Sky, reviewed

Sky is the full-fat version. Every Sky channel, every add-on, one bill, and a contract that expects you to still be there next September. It is the opposite of a dodgy box in every way except the one that matters: the picture works in May.

What you get

Two base packages. Essential TV is 70-plus channels including Sky Atlantic, Sky Sports News and Sky Sports Mix, with Netflix Basic (adverts, one screen) bundled in. Ultimate TV adds 30-plus more: Sky One, U&Gold, Sky Witness, Sky Documentaries, Sky Comedy, Sky Nature, plus Disney+ Standard with Ads, HBO Max Basic with Ads, Hayu and discovery+ at no extra cost. For families that’s most of films and series and the kids’ stuff sorted in one go.

Then the add-ons. Sky Sports, which Sky’s compare page describes as nine dedicated sports channels. It carries most of the Premier League, all of the F1 and the golf majors. Sports Extra, which is TNT Sports and Premier Sports 1 and 2, needs an HD box and has its own stepped pricing. Sky Cinema, which throws in Paramount+ Basic and two Vue cinema tickets a month.

Hardware is where 2026 changed things. Sky Q is gone for new customers. You get Sky Stream, a puck loaned free that plugs into HDMI and needs broadband, or Sky Glass, a TV with Sky inside that you buy outright or on 24- or 48-month interest-free credit, with the subscription on top. Sky Go covers phones, tablets and laptops.

What it costs

Prices checked 2026-11-10 on the service's Irish pricing page.

Ultimate’s intro price differed depending on which Sky page we read it on, which tells you to screenshot the offer before you click. Sky Glass prices depend on size and generation and aren’t in the table.

The catch

The 12 months. Everything, add-ons included, carries a minimum term, and the standard price after the intro is a good deal higher. Comparison sites also list a set-up fee and an HD add-on that we couldn’t see on Sky’s own pages, so ask before you sign. Sky raised standard broadband prices in April 2026, so check today’s TV prices on Sky rather than last year’s screenshot Sky’s current TV prices (official source, opens in a new tab). What a mid-contract rise means for leaving is in the small print below: in short, not much.

The small print

When to have it, when to cancel

There’s no month-by-month game here. It’s a year. So the only question is whether you’d have the channels for ten or more months anyway.

• Ultimate plus Sky Sports plus Sports Extra is the one route to nearly everything at once, and Sky prices the three together for new customers.
• Sports Extra has its own six-month price steps. Note the date the cheap step ends.
• Month 11: put it in the diary. Give notice, or ring and ask what the retention deal is. The intro price is for new customers; the standard price is for people who forgot.

If you only want the football for the season, this is the wrong page. See NOW.

Verdict

Sky is not the cheapest way to get any one thing on this site. It is the cheapest way to get all of it, all year, on one bill, with Netflix folded in, Disney+ in the Ultimate package and Paramount+ if you take Cinema. If that’s you, and you’ll still be watching in month twelve, it earns its place. If you’re not sure, the finder will tell you whether a rolling plan beats it.

See also what Sky Sports costs in Ireland and, for when the contract is up, how to cancel Sky.