Sky raised their sports subscription prices for the
third time since 2024. If you received the email,
you are not alone — and you are asking the right question.
Here is every genuine alternative,
what each one costs, and whether it actually works
for Premier League, Champions League, UFC and Formula 1.
What Sky Sports Costs in 2026
Sky Sports standalone (without a Sky broadband deal): £43/month
With a full Sky Entertainment + Sports bundle: £65-85/month depending on deal.
For Sky Sports as a streaming add-on via Sky Glass or NOW TV: £34.99/month for the NOW Sports Month Pass.
Over a year, standalone Sky Sports costs £516.
A Sky bundle costs £780-1,020.
What You Get For That Price
All Sky Sports channels: Premier League, Main Event,
Football, F1, Cricket, Golf, Arena, News, Mix.
Notable omissions at standard price:
- Champions League and Europa League: requires TNT Sports (£30.99/month extra)
- NFL Game Pass: separate subscription
- UFC events: occasional PPV charges apply
To watch Premier League AND Champions League on Sky,
you need Sky Sports (£43) AND TNT Sports (£31) = £74/month.
The Alternatives — Honest Assessment
Option 1: NOW TV Sports Pass
Cost: £34.99/month (Sports Month Pass)
What you get: All Sky Sports channels
What you don't get: TNT Sports, Champions League, no contract flexibility at this price
Verdict: £8 cheaper than standalone Sky Sports.
Still does not include Champions League.
Still no contract lock-in, which is a genuine advantage
over traditional Sky. Best for: casual viewers
who watch Sky Sports occasionally.
Option 2: TNT Sports via Discovery+
Cost: £30.99/month
What you get: TNT Sports 1-4, Champions League,
Europa League, Premier League (selected fixtures),
boxsets via discovery+
What you don't get: All Premier League matches
(Sky holds most), F1, cricket, golf
Verdict: If Champions League is your priority
and you can live without Sky Sports, this is worth
considering. Best for: Champions League-focused viewers.
Option 3: Smart Live TV (IPTV)
Cost: From £12/month
What you get: All Sky Sports channels, all TNT Sports
channels, beIN Sports 1-7, Premier Sports, Eurosport,
Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime, 230,000+ total channels
What you don't get: A traditional contact or bill
Verdict: Lowest cost, highest content volume.
Requires a stable internet connection (10+ Mbps for HD,
25+ Mbps for 4K). Free 24-hour trial available.
The Cost Comparison
| Service | Monthly | Annual | Includes UCL? | Includes Netflix? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sky Sports | £43 | £516 | No | No |
| Sky + TNT Sports | £74 | £888 | Yes | No |
| Sky + TNT + Netflix | £92 | £1,104 | Yes | Yes |
| NOW Sports | £35 | £420 | No | No |
| TNT Sports only | £31 | £372 | Yes | No |
| Smart Live TV | £12 | £144 | Yes | Yes |
Does IPTV Actually Work for Live Sport?
The honest answer: yes, with caveats.
What works reliably:
Live Premier League matches, Champions League,
Europa League, World Cup, Formula 1,
UFC events — all stream reliably on a
stable broadband connection.
What requires care:
Peak simultaneous viewership moments
(England World Cup matches, UCL finals)
put higher load on servers. A wired Ethernet
connection eliminates virtually all buffering
at these moments.
What you need:
A broadband connection of at least 10 Mbps for HD
or 25 Mbps for 4K. UK average is 79 Mbps
(Ofcom 2025), which is well above both thresholds.
How to Test Without Cancelling Anything
This is the most important advice in this article:
Do not cancel Sky Sports until you have tested an alternative.
Smart Live TV offers a 24-hour free trial with no
credit card required. Test it on a live Premier League
or Champions League match.
If it works on your connection and device, cancel Sky.
If it does not, you have lost nothing.
Start your free 24-hour trial →
Your Sky Sports subscription can be cancelled
at any time after the minimum contract period.
Check your contract end date before cancelling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Sky Sports keep raising prices?
Sky's rights fees for Premier League broadcasts
increased significantly in the 2025-2028 cycle.
Sky paid approximately £4.5 billion for UK Premier
League rights — costs passed directly to subscribers.
Will the Premier League ever be on a cheaper service?
The current Premier League rights deal runs to 2028.
Sky Sports and TNT Sports hold the UK broadcast rights
until then. Legitimate alternatives that include
all Premier League coverage are limited to IPTV services
and illegal streams. Only the former is legal.
Is it legal to cancel Sky Sports and use IPTV?
Yes. Using a licensed IPTV service in the UK is legal.
See our complete guide to IPTV legality in the UK.
Can I keep my broadband if I cancel Sky Sports?
Yes. Sky Sports and Sky Broadband are separate products.
Cancelling Sky Sports does not affect your broadband
contract. Check your specific contract terms as some
bundle deals tie the two together.
What is the cheapest way to watch all Premier League matches in 2026?
The cheapest legal option covering all 380 Premier League
matches is Smart Live TV at £12/month,
which includes both Sky Sports and TNT Sports channels.