Digital TV Guides

Sky Sports

By Becca Talbot - becca@consumerchoices.co.uk

Updated: Thursday 8 December, 2011

Whether you’re a footie fan, a rugby aficionado or tennis pro, Sky Sports has all your TV sporting needs covered. But with Sky Sports now available from Sky, BT and Virgin Media, who has the cheapest deal?

Top of the league for original sports broadcasting, Sky Sports should be your first choice when it comes to coverage of your favourite sports.

There are five dedicated Sky Sports channels, showing a range of different sports. The channels, which are available in both standard and high-definition (HD), can be watched on Sky (www.sky.co.uk), BT Vision (www.btvision.bt.com) and Virgin Media (www.virginmedia.com) TV services, but will cost extra on top of your standard monthly subscription.

Make sure you’re on the cheapest Sky Sports package available and then enjoy Manchester United taking the UEFA Champions League crown, watch Saracens and London Irish battle it out in Aviva Premiership Rugby, and see Ian Poulter competing in the World Golf Championships.

Sky Sports channels

First launched as a single sports channel in 1990, Sky Sports now has five dedicated channels, giving you exclusive live coverage of the Barclays Premier League, the UEFA Champions League, the Heineken Cup, the Masters and lots more.

The five Sky Sports channels are available in standard and HD. The sports coverage on each channel includes:

• Sky Sports 1 - Home to 115 live Premier League matches, Sky Sports 1 also shows fixtures from the UEFA Champions League and Carling Cup, England’s international rugby games, and cricket coverage of the Ashes Tour down under
• Sky Sports 2 - If you’re looking for Tri-Nations rugby, Sky Sports 2 has unrivalled coverage. The channel also shows select Premier League football matches, test match cricket and boxing, as well as Heineken Cup rugby matches
• Sky Sports 3 - Golf fans should watch Sky Sports 3 for coverage of the US Open, the US Women’s Open, the John Deere Classic and the PGA Championship. The channel also features ICC Cricket World Cup coverage
• Sky Sports 4 - Watch top tennis tournaments like the Davis Cup, as well as NFL coverage and all the action from Speedway.

And for fans that have missed their favourite team’s latest game, Sky Sports News offers 24/7 live sports news, with score updates, a round-up of the different league positions, as well as interviews with the coaches, managers and players.

Sky Sports channels in HD

If your living room is kitted out with a HD ready TV, why not watch your favourite players and teams in action in super sharp high-definition? HD TV gives you up to five times brighter and clearer images, and sharper sound with Dolby surround sound.

All five of the Sky Sports channels are available in high-definition, from Sky and Virgin Media, though this will cost you extra. BT Vision however does not offer the channels in HD.

What’s the cheapest way to watch Sky Sports?

Whether it’s a north London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham, or a heavyweight battle between David Haye and Audley Harrison, Sky Sports has coverage of it all. To get the Sky Sports channels though, you’ll need a subscription to a TV package from either Sky, Virgin Media or BT Vision. The prices of the packages vary however, so you must compare what’s available to get the cheapest deal for you.

Sky (www.sky.co.uk) customers will be able to get all of the standard definition Sky Sports channels for just £20.00 a month, on top of your basic Sky subscription. Choose from either the Sky Entertainment or Sky Extra then add Sky Sports on top.

If you want to watch the channels in high-definition, you will also have to subscribe to the Sky HD pack, which costs an additional £10.25 a month.

Virgin Media (www.virginmedia.com) subscribers can also get the Sky Sports channels with a cable TV package. Taking just one channel (either Sky Sports 1 or Sky Sports 2), costs £14.50 extra a month, or taking the Sky Sports Collection, which includes all four channels, will cost £22.50 extra a month.

Unfortunately Virgin Media only offers Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 2 in high-definition, however if you want to get these channels in HD, it’ll cost you an additional £7 a month (per set-top box).

BT Vision (www.btvision.bt.com) homes also get access to the Sky Sports 1 and 2 channels, from only £12.90 a month for Sky Sports 1 or Sky Sports 2, or £18.20 a month for both. These are not available in high-definition.

To find the best package for you, you should compare prices using the Digitalchoices.co.uk postcode checker - it’ll help you find the cheapest digital TV services available at your address.