable. Having been with Sky for over 25 years we have had enough. The whole service is pathetic and over priced.
Satisfaction
1 star
Customer Service
1 star
Speed
1 star
Reliability
1 star
Scott Maitland
North east
Sky
2024-03-24
The women I spoke to was so lovely she helped me more than I expected and spoke to me with such a lovely manner so to who I spoke to thank you so much
Satisfaction
5 stars
Customer Service
5 stars
Speed
5 stars
Reliability
5 stars
Jodie
Middleton
Sky
2024-03-21
What a poor service. Some of the customer service advisors need training they are very rude and they have no compassion. We have been having problems with broadband since we moved to fibre. Tried to escalate this with no joy. Asked to speak with a manager they did not allow me. I was told that we can’t waste our precious time repeating same thing. I advised one of the engineers that l have exam the following week and l rely on working from home to support my terminally ill partner. No action was taken l rang several times and they refused to put me through to a manager. I have an exam tomorrow and k have to find means to take the exam at someone’s property. This is so bad and l can’t believe Sky Customer Service could stoop so low.
Godfrey
Stevenage
Sky
2024-03-19
The worst ever ever ever company in the entire world
Automatic communication soon you need them is extremely extraordinary horrible
prices are horribly always more than any other company
horrible in every thing
Satisfaction
1 star
Customer Service
1 star
Speed
1 star
Reliability
1 star
salam
Manchester
Sky
2024-03-19
So as some of you may know from my last review until recently I was an EE customer and then I left them after poor customer service. Little did I know how far further one could fall if they went to Sky.
So here is a fairly succinct timeline for you all to see how Sky treat thier customers
28th February I transfer to Sky and am promised three things in the contract
-Broadband Sky Stream and Netflix Standard with No Ads at £47
-That Sky would cover the api rise or it would only cost £1 or £2,
-That I could have six months apple tv for free with Sky.
After the call I noticed I hadn't been put on the Netflix standard no ads at £47 but rather the Netflix with ads at £43. I called up and they said okay we'll get it you for the price agreed don't worry about it.
So on Monday the 11th of March I got my puck and my router from Sky and go to fix my Netflix to the without ads tier but now all of a sudden it's not £4 more at £47 as the guy originally said now it's £6 more. Also they didn't offer Apple TV and hadn't since before Christmas so that was a lie also my inflation rise was now going to be £5. All three were lies or as they have called it misinformation. I wouldn't have agreed to the contract with those terms.
Anyway I spoke to a man on Monday about all this he said he would sort it out and that he thinks the reason I had been left on the 43 contract was because the guy knew he couldn't actually give it me for 47 and said he was annoyed there were no notes on my account either. He said the manager would review the cal the next day and then I'd hear back by Thursday. So nothing on Tuesday and then I call for an update on Wednesday the 13th March, I spoke to another chap who proceeded to say gaslighting phrases like I am sorry you feel that way and in your opinion sir and patronize me and threat me like a child.
The first man called back on Thursday the 14th and said that the manager had listened and agreed that on two of the points had been misinformation, they said that the manager had heard how I was not told about the inflation stuff and thought there was nothing wrong with that. So that says a lot. Anyway, he had clammed up since Monday and said what he said on Monday about the guy behaving incorrectly was 'conjecture'. I then Spoke to a third guy who said he could see some stuff had gone on and that he would get the manger to look over everything and call me on Friday the 15th March. I then had my first interaction with the customer priority team and spoke to a nice guy who asked me to lay out my terms for resolution I did, they were thus
-I wanted them to pay the extra on the Netflix, they agreed to that
-I wanted them to credit me the inflation rise to cover that promise, they never agreed to that
-I wanted another Sky service for 6 months to cover the apple tv, they really didn't like that
-I wanted compensation for all the above, they offered £20.
Anyway, on Friday 15th March I awaited a promised call it never happened, I called them and asked what had happened they offered very little explanation and said maybe the agent was busy. I had waited in between the 6-7 timeslot for them but nothing. I then spoke to another guy who didn't care about my complaint at all, said he couldn't help me and the proceeded to tell me off and imply things were my fault.
Then I spoke again with the customer priority team and spoke to a woman who said she was terribly sorry about all the things that had happened and that I would get 2 calls on Saturday the 16th March one from the managers and one from the priority team again one was scheduled for all day the other between 6-7. So I waited.
