topic Re: Is it time to ditch the Sky Entertainment/ Ultimate TV requirement packs? in What's On

I am happy to get Sky but I only want to pay for the Sports channels inc Sky Sports News

Cuff — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 09:02:20 GMT

I have recently left Sky, due to the fact I dont watch much TV other than Sport and Sky Sports News.

So I asked to pay just for that, of course Sir I was told.. that will be £22

Perfect, so your total bill will be £50 a month for the basic package and Sports added to it

I dont want the basic package I want football and Darts only, I dont watch TV since the world when woke.. Just want footy and other sports and sports news.

But... I cant have that. I dont mind payiong £22 a month for the Premier League I am not paying £50 a month for all the other [Removed] you are giving me. Most of the decent channels are free.

Moderator notes: removed foul langauge

Re: I am happy to get Sky but I only want to pay for the Sports channels inc Sky Sports News

Mark39 — Tue, 10 Jun 2025 14:47:48 GMT

@Cuff wrote:

But... I cant have that. I dont mind payiong £22 a month for the Premier League I am not paying £50 a month for all the other **bleep** you are giving me. Most of the decent channels are free.

That's right. Any Sky subscription requires the basic package. You could take a look at Sky's sister company Now TV.

Re: I am happy to get Sky but I only want to pay for the Sports channels inc Sky Sports News

Marlu-Nyu — Tue, 10 Jun 2025 21:51:30 GMT

@Cuff wrote:
I have recently left Sky, due to the fact I dont watch much TV other than Sport and Sky Sports News.

So I asked to pay just for that, of course Sir I was told.. that will be £22

Perfect, so your total bill will be £50 a month for the basic package and Sports added to it

I dont want the basic package I want football and Darts only, I dont watch TV since the world when woke.. Just want footy and other sports and sports news.

But... I cant have that. I dont mind payiong £22 a month for the Premier League I am not paying £50 a month for all the other **bleep** you are giving me. Most of the decent channels are free.

Totally get where you're coming from — it's frustrating when you're willing to pay for exactly what you want, only to be told you need to fork out for extras you don't use or value. Sadly, Sky bundles are still very much based on the old model — you can't get Sky Sports standalone without the base pack, which bumps the cost up unnecessarily for people like yourself who just want the footy and maybe Sky Sports News.

You might want to look into streaming alternatives like the NOW Sports Membership, which gives you all 11 Sky Sports channels without needing a base package. It's still not perfect — £34.99/month in the UK or €33.99/month in Ireland — but it's more flexible and can be paused or cancelled monthly. Not ideal, but better than paying for a load of stuff you don't watch.

Would be great if they offered proper à la carte options, especially when so much content is either free or available via cheaper platforms these days.

Is it time to ditch the Sky Entertainment/ Ultimate TV requirement packs?

Marlu-Nyu — Tue, 10 Jun 2025 21:55:28 GMT

Isn't it time Sky rethinks the requirement to have an Entertainment or Ultimate TV pack just to access certain content like Sky Sports or Cinema? With so many people only watching specific genres - sport, movies, kids, whatever - it feels outdated to force a base pack onto everyone, especially when much of that "base" content is either free-to-air or unused.

Wouldn't it make more sense to offer true standalone packages? Want Sky Sports only? Pay for that. Just want Sky Cinema? Subscribe to that and nothing else. A proper à la carte model.

With the likes of NOW already doing this (albeit at a slightly higher cost), and with streaming becoming more tailored and flexible, is the traditional bundle model starting to look a bit 2005?

Curious what others think - would you stay with Sky or come back if standalone options were introduced?

Re: I am happy to get Sky but I only want to pay for the Sports channels inc Sky Sports News

Cuff — Tue, 10 Jun 2025 22:18:39 GMT

I don't want to stream if. I want you to watch it on my tv.

I've only watch YouTube which I pay for so no adverts

Shame as I've had Sky since the late 89s when my mum got it. Then when I moved out and bought my own house o got it I even paid 200 to buy. Sky plus box back in the day before you gave them for free. Yet I havd left you as you can't give me what I want

if I wanted to stream football I'd do what friends do. Ie illegally stream if. But I don't mind paying fir if. I want to pay for it. I just don't want to pay for stuff I don't watch ie Sky Atlantic sky one etc

Re: Is it time to ditch the Sky Entertainment/ Ultimate TV requirement packs?

MarkGoldsmith — Tue, 10 Jun 2025 22:46:23 GMT

I'd imagine if the base package didn't exist to help subsidise the cost of the add-on packages like sports and cinema those packages would be substantially more expensive than they are now.

Re: Is it time to ditch the Sky Entertainment/ Ultimate TV requirement packs?

Cuff — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 08:35:14 GMT

I disagree I think most people are like me, I think people join sky for the football and have to pay for Sky one etc they dont want that. If I am doing it online I might as well just join a channel from America or the like and then Ill be able to watch all games for cheaper

Re: Is it time to ditch the Sky Entertainment/ Ultimate TV requirement packs?

TimmyBGood — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 17:48:49 GMT

@Cuff

Probably best not to announce such intentions in a forum owned by the product rights holder....

