Sky has unveiled a major revamp of its TV packages, launching a new TV and film bundle just in time for Christmas. The Essential TV and Sky Cinema plan offers more than 100 channels including Sky Atlantic, more than 1,000 films on-demand with Sky Cinema, plus Netflix and Discovery+ subscriptions.
All this is available atfor £25 per month, with Sky Cinema members also receiving Paramount+ and two Vue cinema tickets each month at no extra cost. This is the lowest price we’ve ever seen for Sky’s TV and film plan, which previously would have cost you £36.
Sky Cinema has some big blockbusters lined up for December, such as Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire on December 20, followed by Kung Fu Panda 4 and A Quiet Place: Day One on Christmas Day. For those seeking something to truly get into the festive spirit, there are also a host of Christmas classics like Elf, Love Actually, The Polar Express, The Holiday and It’s a Wonderful Life.
Sky has also introduced the cheaper Essential TV plan for £15 per month, offering the same benefits but without Sky Cinema. There’s also the new Ultimate TV bundle – which includes extra channels like U&alibi, Comedy Central, U&GOLD and National Geographic – for £22, with the option to add Sky Cinema for £10.
As all of the above plans include Netflix as standard, members can catch the upcoming second season of Squid Game when it premieres on December 26, as well as top Sky series like The Day of the Jackal and The Penguin. Sky’s TV bundles comes with a Sky Stream box, Sky’s new way of watching TV that uses WiFi to stream content instead of relying on a traditional satellite dish.
Sky Stream also boasts features like personalised recommendations, streamlined access to streaming apps and a smart playlist function for content management. Tech editor Dave Snelling at sister site the Daily Express rated Sky Stream five-stars in his review, which you can read in full here.
He said: “Sky Stream finally brings the same slick, modern, satellite dish-free experience that Sky Glass owners have been enjoying for the last year without the need to switch to a brand-new telly. Simply plug-in the box to any television and stream live channels, exclusive TV shows from HBO Max, Sky Originals and Peacock, sports fixtures, and more.
“This palm-sized box packs some almighty features into its mini design. For our money, Sky Stream offers the most seamless way to move between live television channels and streamers like Netflix and Prime Video.”
However, he did highlight one downside, adding: “The lack of a built-in hard drive means shows that don’t play nicely with catch-up services, like Match of the Day, will vanish prematurely from your Playlist menu if you’re not quick enough. And shows with previous seasons available on Netflix can be a little overwhelming as Sky aggregates everything into your Playlists – so adding a single upcoming episode of Gogglebox to your Playlist will trigger an influx of hundreds of episodes from on-demand services.”
Sky’s new bundles are also available with a Sky Glass package, which is an ideal option for those looking to buy a new telly in time for Christmas. Sky Glass is the brand’s own 4K TV with a Dolby Atmos soundbar and Sky built-in, with prices now starting from £29 per month.
Elsewhere, shoppers can still benefit from Virgin Media’s Black Friday sale, which runs until December 8. Virgin customers can currently save up to £255 on a range of plans that include more than 200 TV channels – including Sky Cinema and Sky Sports – and broadband with speeds up to 1,130Mbps, as well as three months of free Disney+.