Saturday the 16th March. I never got a call from the managers just one from the priority team woman I had spoken to on the evening of the 15th she gaslit me and said it was never being considered by a manger and that they were never supposed to call me despite her saying the night before they would. She also said my terms of resolution which her colleague had said was reasonable were impossible and they would be generous to give me £20. She dared me to take them to court, or that seemed her implication,and repeatedly said no fraud/miss sell had been committed despite the fact I was promised things they couldn't deliver on, they closed ranks at that point. I then spoke to a guy who could offer me no further advance or resolution then they'd give me the money for Netflix (the 2 extra) and then £20 as a good will gesture however if I went to the Ombudsman or some third party they would take that away.
I have now had a deadlock letter from them and in the process of changing to a new provider (the third in a short space of time).
Sky don't care about you they will say misinformation to get you to buy a contract and then not take your seriously when you complain.
AVOID AT ALL COSTS
Satisfaction
1 star
Customer Service
2 stars
Speed
1 star
Reliability
1 star
Luke Barnes
Manchester
Sky
2024-03-16
Reliable service but watch out for dodgy price hikes after a few months. Makes their advertising false. Should be reported to OFCOM. This practice is nothing more than a shake down.
Customer Service
4 stars
Speed
4 stars
Reliability
4 stars
Mark
Norwich
Sky
2024-03-15
Avoid, horrible service. Gave us the incorrect activation date for our broadband and have offered us 10 pounds compensation despite installing one week later. Will be canceling our service as soon as I have alternative options in place
The reviews published on this page are those of the individual authors who have warrantied that they abide by our review guidelines. Reviews are not the opinion of Broadband.co.uk.
Ofcom's latest figures on broadband complaints are out - and it's bad news for Virgin Media. The company has rocketed to the top of the list as the major broadband supplier that gets the highest rate of complaints.
The report covers January to March this year, and counted the number of complaints made to Ofcom about providers with a market share of 1.5% or more.
It shows that Virgin Media generated 33 complaints per 100,000 customers, an increase of 20 in just a year. That puts them a long way ahead - or should that be behind - the next two worst performers, with Vodafone and TalkTalk both getting 24 complaints. Vodafone had been the worst ranking provider in six of the last seven quarters. Plusnet also generated complaint levels above the industry average.
And that's not the end of the bad news for Virgin Media. They also racked up the highest complaint levels for their landline service (19 per 100,000) and their pay TV service (17 per 100,000), and were second worst for mobile (5 per 100,000) behind Three.
The biggest reason why customers complained to Ofcom about Virgin Media was failings in the broadband provider's own complaints handling system - amounting to 39% in total. A third complained about faults and issues with the service, and a further 13% about billing problems.
Industry-wide, faults, service and provisioning issues accounted for 42% of reports, followed by complaints handling and billing.
Sky and EE were the least complained-about providers, generating just seven apiece. They've been in the top two positions for the last two years. The only other provider to beat the industry average was BT, with 15.
In good news for the industry overall, the average number of complaints has more than halved over the last decade, from 40 per 100,000 in the first quarter of 2011, to 19 now. The numbers are up from a record low of 10 in Q2 of last year, perhaps in part a consequence of pandemic disruption and the increasing importance of internet access for work, school and entertainment.
Broadband complaints per 100,000 customers
EE: 7
Sky: 7
BT: 15
Industry average: 19
Plusnet: 21
Vodafone: 24
TalkTalk: 24
Virgin Media: 33
In pay TV, Virgin Media generated 17 complaints against an industry average of 6. Sky performed best with just two. For landlines, Virgin had 19 complaints, eight more than the average, and EE and Sky tied as best performers with five each.
Mobile complaints were largely flat, and at much lower levels. Three performed worst with six complaints, while Tesco Mobile, Sky Mobile and EE had just one each.
Service reliability, billing, and complaint handling are important factors you should consider when choosing a new broadband provider. Our site contains thousands of customer ratings and reviews that can give you a true feel for how each provider performs. Currently, Zen top our list for customer satisfaction.
If you aren't happy with the service you're getting from your supplier, and you're coming to the end of your contract, it's easy to switch. Use our postcode checker to find the best broadband deal available in your area today.
There are so many well established ideas about broadband and switching broadband providers that get repeated again and again.
The trouble is, many of them are wrong - and they're costing you money.
Switching suppliers can easily save you a hundred pounds or more every year, and if you're stuck on a slow internet package when you need something much faster, it doesn't have to cost you a fortune to upgrade.
So here are some of the biggest myths about broadband, and the truth that you need to know.
