What channels do I get with BT TV Entertainment?

Dan Howdle | November 17th, 2023

BT TV

BT TV has been having quite the bumpy ride of late. It scrapped its line-up of set-top boxes of various capabilities for a simpler 'everyone gets the same box' solution in the form of the BT TV Box Pro. It sold its BT Sport property – arguably BT TV biggest draw. And, finally, it's about to be rebranded to EE TV, giving up on the entire concept of a BT-branded TV service altogether.

Nevertheless, BT TV isn't really going anywhere. On December 6 2023 it'll simply be renamed, since BT already owns EE. There may well be changes to the service in terms of the channels you can and can't get, but honestly? We expect much to the same service BT TV already delivers. Here are all the channels available on BT TV currently. We'll update this page if anything changes on 6 December with the EE TV rebrand.

Key features

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

Feature BT TV/EE TV
TV channels Up to 200+
On-demand content Netflix, NOW Entertainment
Contract length 24 months
TV-only available? No – BT Broadband mandatory
Prices from £52.99 p/m (incl. broadband)

BT TV can be confusing – here's why

If you've tried looking for a definitive channel list for BT TV elsewhere, you may have noticed the information is hard to come by, almost always incomplete, and doesn't really make clear how BT TV currently works. Part of this is lack of effort in uncovering which specific channels BT TV provides, certainly, but mostly it's that BT TV's particular way of delivering its content is really quite difficult to get your head around.

There are more Freeview channels than you might think

Despite almost all lists of the channels its TV Box Pro provides listing a handful of Freeview channels, the reality is there are a great many of them, including HD versions in some instances, as well as +1 time-shifted channels. We have the full list further downthis guide.

BT TV has its own exclusive channels mixed in

While there aren't all that many of them, BT TV does offer some channels as standard in its Entertainment pack that you'll be hard-pressed to find elsewhere. It doesn't make a big song and dance about them, but they are mostly exclusive to BT. AMC is one example of that type of channel. We have listed those separately later in this guide.

BT TV uses NOW TV as a means to access Sky content

Whether it's Sky entertainment channels such as Sky Max and Sky Atlantic, or premium add-on channel packs like Sky Sports and Sky Cinema, BT TV uses the NOW TV service to deliver that content. And in some ways that's less than ideal. NOW TV isn't known for good picture quality. It's also known to be the single ost expensive way to subscribe to Sky Sports, and BT TV packages including those channels have a price that reflects that.

BT no longer owns BT Sport

BT Sport is now TNT Sports, and BT no longer owns it. This isn't as of right now adding much in the way of complexity to BT TV packages, but since it's no longer a native service to BT TV, things could get more complicated down the line.

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BT TV complete channels list

To make channels easier to find, we have separated our channels list into a number of sub-categories. Each sub-category will be introduced with a brief description of the circumstances under which you'll get these channels with BT TV.

Freeview entertainment channels on BT TV

All BT TV packages will offer the following Freeview channels out of the box as standard. All come as part of the basic BT TV Entertainment pack:

