40 Best Streaming Services in the UK

uk-tv › best streaming services • July 10, 2024 • Staff

The reign of cord-cutting in the UK has been a long time coming. After years of sky-high costs and months-long contracts, it makes sense for viewers to replace clunky cables with the leaner and cheaper experience that streaming brings. With streaming, not only are costs slashed in half, the choices are also plentiful, customizable, and catered to your specific needs. You can also renew streaming subscriptions monthly so that you're not tied down to just one provider for an entire year or more.

Streaming has become so ubiquitous that even the cable companies like Virgin Media and Sky are jumping ship and providing their own cordless streaming services. Pretty soon, there will be nary a cable in sight, so to guide you through this transition, we've compiled streaming services available right now in the UK. We've included pertinent details like price, channel lineup, and device compatibility to help you make an informed decision. Some services, like Netflix and Disney+ are on-demand services that allow you to watch programmes anytime you want, while others, like ITVX and Viaplay, are live TV services that give you access to news, sports, and entertainment channels in realtime (provided you have a TV licence, that is). Without further ado, here are the best streaming services in the UK.

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WOW Presents Plus

WOW Presents Plus is an on-demand streaming service that prides itself on its LGBTQ+ content, most of which comes in the form of vibrant reality and sketch shows. This is where you'll find the latest seasons of RuPaul's Drag Race as well as its many iterations and spin-offs.

The platform serves as a streaming arm of The World of Wonder, a production company that has been at the forefront of queer storytelling since 1991.

The shows on WOW Presents Plus can be downloaded and viewed on most streaming devices (no TV provider required). A subscription costs £4.43/month or £43.38/year.

Viaplay

Viaplay is a streaming service that specializes in two main types of content: live sports and entertainment. On the sports side, Viaplay covers a wide range of leagues. Thanks to its multi-million-pound acquisition of former rival streamer, Premier Sports, it's now the go-to place to watch UEFA EURO, La Liga, FIFA World Cup, Elite Ice Hockey League, NHL, and NASCAR matches.

On the entertainment side, Viaplay also features a host of original films and TV shows, many of them Nordic. The Stockholm-based platform is putting all its energy into Nordic noir at the moment, but it will soon branch out into different genres as well.

A Viaplay subscription also comes in two parts. You can pay £3.99/month to access their film and TV series content or £14.99/month to access all this plus their sports coverage. Viaplay is available as a standalone streaming service as well as an add-on channel to Sky, Virgin Media, and Amazon Prime Video Channels.

TalkTalk TV

TalkTalk TV is a streaming service that gives you access to live TV as well as on-demand players like Netflix and Now. While TalkTalk TV doesn't actually offer those on-demand players for free, it does give you the option to bundle your existing on-demand subscriptions with a broadband plan so that you end up paying just one bill for everything at the end of the month. Aside from this, you can easily navigate on-demand players like Amazon Prime Video and BBC iPlayer on TalkTalk TV.

Now, the catch is that you'll need an aerial reception to access TalkTalk TV's 70+ live TV channels. But even without one, TalkTalk TV remains functional and, if you sign up for it, Now Sports broadcasts 11 Sky Sports channels live.

Because you can pick and choose which services to include each month, costs vary for a TalkTalk TV subscription. But prices start at £5/month (excluding broadband) and pick up depending on what you add on.

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Stream from Virgin Media

Exclusive to Virgin broadband customers, Stream from Virgin Media is a seamless way to watch on-demand streaming apps and live Freeview channels all in one place. You won't need a satellite or aerial for this, but you will have to install a puck-like device on your TV's HDMI port, which requires a £35 one-time activation fee. Apart from your broadband and streaming services bills, you won't be charged for any ongoing costs after that fee.

What's interesting about Stream is that it makes it easier to pick and choose which apps you want on your homepage, so you're sure to only see and pay for the content that you like. Additionally, you get 10% credit back on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and other streaming subscriptions you add through Stream.

And when it comes to content, you have your pick among major broadcast channels and on-demand streaming services. You can also add premium channels like Sky Cinema, Sky Sports, BT Sport, and the Essential Entertainment Package for an extra fee, cancellable each month.

Sky Stream

Sky Stream is an all-around streaming service that gives you access to over 120 live channels over Freeview TV and Sky TV, as well as on-demand apps like Netflix and Disney+. It comes in the form of a small puck you plug into your TV via HDMI, so there's no need to set up a satellite dish or an aerial. And while you will need a stable internet connection and physical TV to use Sky Stream, these devices don't necessarily have to be from Sky.

