What is Sky Essential TV?
Sky’s Essential TV package is a competitively priced digital TV package focusing on the most popular channels and streaming services that Sky offers.
What’s included with a Sky Essential TV plan?
A Sky Essential TV plan includes the following equipment, channels and services:
- A Sky stream box, including voice controlled remote
- Sky Atlantic, showing top UK and US shows
- Freeview channels, with the ability to pause and rewind live TV
- Netflix Standard (with ads)
- Discovery+
- Plus, add to your plan by subscribing to premium TV packages like Sky Sports and Sky Cinema

Sky TV Essential packages include a Sky Stream puck and voice controlled remote.
How much does Sky Essential cost?
Sky Essential TV is available for new customers for £15 a month (24-month contract), or £18 a month (31-day rolling contract).
What’s the difference between Essential and Ultimate TV?
Sky Ultimate TV is Sky’s most well-known TV package. As well as everything included in Sky Essential TV, subscribers get more channels including Sky Max, Sky Comedy, Sky Documentaries, Sky Crime, Sky Showcase, alibi, Comedy Central, GOLD and National Geographic.
Sky Ultimate TV costs £7 a month more at £22 a month in an 18-month contract.
What streaming services are part of Sky Essential?
The Sky Essential subscription includes access to Discovery+ (normally £3.99 a month) and Netflix standard with ads (normally £4.99 a month).
You can also access popular free streaming services through the Sky Stream box such as BBC iPlayer, an watch Sky content on demand through Sky Go.
What channels are included with Sky TV Essentials?
Sky TV Essential includes a curated selection of Sky’s most popular channels, including Sky Atlantic.
Here’s a full Sky Essential TV channel guide:
These channel details are correct at the time of writing for customers with a Sky Stream box or Sky Glass TV. Channel numbers through Sky Q boxes may be different.Â
Channel Name |
Channel Number |
Category |
Notes |
BBC One |
101 |
BBC Channels |
 |
BBC Two |
102 |
BBC Channels |
 |
ITV1/STV/UTV |
103 |
ITV Channels |
 |
Channel 4/S4C |
104 |
Channel 4 |
Channel 108 in Wales |
Channel 5 |
105 |
Channel 5 |
 |
Sky Atlantic |
108 |
Sky Channels |
Channel 109 in Wales |
Sky Arts |
114 |
Sky Channels |
Channel 115 in Wales |
BBC Three |
118 |
BBC Channels |
 |
BBC Four |
119 |
BBC Channels |
 |
ITV2 |
122 |
ITV Channels |
 |
ITV3 |
123 |
ITV Channels |
 |
ITV4 |
124 |
ITV Channels |
 |
ITVBe |
125 |
ITV Channels |
 |
E4 |
126 |
Channel 4 |
 |
More4 |
127 |
Channel 4 |
 |
5STAR |
128 |
Channel 5 |
 |
5 USA |
129 |
Channel 5 |
 |
Dave |
132 |
Entertainment |
 |
W |
133 |
Entertainment |
 |
Drama |
134 |
Entertainment |
 |
Discovery |
138 |
Entertainment |
 |
TLC |
139 |
Entertainment |
 |
Animal Planet |
140 |
Entertainment |
 |
ID |
141 |
Entertainment |
 |
Discovery Turbo |
146 |
Entertainment |
 |
Discovery History |
147 |
Entertainment |
 |
Discovery Science |
148 |
Entertainment |
 |
Quest |
149 |
Entertainment |
 |
Really |
150 |
Entertainment |
 |
Quest Red |
151 |
Entertainment |
 |
DMAX |
152 |
Entertainment |
 |
HGTV |
153 |
Entertainment |
 |
Food Network |
154 |
Entertainment |
 |
TRUE CRIME |
155 |
Entertainment |
 |
LEGEND |
156 |
Entertainment |
 |
TRUE CRIME XTRA |
157 |
Entertainment |
 |
Sky Mix |
158 |
Sky Channels |
 |
Challenge |
159 |
Entertainment |
 |
Yesterday |
161 |
Entertainment |
 |
Eden |
162 |
Entertainment |
 |
4seven |