"Fibre is fibre - all fibre broadband is the same"
While fibre broadband is used as a catch-all term, it encompasses very different things.
Most of us are using something called fibre-to-the-cabinet broadband. This is where the ultrafast fibre cables carry your broadband signal as far as your nearest street cabinet - that green box down the end of your road. The connection from the cabinet to you house is over the old copper telephone cables. These are a lot slower, and the signal degrades the further it has to travel, which is why a house on one of the street can get very different performance levels to one at the other end.
There's now a big push to roll out "full fibre" broadband, which is also known as fibre-to-the-home. Here, the fibre cables run right up to your house. The result is that the speeds are much, much faster and the service is more reliable.
"There's no benefit to upgrading to ultrafast broadband"
A recent survey found that one of the main things that stopped people from upgrading to ultrafast or full fibre broadband was the belief that it didn't really offer any benefits. But there are many.
The main one, obviously, is that you get much faster download speeds. Our internet use is skyrocketing - Ofcom's recent Communications Market Report shows that the average household now burns through 429GB of data each month, an increase of 36% on the previous year. Even if you think you don't need faster speeds right now, you will do soon.
On top of that, you get vastly quicker upload speeds, which will be essential if the working from home revolution continues. The service should be more reliable, too, as you won't have to deal with line faults on the old telephone cables.
And it's also better value for money: currently, you pay the same price for your broadband as your neighbour down the street, yet you could be receiving a much slower service. That's far less of an issue with full fibre.
"It's too much hassle to switch providers"
By now it's well established that those of us who are willing to switch providers will get a better and cheaper deal than those who stick with the same provider for a long time.
Why don't more people switch? Because it's seen as too much hassle. But it really isn't.
If you move between two providers on the Openreach network - which includes almost all the main providers, including BT, TalkTalk, Sky, Vodafone, Plusnet and so on - then the one you are moving to will handle the entire switchover process for you. You won't have to do anything, and the whole process should be done within a couple of weeks.
Granted, it is a little more complicated to switch to or from a provider that uses a different infrastructure, like Virgin Media, as you may need an engineer to come and install it. But these companies are now set up to make even this part as easy as possible.
"You'll lose internet access when you switch"
Another reason people are reluctant to switch is that they assume they'll be left without internet access while it happens. This is another myth.
Generally speaking, your old service gets turned off as your new service gets switched on and you might be disconnected for a few minutes in between, but nothing more dramatic than that. If you're switching to or from Virgin Media, you can even arrange an overlap where your new service is connected before your old one is turned off.
"You always have to sign a long contract"
Something that puts off a lot of people when they're looking at broadband deals is the prospect of having to commit to a long contract.
In fact, you don't have to. NOW Broadband, Virgin Media, and newcomer Cuckoo are among the providers that offer no-contract deals. You have to pay a little more on the activation fee up front, but this might be worth it for the flexibility of being able to cancel at any time. These deals can be especially worth it for students or anyone who's planning to move house in the near future.
Most suppliers offer 12 month contract options as well. And keep in mind that if your reluctance to sign a long deal is through the worry that you'll be stuck with something you aren't happy with, then there are ways you can quit a contract without charge. If your broadband speed constantly underperforms, for example, and your supplier cannot fix it, or if they put your prices up by more than the amount in agreed in your contract.
"It's too complicated to find a better deal"
There are a lot broadband suppliers in the UK, and they offer a lot of deals between them. Trying to figure out the differences can be tricky, especially if you aren't that tech savvy.
But it needn't be that complicated. We make it easy for you to compare all the latest broadband deals, and you can filter them based on whatever you want most. So, you can see the cheapest deals, or the fastest deals, or just the fibre packages, or those that offer broadband without a contract.
And if you then sort them further by speed or first year cost, you'll very quickly narrow your list of options down to just a few packages.
"Faster broadband always costs more"
While it's natural to assume that upgrading to faster broadband will cost you more, it isn't necessarily so.
If you're in a coverage area, you can get full fibre from Hyperoptic (at the slower 30Mb speed) at a rate normally reserved for the old, standard broadband deals; you can upgrade to a faster 67Mb plan from OneStream for just £22.50 a month; or you can burst through the 100Mb barrier with Vodafone for just £26 a month. These are some pretty keen prices, that make faster broadband more accessible than you might have expected.
So, now you know the truth about broadband and how to upgrade, are you ready to start shopping? Use our postcode checker to discover the best broadband deals available where you live.
Sky Broadband Buyers Guide - Is Sky right for you?
Can I get Sky Broadband?
