Cheapest Way to Watch Sky Sports in the UK: Every Option

The cheapest way to watch Sky Sports depends on how much you watch. For one or two big events a month, a NOW Day Membership at £14.99 is hard to beat. For a full season of one sport, NOW’s Football or Multi-Sport Saver plans, from £19.99 a month at the time of writing, are usually cheapest. If you also want a full TV package, Sky Stream or a Virgin Media bundle can make more sense.

Below we compare every legal route with real numbers, then match them to the type of fan you are.

Every legal way to get Sky Sports, compared

Prices are from NOW’s UK help centre, Sky’s shop and a June 2026 comparison of Virgin Media packages. They change often, so treat them as a guide.

Option 1: NOW Day Memberships

If you only care about a handful of fixtures, such as a title decider or a Grand Prix, pay for the day. At £14.99 a time, two Day Memberships a month cost £29.98, which is still less than All Sky Sports on Flexible.

Buy it shortly before kick-off, because the 24 hours start the moment you pay.

Option 2: NOW Football or Multi-Sport

NOW now splits Sky Sports into two cheaper bundles:

• Football: Sky Sports Premier League, Football, Racing, Mix and News, plus football streams on Sky Sports+. £30.99 a month Flexible or £23.99 Saver.
• Multi-Sport: Sky Sports F1, Cricket, Golf, Tennis, Action, Racing, Mix and News. £26.99 a month Flexible or £19.99 Saver.

If you follow one type of sport, this is the biggest saving available. Saver plans need a minimum term and are only for customers billed directly by NOW, not via Apple or Amazon.

Option 3: Flexible NOW and pause in the off-season

Saver plans are cheapest per month, but Flexible can work out cheaper over a year if your sport has a long break. For example, a cricket fan might only want Sky Sports from late spring to early autumn.

So pausing pays for summer sports, but for football, which runs most of the year, Saver usually wins.

Option 4: Sky Stream with Sky Sports

If you want a full TV service as well as sport, Sky Stream’s Essential TV at £15 a month plus Sky Sports at £33 a month comes to £48 a month for new customers on a 24-month term. You get every Sky Sports channel, Netflix Standard with Ads and Sky’s entertainment channels in one place.

That is more than NOW alone, but less than buying NOW All Sky Sports plus separate entertainment subscriptions for many households. Sky also sells Sky Sports F1 as a single channel for existing Sky TV customers at £20 a month on a 31-day rolling term.

Option 5: Virgin Media’s sports bundle

Virgin’s Bigger TV + Sports bundle, around £50 a month on top of broadband, includes both Sky Sports and TNT Sports. If you want both broadcasters and are already a Virgin broadband customer, this can undercut buying them separately. Our comparison of IPTV vs cable explains the wider trade-offs between traditional TV bundles and streaming.

Watching on several screens

Before choosing, think about where you watch. NOW memberships stream to supported devices in your home and on the go, but the number of simultaneous streams depends on your plan and whether you add Boost. Sky Stream customers can add Sky Go Extra or Whole Home for more screens, at extra cost.

If two people in the house want different matches at the same time, the cheapest plan on paper may not be the cheapest in practice.

What does not count as cheap

Unlicensed streams and dodgy “full Sky Sports” boxes may look cheap but are illegal in the UK and frequently targeted by rights holders and police. They also tend to fail at exactly the moment a big match starts. Stick to licensed routes; our guide to subscribing to IPTV safely explains how to tell the difference.

For general international TV alongside your sport, our own IPTV Journal plan is $89 for 12 months (billed in US dollars). It is not a substitute for checking that a service has the rights to Sky Sports content, so make sure any provider you choose is properly licensed.

Which is cheapest for you?

1. Watch a few events a month: NOW Day Memberships.
2. Follow one sport closely: NOW Football or Multi-Sport Saver.
3. Follow a seasonal sport: NOW Flexible, cancelled in the off-season.
4. Want sport plus full TV: Sky Stream with Sky Sports.
5. Want Sky Sports and TNT Sports together on Virgin broadband: Virgin Bigger TV + Sports.

FAQ

What is the cheapest way to watch Sky Sports without Sky?

NOW is the main option. The Multi-Sport Saver plan at £19.99 a month is the cheapest monthly route at the time of writing, and the £14.99 Day Membership is cheapest for occasional viewing.

Can I get Sky Sports for free?

Not legally, apart from free highlights and occasional free-to-air broadcasts. Sky publishes highlights on its own platforms, but live matches require a paid subscription.

Is NOW cheaper than Sky for Sky Sports?

For sport alone, yes. NOW’s Football Saver plan is £23.99 a month, while Sky Sports on Sky Stream is £33 a month on top of a TV package. If you want full TV too, the gap narrows.

Does any bundle include Sky Sports and TNT Sports together?

Virgin Media’s Bigger TV + Sports bundle includes both. On Sky, you can add Sky Sports and TNT Sports as separate extras.

Can I watch Sky Sports on a phone or tablet?

Yes. NOW and Sky Go apps both work on mobile devices, subject to device limits and the terms of your membership or package.

Part of our guides: UK streaming guide