Digital TV Guides

Sky Anytime+

Updated: Tuesday 3 April, 2012

By Helen Thomas - helen.thomas@consumerchoices.co.uk

Want to watch your favourite programmes whenever you want? Break free from the TV schedule with Sky Anytime+, an on-demand service available to Sky broadband subscribers.

If you’re a Sky TV (www.sky.com) and broadband subscriber you can watch films, sports and top entertainment shows whenever you want with Sky Anytime+.

The Anytime+ service offers over 1,000 hours of the week’s best telly and on-demand movies. Find out more below in our guide to Sky Anytime+.

What is Sky Anytime+?

The Sky Anytime+ service is a step up from the original Sky Anytime on-demand service which gives customers on-demand TV via their satellite dish with a choice of up to 200 hours of programmes a week, Anytime+ is delivered through your broadband connection.

Sky Anytime+ is available at no extra cost, however it is only offered to Sky broadband customers with a Sky+HD box.

The old Sky Anytime service is still available to both Sky+ and Sky+HD customers.

What can I watch on Anytime+?

Sky Anytime+ shows over 1,000 hours of free content from the Sky Movies channels and Sky1, as well as hundreds of documentaries, kids favourites and a huge range of programmes from the entertainment channels.

Hundreds of films are also available on-demand, in both standard and high-definition (HD), as well as complete runs of popular series from HBO.

What you’ll be able to watch will depend on your Sky TV subscription however, so if you don’t subscribe to the Sky Movies 1 & 2 channels you will not be able to watch the on-demand movies, for example.

How does Anytime+ work?

The programmes on the Anytime+ service work on a “progressive download” basis. This means that they download in the background while you are watching them. You’ll be able to pause, rewind and fast-forward all the movies and programmes using your Sky+ remote.

Most users will be able to watch their favourite programmes in less than a minute from when they start downloading them, though this will depend on your broadband speed. Downloading a 90min standard definition film will take less than a minute if your broadband speed is faster than 2Mb, though will take around 90 minutes if you have a speed less than 1Mb.

Using Sky Anytime+ will also eat into your broadband download allowance, so it’s essential you are aware of your limit. Sky offers two broadband packages; one for people that use the internet a lot and another for those that hardly use it at all.

Sky Everyday Lite comes with a low 2GB download allowance and isn’t really suitable for use with the Anytime+ service. Sky advises that Sky Broadband Unlimited is the best deal for customers who want to download a lot of television content using Sky Anytime+.

As a rough guide, a 90min standard definition film will use around 900MB of your download allowance - or nearly half the monthly limit on the Everyday Lite package.

Sky packages and bundles

Sky offers a broad range of digital TV packages with broadband and home phone options. Compare popular Sky packages below:

Sky TV only		Sky TV + Broadband + Calls
More info	More info	More info	More info
from £12.50 a month + Sky+ box + £25 M&S voucher	from £17.62 a month + Sky+ box + £25 M&S voucher	from £12.50 a month + Sky+ Box + £25 M&S voucher	from £20 a month + Sky+ Box + £25 M&S voucher
Online exclusive 1/2 price TV for 6 months Sky TV - Sky Entertainment extra pack	Online exclusive 1/2 price TV for 6 months Sky TV - Sky Entertainment extra pack 1/2 price Sky HD pack for 6 months	Online exclusive 1/2 price TV for 6 months Sky TV - Sky Entertainment extra pack Up to 14Mb speed 2GB monthly usage Inclusive UK evening and weekend calls	Online exclusive 1/2 price TV for 6 months Sky Entertainment extra pack Up to 14Mb speed Unlimited downloads Inclusive UK evening and weekend calls
More info	More info	More info	More info
Visit Sky.com or call 0844 241 1407	Visit Sky.com or call 0844 241 1407	Visit Sky.com or call 0844 241 1407	Visit Sky.com or call 0844 241 1407

You can call Sky on 0844 241 0582 to join, or call 0844 241 4141 if you are an existing customer looking to upgrade to Sky Anytime+.

Other on-demand services

Sky’s video-on-demand TV service competes with both the Virgin Media and BT Vision on-demand platforms.

Other free-to-view services, such as FetchTV are also available, and offer a library of on-demand content from major UK broadcasters, such as the BBC and Channel 4.

If you’re interested in watching TV on-demand, compare digital TV packages using the Digitalchoices.co.uk price comparison tool and find out more about installation costs and package prices.