Although Sky are known for their satellite TV service, they don't offer satellite broadband. Their broadband comes through a BT phone line like most other providers.
Sky’s low cost broadband network is the second largest (third if you count BT), available to more than 90% of the UK population as of 2015. Sky’s fibre optic broadband service uses the Openreach fibre optic network and is therefore available anywhere fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) broadband has been enabled. This is currently available to over 94% of UK households, including all but the most remote rural areas.
You can check to see if you live in Sky’s network or fibre network area with our postcode checker.
What deals are available?
Sky offer two core deals catering to different speed and download requirements. You can customise them by adding your choice of TV services, as well as landline and mobile calls.
There is one standard broadband deal and one fibre option:
Sky Broadband Essential - totally unlimited standard broadband with speeds averaging 11Mb, on an 18 month contract
Sky Broadband Superfast - a high-end fibre service with speeds averaging 61Mb on an 18 month contract. Usage is totally unlimited
Sky Broadband Superfast comes with a speed guarantee. When you sign up you'll be told the minimum speed you should be able to get. If your service falls below that speed during the first 30 days you can claim your money back on that first month, as well as any setup costs you paid. You'll also be given the option to switch to the next best fibre service - most likely one of the 36Mb deals. Alternatively, you can cancel with no charge. Visit Sky for more information on the Sky Broadband Superfast Speed Guarantee.
All deals come with a Sky Talk calls plan, which can be upgraded further to include Anytime or International calls. You can also add a mobile plan. As a broadband customer you'll get unlimited free calls and texts with any Sky Mobile data plan.
What TV services are available?
Sky TV is the UK's leading premium TV provider, with the largest selection of movies and sporting events.
Sky comes into your home via a satellite dish that needs to be installed on your property. You get a 1TB Sky Q box as standard, which allows you to record three shows while watching a fourth. You can upgrade to a 2TB box for extra features, including support for UHD broadcasts and the ability to record five shows at once.
There's on-demand viewing, plus support for watching on your phone or laptop via the Sky Go app. In addition, the Sky Q box lets you watch Netflix on your TV. All Sky TV deals are on a deal of at least 18 months.
The channels are divided into a series of products:
Entertainment - over 300 channels, including Sky Atlantic, Fox and Gold. This is the base deal, and you need to have this in order to take any of the others
Cinema - 11 channels split by genre, along with over 1000 movies available on demand
Sports - seven channels dedicated to specific sports, plus a couple of free channels including Sky Sports News. You can select up to three channels at a lower price, on a 31 day rolling contract, or take them all on an 18 month deal
Kids - add 11 channels and 5000 episodes on demand, on a 31 day contract
Box Sets - over 400 UK and US TV shows available on demand, on a 31 day contract
HD - upgrade your Entertainment channels to HD on a 31 day contract
Entertainment and Cinema are on 18 month contracts, and the price rises when the contract ends. The other channel products can be had on 31 day rolling deals, but you cannot sign up for these on their own. The Entertainment deal comes as standard - you have to take it even if you really only want the sports channels, for example. You may also be charged a setup fee in all cases.
Sky Q Multiscreen is also available as an add-on, enabling you to watch your channels and recordings on other TVs in your home as well as on tablet computers. If you have a 2TB Sky Q box then Multiscreen may be requred to unlock some advanced features.
Although Sky is available for most people, having a dish installed may not always be convenient or possible. Sky is expected to roll out dish-less streaming TV services in 2019.
Which deal should I choose?
Sky Broadband has something for every level of user, and the deals can be customised to ensure you get exactly what you need.
Your choice of broadband deal really depends what speed you require. Faster broadband is more appealing, but there is no need to pay more than necessary, especially when the broadband service is truly unlimited, letting you download, Skype, or game to your heart’s content. If you live near enough to the telephone exchange to get the full benefit, Sky Broadband Essential's average speed of 11Mb is sufficient for these things and you won’t be artificially slowed down at peak hours.
If you want fast and unlimited then take a look at Sky Broadband Superfast, averaging 59Mb. Which you choose depends on the size of your household - whether it's a large family or a student house, for instance - and if they are likely to be streaming, gaming and downloading at the same time.
Once you've chosen your broadband service you can customise it by choosing the Sky Talk service you need, if you make lots of landline calls. You can also add your choice of TV service. This gets you a 1TB Sky Q box as standard, with the option to upgrade to a more powerful 2TB box offering double the storage, the ability to record more channels and Ultra HD support. See below for full details about the different types of Sky Q box.
