Sky raises price, and it might be time to update the way you watch TV

Sky has quietly increased the price of its Sky Q subscription – making this satellite-powered set-top box much less affordable than its latest hardware, like Sky Stream.

Just a few days ago, signing-up to Sky Q would cost you £28 per month. This box has an 18-month minimum contract term and £20 set-up fee, bringing the total to £524.

Of course, that’s the minimum you’d have to spend, with extras like Sky Cinema, Sky Sports, and upgrades to the likes of 1080p HD and 4K Ultra HD adding to the subscription costs. But thanks to the new price rise, Sky Q boxes will now set you back £31 per month for the basic package – bringing up the minimum total cost to £578. That’s an extra £54. Ouch.

For comparison, Sky Stream starts from £26 per month and includes 1080p HD picture quality as standard (it costs an additional £9 each month for Sky Q viewers). There’s also no upfront fee, bringing the total to £468 after 18 months.

That’s a £110 saving compared with Sky Q and easily one of the best Sky deals now available to new customers.

The cost of Sky Q has increased overnight, adding an extra £54 to the telly bill of new customers. Sky Q remains the only box that requires a satellite dish. It also doesn’t run the EntertainmentOS software that fuels Sky Stream and Sky Glass

The latest set-top box from Sky doesn’t require a dish – everything is beamed over your Wi-Fi. It supports 4K, HDR, and Dolby surround sound. And unlike Sky Q, you’ll get 1080p High Definition quality as standard. Need more detail? Our Sky Stream review has everything you need to know

In our Sky Q review, we praised the set-top box for its amazing flexibility.

Unlike Sky Stream and Sky Glass, the Sky Q box has a physical hard-drive to record linear broadcasts as well as support for a dizzying number of catch-up and streaming services. Everything is blended into a seamless experience in the main menu, with AI algorithms suggesting new boxsets and blockbusters based on everything you’d enjoyed on telly so far.

But there’s no doubt that Sky Q is starting to look like an outlier in the Sky TV line-up.

With a limited amount of space, Sky Q owners need to delete old shows to free-up space or see their recordings fail

First launched back in early 2016, the set-top box has only seen minor tweaks in the seven years since its debut. It remains the only box that still requires a satellite dish affixed to the outside of your home, preventing some homeowners – those in high-rise flats without a communal dish or those whose property doesn’t have a clear line-of-sight to the satellite – from being able to subscribe.

That physical hard-drive can fail too, leaving viewers unable to access any of the series, documentaries, matches, or movies saved-up to watch later. And with a limited amount of space, Sky Q owners need to delete old shows to free-up space, or see their recordings fail.

In comparison, Sky Stream owners never need to worry about running out of hard-drive space or failed recordings due to bad weather. Since everything is stored in the cloud, you’ll never need to delete 5 seasons of that TV show you thought you’d get around to watching by now to make room for the latest edition of Have I Got News For You or Match Of The Day.

They’ll also enjoy HD picture quality as standard, something that costs an extra £108 each year on Sky Q.

Sky Stream is powered by the custom-designed EntertainmentOS software designed by the teams at Sky. This operating system is also found on Sky Glass. It’s something we praised in our Sky Stream review.

New features are rolled-out to Stream and Glass owners all of the time. That’s because Sky created its new operating system from the ground-up to be a platform for developers, whether that’s Augmented Reality experiences on Sky Live, streaming apps, or video call applications like Zoom. As more Glass TVs and Sky Stream boxes are sold, the install base grows, so more and more attention inside Sky will focus on EntertainmentOS over the operating system that powers Sky Q.

We’ve already seen this transition begin to take place. While Sky Stream and Sky Glass owners found a brand-new app for ITVX on the day that ITV launched its new streaming service, Sky Q owners had to wait months before the new app dropped in a software update.

Some of the quirks of this ageing hardware (and software) wouldn’t be as much of an issue if Sky Q was still the most affordable option. But with the latest price rise, it’s now one of the most expensive ways to watch Sky TV.

If you’re looking for a hassle-free way to watch live Sky TV channels, exclusive boxsets, streaming services, sports and movies – Sky Stream does not disappoint. This diddy device offers access to 150 paid-for channels you won’t find on Freeview, as well as the most popular terrestrial channels. Everything is beamed to your television in High Definition as standard – something Sky Q customers still need to pay extra for – without a satellite dish drilled into your walls or engineers trudging through your home.

Once ordered, Sky Stream arrives in the post with a step-by-step guide to get set-up and streaming in seconds. Trust us, even the biggest technophobe should cope with this simple DIY set-up: just plug it in, connect to your Wi-Fi, and the binge-watching begins!

Seriously, setting up Sky Stream takes less time than preparing the popcorn to enjoy with your movie once everything is up-and-running.

Once you’ve installed Sky Stream, you’ll be treated to a gorgeous new on-screen menu design that looks and makes navigating around your TV incredibly easy.

The traditional Telly Guide, with access to all live channels, is present and correct, alongside the new “Continue Watching” carousel which brings together all of your in-progress TV shows from Sky’s own catalogue of on-demand boxsets, as well as platforms like Prime Video, Netflix, BBC iPlayer, ITVX, My5, and Disney Plus.

The Sky Stream box ships with the same rebooted remote control that launched alongside Sky Glass, with the backlit keys – which glow in the dark so you can easily see what you’re doing when the lights are low for movie night.

The record-low starting price for Sky Stream makes this dish-less box one of the best Sky deals available right now (in comparison, Glass starts from £40 per month). And unlike Sky Glass, where everything is combined into an all-in-one QLED TV – Sky Stream can be paired with any television. As such, you can design your own set-up from scratch.

There’s no doubt, Sky Stream is a brilliant little device. However, there are still a few niggles with this new hardware.

First up, while the menus look slick …the chipset inside the Sky Stream can struggle with the flash graphics found throughout EntertainmentOS. Unfortunately, despite the software and hardware both being created by the internal teams at Sky, whizzing around the menus can often feel a little stuttery.

But for those who are unable to install a satellite dish (perhaps because you live in rented accommodation, or you’re in a block of flats without a communal dish), Sky Stream will finally unlock the brilliant exclusive boxsets, live sports fixtures, and blockbusters you can only watch with Sky TV.

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