Sky has just slashed prices across its Stream and Glass TV packages by up to 37%, for a limited time, with some eye-catching deals… that come right after a recent price hike.
The TV giant’s new offers include, for example, Sky Ultimate TV with Netflix for £20/month instead of £32, and Sky Sports add-ons for £20/month rather than the regular £31.
For sports fans, that means a Sky Stream package with Sports, Ultimate TV and Netflix now costs £40/month – saving a hefty £23 monthly over standard pricing.
The deals are available either via Sky Stream (the standalone box) – or Sky Glass Gen 2, the company’s unique Smart TV.
These price cuts arrive just two months after Sky hiked the cost of most packages by up to 14%, and while existing customers are facing a 6.2% increase on their April bills.
It’s the TV industry’s oldest story – regular price rises for loyal customers, while newcomers get the red carpet treatment.
But with savings of nearly £300 over a two-year contract, for new customers, even the most cynical cord-cutters might want to take notice of these deals before they disappear on April 16.
What Are Sky Stream and Glass Again?
Before we dive into the new prices, let’s recap:
Sky Stream is Sky’s dish-free TV box that works entirely over your broadband. It’s a small little box that connects to any TV and gives you access to all of Sky’s channels and streaming apps.
You usually pay a one-off £20 upfront for the hardware, and then your chosen content packages on top. And – it works with any broadband provider (not just Sky Broadband).
Sky Glass is the all-in-one solution – a 4K QLED TV with Sky’s streaming service built right in, plus a Dolby Atmos soundbar.
No dish, no separate boxes, just one plug into the wall and one into your broadband. The newest version, Sky Glass Gen 2, launched in February with improved picture quality and better sound.
With Glass, you pay for the television itself (either upfront or in monthly instalments over 24 or 48 months) PLUS your chosen content packages. The TV costs:
- 43″: £699 upfront
- 55″: £949 upfront
- 65″: £1,199 upfront
It’s worth noting that if you go with the monthly payments for the TV, they are essentially a 0% finance agreement – not a rental. So if you ever want to leave Sky, you still need to keep paying for the telly even if you’re not using their TV service anymore.
Both Stream and Glass use Sky’s “Playlist” system rather than traditional recording – you add shows to your playlist, and they’re streamed when you want to watch them (with some channels actually being recorded to Sky’s cloud in the background).
February’s Price Hikes You Might Have Missed
Sky Stream and Sky Glass’ content comes with a “base” package, and add-ons you can add on top.
Sky Essential TV (£15/month on a 24-month contract) is the entry-level option, giving you Sky Atlantic (home to those big HBO shows), Netflix Standard with Ads, and Discovery+ Standard with Eurosport.
Sky Ultimate TV is the full-fat version, adding Sky Max, Sky Comedy, Sky Documentaries, Comedy Central, Gold and many more entertainment channels.
When Sky launched their shiny new Glass Gen 2 back in February, they also sneaked in some rather significant price increases:
Sky Ultimate TV jumped to £32/month on a 24-month contract (or a wallet-busting £35/month if you prefer the flexibility of a rolling contract). That’s up from £28 and £31 respectively – a 14% increase for those keeping score.
Sky Sports rose to £31/month from £28/month (24-month) or £30/month (rolling). Sports fans, your loyalty just got 11% more expensive.
Even the little ones weren’t spared – Sky Kids increased to £8/month from £7/month.
TNT Sports? That’s now £31/month, up from £30.
And if you hate adverts enough to pay to skip them, that privilege now costs £6/month instead of £5 (but, at least, the feature was upgraded with a “Skip Ads” button a few months ago)
Only Sky Essential TV customers got off lightly, with prices holding steady at £15/month (24-month) or £18/month (rolling).
The New Deals (Until They Vanish)
Now for the good news. Until April 16, Sky is offering several tempting (for some) discounts. It’s worth noting that some of these deals aren’t available everywhere – you’ll need to use special affiliate links from sites like ours to access them:
Sky Stream with Ultimate TV and Netflix (Standard with Ads) for just £20/month on a 24-month contract. That’s a proper £12 monthly saving over the regular price.
If you’re a sports nut, Sky Stream with Sports, Ultimate TV and Netflix will set you back £40/month. Yes, it’s still not cheap, but it’s £23/month less than you’d normally pay.
Movie lovers can get Sky Stream with Cinema, Ultimate TV and Netflix for £30/month – saving £15 monthly.
Prefer the more basic package? Sky Stream with Sports, Essential TV and Netflix costs £35/month, while Stream with Cinema, Essential TV and Netflix is £25/month.
All these deals work with the new Sky Glass Gen 2 as well – just add the cost of the telly itself.
Along with these, you can also get the Ad Skipping add-on for £5/month (instead of £6/m), and the Whole Home for £12/month (instead of £15/m).
Mix And Match For Less
Want to customise? You can grab Ultimate TV for £20/month and then cherry-pick from these discounted extras:
Sky Sports: £20/month (24-month contract) or £27/month (rolling) – a massive £11 off the standard price
Sky Cinema: £10/month (24-month) or £13/month (rolling)
Sky Kids: £6/month (down from £8)
TNT Sports: £28/month (saving £3)
Ad Skipping: £5/month (back to what it was before February)
UHD: Still £6/month (no discount here, oddly)
Whole Home: £12/month (down from £15)
Netflix Price Hikes Hidden In The Mix
It’s not just Sky with itchy price-increase fingers. Netflix recently bumped up their UK subscription costs too.
With Sky’s base bundles, you get Netflix’s Standard with Ads plan – but if you want to upgrade, you’ll now have to pay more (in line with Netflix’s new prices) –
Netflix Standard (without adverts) now costs £6.49/month (up from £6)
Netflix Premium (4K) is now £13.49/month (up from £11)
But here’s a silver lining – Sky’s current promotion also knocks these back to their previous prices (£6 and £11 respectively) until the deal ends.
Double Whammy For Existing Customers
While new customers can benefit from these offers, existing Sky customers are currently facing an average 6.2% increase on their monthly bills this April.
Unlike other providers like Virgin Media and BT, who’ve switched to simple fixed increases in pounds and pence (following Ofcom’s new rules), Sky has stuck with percentage-based rises.
The silver lining for Sky broadband customers (and those with bundled broadband and TV) is that they can leave penalty-free within 30 days of being notified of the price increase.
TV-only customers under contract don’t have that luxury, however.
This means some loyal Sky customers could be facing higher bills just as new customers are being offered discounts – a strategy that’s common in the industry but nevertheless frustrating.
Should You Jump On These Deals?
If you were thinking about Sky anyway, then yes – these are good offers, compared to the (new) regular prices:
The Ultimate TV bundle at £20/month saves you £288 over a 24-month contract. Adding Sky Sports for £20/month rather than £31/month saves another £264 over two years.
Just be aware you’re signing up for 24 months, which is a long time to be tied down – and, as we’ve seen this month – prices can (and likely will) go up next April, even if you’re still under contract.
It’s also worth noting that Virgin Media, BT, and EE have all hiked their prices recently too, so shopping around won’t necessarily save you from price increases altogether – but if you cut the cord and just jump on Sky’s NOW wagon occasionally – you’re likely to save even more.
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That will be on Max in a year anyway along with other HBO & Warner Bros TV & Film content along with TNT Sports, yes Max with basic with ads will be included in these Bundles instead of Discovery+ but hard to see what Sky USP is since the agreement isn’t exclusive.
Still too expensive. £20 for a glorified Freeview service and Netflix, but no ad skipping included. For how long will Sky be advertising the years old Game of Thrones as an attraction?