Points to consider before you choose
How many people will be using your broadband connection?
Are you a heavy downloader, do you regularly play online games or do you stream TV and films?
Do you want to watch TV on your tablet, or in more than one room?
Would the expense of the faster speed of fibre be worth it for you?
It's always good to know upfront what you'll get when signing up with an ISP so you know what you can enjoy for free, or to budget for any extras you may want.
Sky Go - Sky Go allows you to watch live or on-demand TV while on the move, letting you access your TV subscription anywhere there is a broadband, wireless or 4G connection available. The Sky Go app gives you TV direct to iPhones, iPads or selected Android smartphones, letting you watch live from your mobile device (although be careful if using 4G that you do not exceed your mobile download allowance as streaming TV is bandwidth-intensive). Essentially, you get to take your TV with you… without even needing an actual television.
Sky Q Hub - The 802.11ac wireless router allows up to 64 devices to connect at the same time, and supports both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands for a better and more reliable connection. In practice this means higher connection speeds at longer distances with compatible devices.
Sky Q Box - All TV customers receive a Sky Q box. The standard option - a 1TB box - allow you to record up to three shows simultaneously, while watching a fourth. It has enough space to record 500 hours of standard definition TV, and has full Multiscreen support (for an extra fee). There's also the option to upgrade to a 2TB box for an extra one-off fee. This enables you to record five channels as standard, while watching a sixth, and has support for Ultra HD broadcasts among its extra features.
Sky Wi-Fi - Sky Wi-Fi is available to Sky broadband customers and allows you to use a wireless-enabled device to go online at any Sky hotspot no extra cost. This allows you to go online at thousands of locations including high streets, coffee shops, railway stations, and pubs. This not only allows you a much faster connection than through mobile broadband, but also has no download limit, letting you use The Cloud to access the internet while you wait for your train, or sit down with a large cappuccino (however traffic management and fair usage limits may apply).
McAfee Internet Security - Customers signing up to any unlimited Sky broadband deal will get a 12 months free trial of McAfee Internet Security Suite to protect their computer from viruses and malware. It can be installed on three PCs.
Broadband Shield - Sky's Broadband Shield enables you to control the kinds of content that can be accessed on your network.
What do I get with Sky TV?
With Sky TV you get access to a vast array of TV channels and content, both live and on-demand. It's delivered to your home via a cutting edge Sky Q box.
All customers signing up to Sky TV get a Sky Q box as standard. The basic 1TB box offers many cutting edge features, including:
1TB hard drive - Enough space to store 500 hours of standard definition TV.
Record three shows - You can record up to three channels at the same time while watching a fourth.
Multiscreen capability - Watch recordings around your home on either a free Sky Q Mini box or your tablet computer, or pause on one device and continue watching on another. Requires additional Sky Q Multiscreen subscription.
Mobile device support - The ability to save recordings to a tablet or other mobile device to watch on the go. Available as part of the Sky Q Multiscreen add-on.
Wi-Fi hotspot - The Sky Q box and any Mini boxes work as wi-fi hotspots, which can help to improve the wireless signal around your home.
Netflix support - You can watch Netflix through your Sky Q box, if you've got a subscription.
The Sky Q Multiscreen feature requires an additional subscription of £12 per month. This provides you with a Sky Q Mini box that connects to another TV in your home (you can add more TVs for a one-off fee of £99 each), and also enables you to stream your recordings to a compatible tablet. You can stream to one tablet at a time with a 1TB Sky Q box, or two tablets if you upgrade to a 2TB box.
If you choose to upgrade to the 2TB Sky Q box you get a number of extra features. As well as the extra storage space - enough for 1000 hours of SD TV - you can record five shows while watching a sixth. You can also watch Ultra HD broadcasts - although you do need to take out the Sky Q Multiscreen subscription to unlock this - and you get an innovative Sky Q Touch Remote powered by Bluetooth. The 1TB box gets a standard IR remote.
The monthly price is the same whichever box you choose, but the 2TB model increases installation costs to £75 if you take Multiscreen, or £199 without. By contrast, you pay a £20 installation fee for the 1TB box. In either case you won't actually own the box - you keep it for as long as you maintain your subscription. This also applies to the Sky Q Hub.
Once you have subscribed to the Sky TV service you get access to all of your chosen channels - including the optional Sky Sports and Sky Cinema - plus a full suite of on-demand services, including:
Catch up TV in HD - Catch up on shows you may have missed during the week. Sky has the UK's largest Catch Up TV service, which includes most TV channels and channels in HD.