163 |
Channel 4 |
 |
E4 Extra |
164 |
Channel 4 |
 |
5ACTION |
165 |
Channel 5 |
 |
5SELECT |
166 |
Channel 5 |
 |
GREAT! tv |
167 |
Entertainment |
 |
BLAZE |
169 |
Entertainment |
 |
PBS America |
170 |
Entertainment |
 |
Together TV |
171 |
Entertainment |
 |
RTE One |
172 |
Entertainment |
Northern Ireland only |
S4/C |
172 |
Entertainment |
Channel 104 in Wales or 175 in Northern Ireland |
BBC Scotland |
173 |
BBC Channels |
Channel 120 in Scotland or 176 in Northern Ireland |
RTE Two |
173 |
Entertainment |
Northern Ireland only |
BBC ALBA |
174 |
BBC Channels |
Channel 121 in Scotland or 177 in Northern Ireland |
CBBC |
201 |
Kids/BBC Channels |
 |
CBeebies |
202 |
Kids/BBC Channels |
 |
RTÉ Junior |
212 |
Kids |
Northern Ireland only |
POP |
213 |
Kids |
Channel 214 in Northern Ireland |
Tiny Pop |
214 |
Kids |
Channel 215 in Northern Ireland |
POP Max |
215 |
Kids |
Channel 216 in Northern Ireland |
Film4 |
312 |
Movies/Channel 4 |
 |
LEGEND XTRA |
316 |
Entertainment |
 |
GREAT! romance |
317 |
Entertainment |
 |
GREAT! movies |
318 |
Movies/Entertainment |
 |
GREAT! action |
319 |
Entertainment |
 |
Clubland TV |
345 |
Music |
 |
NOW 70s |
355 |
Music |
 |
NOW 80s |
356 |
Music |
 |
NOW 90s |
357 |
Music |
 |
NOW ROCK |
358 |
Music |
 |
Sky Sports News |
409 |
Sports/Sky Channels |
 |
Sky Sports Racing |
411 |
Sports/Sky Channels |
 |
Sky Sports Mix |
412 |
Sports/Sky Channels |
 |
Sky News UK |
501 |
News |
 |
BBC News |
502 |
News/BBC Channels |
 |
BBC Parliament |
503 |
News/BBC Channels |
 |
CNBC |
504 |
News |
 |
Bloomberg |
505 |
News |
 |
CNN International |
506 |
News |
 |
GB News |
509 |
News |
 |
Euronews |
510 |
News |
 |
NDTV World |
511 |
News |
 |
France 24 |
512 |
News |
 |
QVC |
601 |
Shopping |
 |
QVC Style |
602 |
Shopping |
 |
QVC Beauty |
603 |
Shopping |
 |
QVC Extra |
604 |
Shopping |
 |
Music India |
715 |
International |
Previously Dangal |
Aaj Tak |
716 |
News |
 |
HUM Masala |
720 |
International |
 |
HUM Europe |
721 |
International |
 |
Geo News |
722 |
News/International |
 |
Geo TV |
723 |
International |
 |
PTC Punjabi |
740 |
International |
 |
Sky News Arabia |
750 |
News/Sky Channels |
 |
BBC One London |
951 |
BBC Channels |
 |
BBC One North East & Cumbria |
952 |
BBC Channels |
 |
BBC One North West |
953 |
BBC Channels |
 |
BBC One Yorkshire |
954 |
BBC Channels |
 |
BBC One East Yorks & Lincs |
955 |
BBC Channels |
 |
BBC One West Midlands |
956 |
BBC Channels |
 |
BBC One East Midlands |
957 |
BBC Channels |
 |
BBC One East |
958 |
BBC Channels |
 |
BBC One South East |
959 |
BBC Channels |
 |
BBC One West |
960 |
BBC Channels |
 |
BBC One South |
961 |
BBC Channels |
 |
BBC One South West |
962 |
BBC Channels |
 |
BBC One Channel Islands |
963 |
BBC Channels |
 |
BBC One Scotland |
964 |
BBC Channels |
 |
BBC One Wales |
965 |
BBC Channels |
 |
BBC One Northern Ireland |
966 |
BBC Channels |
 |
BBC Two England |
967 |
BBC Channels |
 |
BBC Two Wales |
968 |
BBC Channels |
 |
BBC Two Northern Ireland |
969 |
BBC Channels |
 |
How can I order Sky Essential TV?
To get the best deals on TV, broadband, mobile and more, book a free call with one of our Connections Experts. Our team can help you build your perfect plan, whether that’s just Essential TV or a full entertainment package. Plus, we partner with Sky to offer limited-time discounts and promotions to our customers.
If you’d prefer to order direct, you can sign up through the Sky website.Â