The channels include a lot of the basic news, entertainment, and sports channels you've come to expect from traditional TV; there's GB News and BBC News, Channel 4 and Channel 5, and Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2 among plenty of others. However, it should be noted that some of these, like Sky Cinema, Sky Kids, and BT Sports, cost extra.

There are two ways to purchase Sky Stream: for £29/month, you can go for a 31-day rolling plan that can be canceled at anytime, while for £26/month, you can go for an 18-month contract to save up on costs. The former has a £39.95 set-up fee while the latter has a £20 set-up fee.

Aside from all these, Sky Stream has new nifty features such as "restart," which allows you to watch a live TV show you may have missed from the very beginning, and "playlist," which operates as a sort of DVR that allows you to save and watch programmes for later.

Sky Sports

Sky Sports is a wide-ranging and accessible streaming platform that’s available to watch as an add-on to your existing subscription. It carries eight different channels, including Premier League, F1 Racing, and News, which Sky subscribers can add to their package for an extra £18/month.

It’s quite pricey for a specialized channel, so the true highlight of Sky Sports is its flexibility. You can avail of it regardless of which TV provider you’re subscribed to, and you can also choose to watch it via the official website and app. Now, for example, offers a monthly Sky Sports package you can cancel at any time for £39.99 as well as a daily pass that only costs £11.98. The latter option is ideal if you’re looking to tune into a specific event and are uninterested in the hassle of a subscription. This one-off payment also gives you mobile access to stream five channels from the platform for nine months.

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Sky Go

Not to be confused with Sky TV, Sky Go is more of a complementary streaming service than a standalone streamer. Free for Sky TV customers (although unavailable to everyone else), it gives users access to over 200 channels and titles from the Sky catalog, on the go. This lets you maximize your Sky subscription to the fullest since you can access a host of shows, news, sports, and movies outside the telly.

Sky Go will come in handy if you want more ways to watch and you’re an existing Sky subscriber, especially since it’s available for up to three devices. But it’s not ideal if you’re looking for a fully-fledged streaming service with its own content and channels.

Shudder

If Netflix, Amazon, or Disney’s vast catalog of films never really met your needs as an avid horror fan, then Shudder just might be the streaming service for you. It’s dedicated to the most thrilling, hair-raising, and frightening titles available, both from Hollywood and around the world. Although a number of popular and classic titles are missing from its catalog, you’ll be sure to find newer and fresher horror fare here, such as Let the Right One In and The Ring. Shudder has also recently invested in original content, which most notably includes Deadstream, Mad God, and Dragula Titans.

If you’re looking to test the waters before diving headfirst, Shudder offers a seven-day free trial, after which you’ll have to pay £3.99/month to continue streaming. Given its careful curation and affordable price point, Shudder is worth checking out especially if you’re a big fan of the genre.

Revry

Sometimes referred to as "Gay Netflix," Revry is a streaming service dedicated entirely to LGBTQ+ content. It has live TV channels—among them Revry Her, News, LatinX, and Brasil—and on-demand movies and TV shows. Because it is ad-supported, Revry mostly comes for free. But if you want to make the most of your subscription and unlock exclusive content, you can upgrade to premium by paying $6.99/month (or roughly £5.80 in the UK) or $59.99/year (around £49.50).

Notable titles on the platform include Drag Latina, Drag Roast, Gayborhood, and House of Pride.

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Paramount+

Paramount+ is a streaming service that brings together thousands of titles from Paramount Studios, CBS, Showtime, Nickelodeon, and MTV all in one place. You can find blockbusters like Top Gun: Maverick here, as well as beloved series like Yellowstone, Star Trek, and Yellowjackets. It even has UK-exclusive shows like The Flatshare up its sleeve.

A subscription costs £6.99/month, and it offers much of the same features you'd expect from on-demand streaming services like offline viewing, multiple user profiles, and simultaneous streams. It even has parental controls for those with young ones hoping to tune into kid shows from Nick. If you're not quite satisfied with your Netflix and Prime offerings and don't mind shelling out a few extra pounds, then Paramount+ is certainly worth considering.

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WOW Presents Plus

Viaplay

TalkTalk TV

Stream from Virgin Media

Sky Stream

Sky Sports

Sky Go

Shudder

Revry

Paramount+

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