Starting from today Sky Sports customers can expect their channel packages to have a new look. Let’s take a look at the details of the refresh and what you can expect…
If you’re a Sky Sports customer, your TV provider should have already contacted you in the last few weeks about their exciting upcoming relaunch which comes into full effect today.
The crux of it is this; Sky Sports want to make it easier for you to connect with the particular sports that you know and love, so they’ve moved their channels around to create clear channel positioning. What does that mean? Well, quite simply, it will now be super easy to find the sporting event you want to watch because channels will be categorised by sport type.
Sky Sports 1-5 are being split into 8 new channels which are Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Sports Football, Sky Sports Cricket, Sky Sports Golf, Sky Sports Action and Sky Sports Arena. Additionally, you'll still have Sky Sports News and Sky Sports Mix.
Whoa! That’s a lot to take in, let’s take a look at each new channel's offerings in a bit more detail:
Sky Sports Main Event
As its name suggests, this channel will showcase a selection of the biggest live sports events from across all of the Sky Sports channels. When there is no live content, it will broadcast Sky Sports News.
Sky Sports Premier League
Welcome to the new home of the Premier League. From the moment the competition kicks off in August, you'll be able to watch 126 live games on this channel, meaning that Sky Sports will offer more of the biggest matches than any other provider.
Sky Sports Football
Home to the English Football League, Sky Bet Championship, Sky Bet League One, Sky Bet League Two, EFL Cup and Trophy games, SPFL games, La Liga, UEFA Nations League and more.
Sky Sports Cricket
Watch every home England Test, ICC World tournaments plus England’s tours to India, South Africa, West Indies and New Zealand and NatWest T20 Blast.
Sky Sports Golf
Settle down for live stroke-by-stroke coverage of the biggest majors including The Masters, The Open and The U.S. Open, The Ryder Cup. If you’re a true golf fan, you can catch a number of European and PGA Tour Events all year round and the best of women’s golf in the Solheim Cup.
Sky Sports F1
Every Formula 1 practice, qualifying hour and race live. Exclusive coverage of the FIA Formula 2 Championship, GP3, Porsche Supercup and Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Sky Sports Action and Sky Sports Arena
If you’re looking for a selection of the best variety sports, this is your stop. Watch live Rugby Union, including the European Rugby Champions Cup, Autumn Internationals and Rugby Championship games and there’s live Rugby League from the Super League. Plus, with action from the worlds of ATP tennis, boxing, NFL, darts and WWE, you get a great all-round sports package.
Sky Sports News
Well known as the home of breaking sports news, 24 hours a day.
Sky Sports Mix
A cousin of Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Mix offers viewers a nice mix of everything from across all Sky Sports channels.
Expect regular live football including La Liga, MLS and international qualifiers as well as a select number of Premier League and EFL matches, live golf from Europe and the US, international cricket and much more.
Sounds good, but is it going to cost me extra?
The good news is you will not be charged extra for your Sky Sports pack as a result of these changes and you don’t need to do anything if you are already a Sky Sports customer.
The new line-up is designed to grow Sky’s customer base by offering flexibility to subscribe to individual channel packages at a new price. However, customers will not be able to pick and choose what channels they want just yet. That option may be rolled out to the Irish market at a later date.
Will the Sky Sports app change?
Yes, the new refresh will also extend to the Sky Sports app. Watch video highlights, in-game clips and half-time highlights as well as exclusive content just for Sky Sports customers.
Anything else I need to know?
If you’re a GAA fan wondering where GAA fits into this new mix, rest assured; GAA matches will be shown on Sky Sports Action and Sky Sports Arena.
I don’t have Sky Sports, how can I get it?
If you don’t already have Sky Sports but like the sound of everything above, there are several ways to get it. Sky Sports comes as an add-on to TV packages and generally costs an extra €40 on your monthly TV bill. Luckily, most providers are offering sign-up incentives.
If you go with Sky themselves, the provider is offering the package for €20 a month for the first 6 months, rising to €40 thereafter.
If you’re with Vodafone the same offer applies; €20 a month for the first 6 months rising to €40 thereafter.
Virgin Media is offering 20% off Sky Sports for the first year, meaning a bill of €384 for the first 12 months.
Finally, with eir the package costs a flat €40 extra on top of your TV package.
There is one other option; if you aren’t signed up to any TV package currently, and you are looking for Sky Sports alone, NOW TV could be the perfect option for you.
The on-demand streaming service offers three payment options for sports fans. You can purchase a day, week or monthly pass which is very handy for those not wishing to be locked into a contract. The day pass costs €10, the week €15, and a full month’s access to the full Sky Sports package costs €50.
Compare and switch now
Before you run off to sign up, remember to run a full comparison to make sure that you are getting the very best deal for your money!