Re: I am happy to get Sky but I only want to pay for the Sports channels inc Sky Sports News

Cuff — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 17:57:54 GMT

I'm trying to help them

if I can have just the sports package and news channels. (Sky sports news) I'd snap their hand off

ill go to the pub or my mates to watch the really big games

shame

but thanks

Re: I am happy to get Sky but I only want to pay for the Sports channels inc Sky Sports News

TimmyBGood — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 18:01:54 GMT

@Cuff wrote:

if I can have just the sports package and news channels. (Sky sports news) I'd snap their hand off

Unfortunately that's never been an option on Sky-branded services in the 36 years they've been running. It is available through NowTV (also a Sky company) but with the reduced functionality of that platform.

Re: I am happy to get Sky but I only want to pay for the Sports channels inc Sky Sports News

Noz2k — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 08:12:19 GMT

Completely understand this take. I'd 100% only get Sky Sports if that was an option.

Have never used Now TV, anyone know if you can watch content delayed or not live, like you would be able to on Sky if you recorded a game?

Re: I am happy to get Sky but I only want to pay for the Sports channels inc Sky Sports News

BenJoBanjo — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 08:37:06 GMT

@Noz2k wrote:
Completely understand this take. I'd 100% only get Sky Sports if that was an option.

Have never used Now TV, anyone know if you can watch content delayed or not live, like you would be able to on Sky if you recorded a game?

All NOW live channels have a restart feature so you can skip back to the start of the live streamed programmed whilst it's still going on.

With sports you may not get the whole match available on demand later though. There is no 'cloud recording' which you get on Sky Stream.

Re: Is it time to ditch the Sky Entertainment/ Ultimate TV requirement packs?

Cuff — Fri, 13 Jun 2025 04:40:19 GMT

Yes I'd come back if I could pay for channels I want only

I like the box the set up the ease of use

sy the moment I don't even have freebies I just watch YouTube which I pay for so no adverts and I can download and watch offline

Re: I am happy to get Sky but I only want to pay for the Sports channels inc Sky Sports News

kingkenny12 — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 15:32:31 GMT

Ok so I don't know if this helps I was contacted by sky 4wks ago I left sky over a year ago. The gentleman said to me would I be interested in a offer to come back ? I said ok but I doubt I will take any offer you offer me. He asked me what I watch I said sports premier League and the championship. Ok he said what about sky sports premier league Sky sports football and Sky sports News for £28 a month on a rolling contract I said what's the catch ? He replied no catch by the time you get home your channels will be on. I again stipulated I do NOT want any other channels on any other pack. He said fine you will just receive the 3 sports channels and you can cancel anytime. So to be clear I receive sky Freesat channels and three sky sports channels and no other sky pay channels also I can add further sports channels if I want. But I have all I want. Also I have a Sky +hd box. I have no idea why I got this offer but it suits my needs as all I look at on sky is the football.

Re: I am happy to get Sky but I only want to pay for the Sports channels inc Sky Sports News

SKY1992bf — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 15:41:09 GMT

@kingkenny12 wrote:
Ok so I don't know if this helps I was contacted by sky 4wks ago I left sky over a year ago. The gentleman said to me would I be interested in a offer to come back ? I said ok but I doubt I will take any offer you offer me. He asked me what I watch I said sports premier League and the championship. Ok he said what about sky sports premier league Sky sports football and Sky sports News for £28 a month on a rolling contract I said what's the catch ? He replied no catch by the time you get home your channels will be on. I again stipulated I do NOT want any other channels on any other pack. He said fine you will just receive the 3 sports channels and you can cancel anytime. So to be clear I receive sky Freesat channels and three sky sports channels and no other sky pay channels also I can add further sports channels if I want. But I have all I want. Also I have a Sky +hd box. I have no idea why I got this offer but it suits my needs as all I look at on sky is the football.

A note of caution of the above as of 4th June you can no longer get anything less than the complete sky sports package, the only exception being sky sports f1

Re: I am happy to get Sky but I only want to pay for the Sports channels inc Sky Sports News

kingkenny12 — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 16:09:04 GMT

That's fair enough I just thought I would mention the offer I got and to be clear i was in contact with sky yesterday to go through my package details and they confirmed that I am on that pack until I decide otherwise. If as you say the pack that I am on now is no longer available that's the way things go with sky. Some times you get lucky in my case I have exactly what I want. And on a rolling contract at a price that I can manage.

Re: I am happy to get Sky but I only want to pay for the Sports channels inc Sky Sports News

Martin+Aitken — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 07:06:41 GMT

How do you go about getting the F1 channel only? When I was abroad I could pay about £10pcm for F1TV but I can only get the highlights in the UK as Sky have exclusive rights.

Like the OP I don't want the rest of Sky, just F1 but I'd have to get the full sports pack at£30+ whatever base package.

Re: I am happy to get Sky but I only want to pay for the Sports channels inc Sky Sports News

MarkGoldsmith — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 07:32:47 GMT

@Martin+Aitken wrote:
How do you go about getting the F1 channel only? When I was abroad I could pay about £10pcm for F1TV but I can only get the highlights in the UK as Sky have exclusive rights.
Like the OP I don't want the rest of Sky, just F1 but I'd have to get the full sports pack at£30+ whatever base package.

NOW TV would be the way to get the F1 without requiring a base Sky packages.

Re: I am happy to get Sky but I only want to pay for the Sports channels inc Sky Sports News

Martin+Aitken — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 07:42:12 GMT

Yeah but that's still the full sports package at £35pm or £15 per DAY pass. Pull it's £6pm for HD!

As I said the F1TV Pro sub is £10 so I wouldn't mind paying ~£15pm for that on NOW but not £15 per day!!

I guess I just stick to the highlights untill Sky realise the streaming game has changed.