TV Box Sets - Whole seasons of TV shows so you can watch episodes back-to-back and relive your favourites, or catch up on shows that are new to you.
Showcase - A selection of the week's best television.
Sky Store - There are over 1,000 movies that you can rent through the Sky Store, from as little as 99p.
Sky Cinema - Take out a Sky Cinema subscription, and you'll have access to over 800 movies online.
The Sky Q boxes come with wi-fi capability already built in, so you don't need to worry about connecting them to your broadband router with long cables. Once you're connected, it's simple to use by hitting your ‘TV Guide' button and accessing the On Demand features with the red button.
What are the benefits of Sky?
The benefits offered by an ISP may be what seals the deal in your decision to buy a broadband service from them.
Truly unlimited broadband - Sky offer truly unlimited broadband with not only no monthly download limits, but also no traffic management even at peak times. This lets you download files or play games to your heart’s content without needing to worry about being artificially slowed down, which can be a problem especially in larger households.
Sky TV - Sky’s satellite TV service is second-to-none in the range of options it provides, including premium channels such as Sky Sports and Sky Cinema. Even the most basic Sky TV service offer the exclusive channel Sky Atlantic, UK home of such dramas as Game of Thrones and all HBO original shows, and a range of Sky entertainment channels. No other provider offers as wide a selection of TV channels. The Sky Q box also builds in Multiscreen support (for an additional monthly charge), so you can catch your favourite shows on TVs and tablet computers around your home.
Sky Boost - you can opt to pay a little extra each month, you can get extra benefits added to your broadband deal. These include engineer visits at times that suit you, including evenings and weekends, daily checks on your line to catch any problems and fix them as fast as possible, the Sky Broadband Buddy app to control your family's screen time, and 2GB added to your Sky Mobile account if you have one.
WiFi Guarantee - if you opt to pay extra for Sky Boost and your WiFi isn't performing as well as it should, Sky will take several steps to improve the situation, from sending you a booster to improve the signal to sending a Sky Engineer out to optimise things for you. If you're still not getting WiFi in every room, then Sky will refund your Boost upgrade for the remainder of your contract.
Some of the best wi-fi kit available - With the Sky Q Hub, you get one of the most reliable and best performing wireless routers provided with a broadband service.
Reliability and Customer service - Ofcom's Telecoms and Pay TV Complaints Report from January 2020 showed that Sky had the fewest complaints for broadband, landline and TV out of all the major suppliers. Sky have had the highest or joint highest Ofcom reported customer satisfaction levels for broadband (out of the 'big 5' providers) since 2009.
Complete entertainment - Sky’s combined TV/broadband/phone deals allow you to pay for all of your entertainment services together, saving hassle and potentially saving money on getting these individually, especially from different providers. You can add a mobile deal, too.
What are the drawbacks of Sky?
Let's face it, not everything can be perfect, and even the best deals may have a downside.
No short contracts - Sky’s contracts have a minimum of 18 months, which can be a problem for those who have short tenancies or do not want the commitment of a year-long contract. The lack of one-month contracts is not necessarily a problem however, as the long contracts can be a plus to those who live in one place and do not wish to renew on a regular basis.
Expensive for the full deal - A full Sky TV deal can get pretty expensive, especially if you only want to watch certain shows or channels. Check our guide on the best value pay TV services to see if you can get it cheaper elsewhere.
Sky Talk line rental required - Unlike with Virgin Media, a phoneline is required to access Sky's standard and fibre broadband products, there's also no option to pay one provider for phone services while taking only broadband from Sky, although Sky TV can be combined with other broadband providers. Sky's combined broadband and line rental is competitively priced though, with optional call plans for cheaper calling if required.
Many flagship TV features cost more - A number of Sky Q's widely advertised features actually require the additional Sky Q Multiscreen subscription, which adds £12 to your monthly cost. This includes the ability to watch live TV and recordings on tablet computers, where you can stop watching on one device and pick up from the same point on another, and support for watching shows in 4K Ultra HD on a 2TB Sky Q box.
Satellite TV can be affected by storms - Viewing and recording of live TV can be negatively affected by heavy rain, although On Demand services will be unaffected. Other TV providers use underground cables or internet streaming to provide TV channels so don't have this limitation. However, most if the time satellite TV will be superior to internet streamed content that may be prone to buffering or drops in quality at peak times.
Possible mid-contract price rises - you'll be informed in advance of any changes to your contract