BBC One (local version) BBC Two (local versions in Wales and Northern Ireland) ITV1 (local version) / STV (Scotland only) / UTV (Northern Ireland only) Channel 4 (England, Scotland and Northern Ireland) / S4C (Wales only)
Channel 5 ITV2 Local TV channels (England and Northern Ireland) / BBC Alba (Scotland) / Channel 4 (Wales) That's TV
BBC Four (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) / BBC Scotland (Scotland only) ITV3 Sky Mix Quest
E4 Film4 Channel 4+1 QVC
Really More4 Dave Drama
5USA Ideal World (7am-midnight only) BBC Three BBC Four (Scotland only)
W ITV4 Yesterday ITVBe
ITV2+1 (7am-3am only) E4+1 E4 Extra 5Star
5Action GREAT! movies ITV1+1 (England and Wales but not Channel Islands), STV+1 (Scotland), UTV+1 (Northern Ireland) Sky Arts
QVC Beauty (7pm-1pm only) Channel 5+1 DMAX Quest Red
Legend GREAT! action Food Network HGTV
Gems TV 5Select Film4+1 Challenge
4seven GREAT! tv TJC GREAT! xmas
TG4 (Northern Ireland only) RTE One (Northern Ireland only) RTE2 (Northern Ireland) That's TV
Dave ja vu ITVBe+1 (3am-5am only) ITV3+1 (9pm-6am only) Drama+1
GREAT! movies+1 GREAT! tv+1 GREAT! xmas+1 Blaze (5am-2am only)
That's Christmas TBN UK CBS Reality Reality Xtra
HorrorXtra Quest+1 That's 60s Jewellery Maker (8am-1pm only)
Hobby Maker Yesterday+1 (5am-7am only) That's 90s (Greater Manchester only) That's Christmas (Greater Manchester only)
That's 60s (Greater Manchester only) TCC (3am-5am only) Earthx TV That's 80s (Greater Manchester only)
Blaze+1 (3am-4am only) Talking Pictures TV Together TV (12pm-3am only) PBS America (1pm-5am only)
Create & Craft (7am-10pm only) That's 90s TV Warehouse (Greater Manchester only) TV Warehouse+1
ITV4+1 (5am-7am only) WildEarth Shop Extra Manchester TV (Greater Manchester only)
BBC One HD (regional versions in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) BBC Two HD (regional versions in Wales and Northern Ireland) ITV1 HD (England and Wales only) / STV HD (Scotland only) / UTV HD (Northern Ireland only) Channel 4 HD (except Wales) / S4C HD (Wales)
Channel 5 HD BBC Four HD / BBC Scotland HD (Scotland only) BBC Three HD BBC Four HD (Scotland only)
Channel 4 HD (Wales only) ... ... ...

Freeview kids channels on BT TV

These are the kids channels also brought to your BT TV box via Freeview, and included in the BT TV Entertainment pack:

CBBC CBeebies CBBC HD CBeebies HD
Pop Tiny Pop Pop Max Ketchup TV
Ketchup Too Yaaas! Pop Player (Greater Manchester only)
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Freeview news channels on BT TV

This short list shows which news channels are available on Freeview with the BT TV Entertainment pack:

BBC News BBC Parliament Sky News Al Jazeera English
GB News TalkTV

Freeview international and special interest channels on BT TV

The final round-up of the many Freeview channels you can watch on BT TV is also included in the BT TV Entertainment pack:

BBC Red Button 365 Travel Kiss Chat & Date Proud Dating
Vision TV Arise News SonLife Broadcasting Network Fail Army
On Demand 365 Pet Collective Al Jazeera English Al Jazeera Arabic
WION News Real Crime Channelbox Asharq TV
ASHARQ News Al Arabiya Shots! UK Radio Portal
Zee World Alaraby Network Rok Revelation TV
GOD TV 3ABN Together TV+1 NHK World
Newsmax Amazing Facts Nyx Mech +

Exclusive channels included with BT Entertainment

The following channels aren't exclusive per se, bu they aren't Freeview either. You'll get these in all BT Entertainment packages:

Sky News BT Preview BritBox AMC
National Geographic
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Sky and premium entertainment channels via NOW TV

The NOW TV Entertainment pass is included with all BT TV Entertainment bundles. It provides access to the following additional, premium entertainment channels:

Sky Showcase Sky Witness Sky Atlantic Gold
Comedy Central Sky Max Sky Comedy Sky Sci-Fi
Sky Crime Sky Arts MTV Sky Documentaries
Sky History Sky Nature Sky Showcase HD Sky Witness HD
Sky Atlantic HD Gold HD Comedy Central HD Sky Max HD
Sky Comedy HD Sky Sci-Fi HD Sky Crime HD Sky Arts HD
MTV HD National Geographic HD Sky Documentaries HD Sky History HD
Sky Nature HD Sky News HD

BT TV basic sport channels

These are the sport channels you will get as part of the basic BT TV Entertainment package:

Eurosport 1 Eurosport 2 Eurosport 1 HD Eurosport 2 HD

Sky Sports on BT TV via a NOW TV Sky Sports subscription

If your BT TV package includes Sky Sports (look for packages with 'Sport' in the title), these are the channels you will get access to. These are delivered via NOW TV, but the do have their own channel numbers, and so operate like regular channels – no need for the NOW TV app:

