What channels do I get with Sky Stream Entertainment?

Dan Howdle | September 5th, 2023

Sky Stream is slowly eating into the decades-long dominance of satellite as the primary means to receive Sky TV. Receiving Sky TV over the internet is just less fuss, less mess, far easier to install, will take up less space wherever you watch TV, and you won't need a (some would say) ugly satellite dish on the side of your home.

But Sky being Sky, it is less than clear about exactly what you get with Sky Stream. The channels you get, the channels you don't get and what, if anything, is missing when compared alongside Sky TV via a satellite dish (Sky Q). The truth is, Sky Stream is the future, and it does a heck of a lot very well and maybe one or two things not too well. Let's take a closer look at what you get.

Key feature comparison

Here's a big picture overview of Sky Stream Entertainment:

You will notice in this overview there is two ways to get Sky Stream, one is Sky Stream, the other is Sky Glass, where instead of a Sky Stream Puck, you'll get an actual 4K television, which will have Sky Stream built in. Note that due to the high cost to Sky of providing you with a TV in the case of Sky Glass, contracts are 48 months – an astonishing four years! So think carefully about whether that's something you actually need.

Sky Stream Entertainment channels list

So as not to present you with a wall of channel names, and because when people want to know what's included they'll tend to be checking if you are going to get one or maybe two specific channels, we've separated our Sky Stream Entertainment channels list into multiple sections to make the ones that are important to you easier to find.

Sky channels

This list comprises all of the Sky-branded, in-house channels you'll get with Sky Stream Entertainment:

Terrestrial and regional live channels

This list comprises all of the traditional terrestrial channels and their variants that you'll get with Sky Stream Entertainment:

Other entertainment and Freeview channels

This list comprises entertainment channels that aren't traditionally served via terrestrial television, many or which are 'Freeview' channels:

Music channels

This list comprises all the music-dedicated channels you will receive with Sky Stream Entertainment:

Kids channels

This list comprises all kids-focused channels you will receive as standard on Sky Stream Entertainment:

Shopping channels

This short list comprises the shopping channels you will receive as part of a subscription to Sky Stream Entertainment:

Asian and international channels

This list comprises all international and Asian channels you'll get with Sky Stream Entertainment as standard:

Please note that Sky regularly swaps out the odd channel here and there. New channels appear a few times a year, and some disappear. These lists were correct at the time of writing (September 2023), but to view any recent updates or changes, you can visit Sky's website where it has regularly updated list of what's in and what's out. Also note that in the following list you may see some channels listed twice, as they fit the description of more than one heading. Again, this is simply so that you can easily find the channels you're looking for.

Add-on channel packs for Sky Stream

The basic 'Entertainment' channel package from Sky, either via Sky Stream or Sky Glass (both the same apart from the hardware) should be viewed as the beginning or base layer of what you can actually subscribe to. On top of that, Sky makes available a number of channel packs you can bolt on at extra cost to suit your needs. Let's take a look at those.

Sky Kids add-on

If you choose to add on the Sky Kids pack, you'll additionally receive the following channels:

TNT Sports (BT Sport) add-on

TNT Sports (until very recently called BT Sport), is one of the more expensive add-ons for Sky Stream. Sport is expensive, there's no way around hit. Here are the channels you get if you subscribe via Sky Stream or Sky Glass:

Sky Sports add-on

If you add on Sky Sports – which again won't be cheap – you'll get every Sky Sports channel. So:

Sky Cinema add-on

If you choose to add on the Sky Cinema pack to your Sky Stream subscription, you'll additionally receive all Sky Cinema channels:

Pay-per-view

Yes. Sky Stream will still provide you access to pay-per-view via:

Channels you can't get on Sky Stream or Sky Glass

Despite providing most of what you'll be able to see on Sky Q (Sky's old satellite service), Sky Stream won't provide you access to a number of channels.

There are no +1 channels on Sky Stream or Sky Glass

With everything on catch-up, one might argue that there is simply no need for +1 channels on Sky's new digital streamning service, and likewise no need to record your own shows. Neither Sky Glass nor Sky Stream allow you to record your favourite shows onto the device, instead providing a 'Playlist' feature with which you can mark the shows you want to watch later, and then stream them at your convenience. Truth is there is simply no need for +1 channels on Sky Stream, because rewinding live TV by an hour or more is something you can do yourself with the remote.

Channels you can't get on Sky Stream Entertainment

Most of those that are missing won't bother anyone. They're either small, niche or both. However, there are some notable omissions. For example, you won't be able to get any channels that require an additional subscription specifically to said channel. So, for now, you won't be able to watch MUTV, LFCTV, BoxNation and so on.

Here's a complete list of channels you won't be able to watch on Sky Stream Entertainment, which include many sport, religious, shopping, and international channels. Adult channels are also not available on Sky Stream or Sky Glass for now, but we won't list those here:

Netflix and Sky Box Sets on Sky Stream Entertainment

Of course, live channels are not the only game in town when you subscribe to Sky Stream. You'll get the Entertainment channels we've outlined in this guide, sure. But Sky will also bundle in both a Netflix subscription, and access to Sky Box Sets, where Sky dumps a lot of its best shows for you to watch whenever you like.

Sky Box Sets on Sky Stream Entertainment

Despite the lengthy lists in this guide, no. No, we're not going to list out every show you can watch on Sky Box Sets. Not only would the list be longer than China's Great Wall, the content changes daily, meaning any list we could formulate would be quickly out of date.

Suffice it to say that you will find most of Sky's best historic shows from all of its Sky-branded entertainment channels, including Sky Atlantic. And that means a lot of HBO and Sky Original stuff, such as Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, Succession and many, many more.

In total, you'll find around 500 shows sitting, complete, ready for you to binge at any time. Just bear in mind that shows do get swapped in and out frequently when it comes to availability. So, for example, you may be able to watch House of the Dragon season one on Box Sets right now, but then it may disappear for a month before reappearing again.

Netflix on Sky Stream or Sky Glass

The main things you need to know about Netflix on Sky Stream or on Sky Glass are as follows:

• Netflix Basic only – You will only get a basic-level Netflix subscription thrown in with your Sky Stream or Sky Glass subscription. This allows you to watch on only one device, with ads, and only in HD (no 4K UHD)
• You won't get money off your existing Netflix subscription – The Netflix Basic subscription is about £5 per month. If you already have a superior-level Netflix subscription, you cannot automatically deduct that from what you already pay on your account (you can do this with Virgin Media's Netflix bundles)
• But you can use your existing account, then upgrade – You can, however, transfer your existing, superior account to the included basic account, then upgrade it, thereby making use of the free account and getting money off what you already pay