Sky Sports Extra Sky Sports News Sky Sports Main Event Sky Sports Premier League
Sky Sports Football Sky Sports Cricket Sky Sports Golf Sky Sports F1
Sky Sports NFL Sky Sports Arena Sky Sports Racing Sky Sports Mix
Sky Sports Main Event HD Sky Sports News HD Sky Sports Premier League HD Sky Sports Football HD
Sky Sports Cricket HD Sky Sports Golf HD Sky Sports F1 HD Sky Sports NFL HD
Sky Sports Arena HD Sky Sports Racing HD Sky Sports Mix HD Sky Sports Box Office HD
Sky Sports Box Office 2 HD
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TNT Sports channels on BT TV

You will need to add on TNT Sports to a basic package, or plump for one of the higher-tier BT TV packages that includes it. It doesn't come with the basic Entertainment pack. However you get it, these are the included channels:

TNT Sports 1 TNT Sports 2 TNT Sports 3 TNT Sports 4
TNT Sports 1 HD TNT Sports 2 HD TNT Sports 3 HD TNT Sports 4 HD
TNT Sports Ultimate TNT Sports Box Office HD TNT Sports Box Office 2 HD

BT TV kids channels via NOW TV

These additional kids channels are the same ones you'd find in a Sky TV subscription, and are included in the BT TV Entertainment package, which includes NOW Entertainment:

Cartoon Network Boomerang Nickelodeon Nick Loud House
Nick Jr Cartoonito Sky Kids Cartoon Network HD
Boomerang HD Nickelodeon HD Nick Jr HD Sky Kids HD

Sky Cinema channels on BT TV

You will need to add on the 'movies' pack to your BT TV Entertainment basic package in order to get these. The 'Big Entertainment' and 'VIP Entertainment' packages have these channels as standard. Sky Cinema channels are delivered on BT TV via the NOW TV Cinema pass:

Sky Cinema Animation Sky Cinema Premiere Sky Cinema Heroines Sky Cinema Bourne
Sky Cinema Greats Sky Cinema Family Sky Cinema Action Sky Cinema Comedy
Sky Cinema Thriller Sky Cinema Drama Sky Cinema Sci-Fi and Horror Sky Cinema Animation HD
Sky Cinema Premiere HD Sky Cinema Heroines HD Sky Cinema Bourne HD Sky Cinema Greats HD
Sky Cinema Family HD Sky Cinema Action HD Sky Cinema Comedy HD Sky Cinema Thriller HD
Sky Cinema Drama HD Sky Cinema Sci-Fi and Horror HD

BT TV adult channels

Well, what to say about these? They're there if you want them:

Smile TV3 Babestation Xpanded TV Studio 66

BT TV radio channels

Yes, like many Freeview and subscription TV services, you can get radio stations via the BT TV Box Pro if you so wish. They are:

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1Xtra BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 4 FM BBC Radio 5 Live BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra BBC Radio 6 Music
BBC Radio 4 Extra BBC Asian Network BBC World Service Hits Radio
KissFresh Kiss Kisstory Magic
Greatest Hits Radio Kerrang! Radio Smooth Radio talkSPORT
Capital Premier Christian Radio Absolute Radio Heart
RTE Raidio na Gaeltachta (Northern Ireland) RNIB Connect Classic FM LBC
Trans World Radio

If you've skimmed or browsed through that lot, we're sure you'll agree BT TV does offer a pretty comprehensive TV service. It's just a shame that where BT's own information is concerned it's somewhat lacking in showing its potential customers exactly what channels they're going to get. Luckily, you have us!

Netflix and Sky Box Sets on BT TV

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 BT will also bundle in both a Netflix subscription, and access to Sky Box Sets via NOW TV, where Sky dumps a lot of its best shows for you to watch whenever you like.

Sky Box Sets on BT TV via NOW TV

Let's be real here. Compiling an exhaustive list of everything on Sky Box Sets is like trying to count all the stars in the sky – never-ending and constantly changing.

What you'll discover there is a treasure trove of Sky's finest historical shows from every Sky Channel, including the illustrious Sky Atlantic, where you'll find HBO and Sky Original shows like Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, Succession, and plenty more.

With about 500 shows at your fingertips, it's a binge-watcher's paradise. Just a word of advice: The content tends to shuffle more often than a deck of cards. One moment House of the Dragon might be in your watchlist, then poof! It vanishes for a bit, only to reappear later on.

Netflix on BT TV

The main things you need to know about Netflix on BT TV are as follows:

  • Netflix Basic only – You will only get a basic-level Netflix subscription thrown in with your BT TV subscription. This allows you to watch on only one device, 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
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