Digital TV Guides

Sky Go

Updated: Tuesday 3 April, 2012

By Kelvin Goodson - kelvin@consumerchoices.co.uk

You’re a Sky customer, but you’re never at home to watch all those channels you pay for because you’re always on the move. Get Sky Go...

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You’re a Sky (www.sky.co.uk) customer. You’re offered up to 160 digital TV channels and have more than 230 free-to-air channels to get stuck into. Perhaps you’ve signed up to Sky Movies and Sky Sports. Essentially, you have a whole universe of drama, documentaries, film premieres, kids TV, live sports, news and music sitting in the corner of your living room.

However, you’re a busy Sky customer. You’ve got to work, commute, exercise, do the shopping, spend time with your other half, ring your mum, go out to dinner, meet that old mate for a drink, get that damn tap fixed. Essentially, you’re not at home to explore that universe in the corner of your living room as often as you’d like.

Luckily for you, this is the digital age, an age which thumbs its nose at access to TV being limited to a certain time and place. First there was the digital video recorder, then on-demand and internet TV and now there is mobile TV. Or, as Sky is calling it, Sky Go.

• What is Sky Go?
• What devices can I use Sky Go with?
• What can I watch with Sky Go?
• I’m not a Sky customer - can I still go on Sky Go?
• How else can I watch TV on the go?

What is Sky Go?

Launched in July, Sky Go is a service that allows Sky customers to watch the channels they subscribe to via their PC/laptop, mobile phone or tablet computer wherever they are in the UK and Ireland, whenever they want, for free.

The service provides access to up to 39 live channels, selected on-demand TV and movies, depending on what channels you subscribe to and what device you’re using to watch Sky Go.

If all this sounds familiar, it’s because Sky Go is a marriage of convenience between two existing services - Sky Mobile TV, Sky’s mobile TV service, and Sky Player, the company’s online TV service.

What devices can I use with Sky Go?

Sky Go can be accessed by the subscription-free TV service FetchTV, laptops and PCs, Macs and Xbox consoles as well as Apple’s iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch using the Sky Go app that is now available on the App Store for free. A free app can also be downloaded from the Android Market for certain a number of HTC and Samsung smartphones that use Google’s Android operating system. At present, these are:

• HTC Desire
• HTC Desire S
• HTC Incredible S
• HTC Sensation
• Samsung Galaxy S
• Samsung Galaxy S2

Using Sky Go will require either a 2Mb broadband connection or a reliable 3G mobile network, though you will need to think about data costs before you go on a TV spree. Users are able to register up to two devices on their Sky subscription.

What can I watch with Sky Go?

What’s available varies depending on what device is used and the channels you subscribe to. But subscription permitting, Sky customers are able to watch all five Sky Sports channels, ESPN, Sky News, Sky 1, Sky Living and Sky Arts 1 on the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, with more channels to be added in the future.

However, on laptops, PCs and Macs, customers can view more than 30 live channels (again, subscription permitting), including Sky 1, MTV and Nickelodeon as well as the five Sky Sports channels and Sky Movies.

I’m not a Sky customer - can I still use Sky Go?

Yes you can. Sky Go is available to non-Sky customers via a Sky Go Monthly Ticket. These monthly subscriptions are priced between £15 and £49 and provide access to the likes of Sky 1, Sky Movies and Sky Sports without having to sign-up to an annual contract or get a satellite dish installed.

How else can I watch TV on the go?

Specialist mobile TV services are still fairly thin on the ground at present, but there are options available.

Mobile TV from Orange gives Orange customers access to the likes of ITV 1, Channel Four and Sky Sports from £4.99 a month for the Starter Pack to £8.99 a month for unlimited access to all the channels Orange offers.

Vodafone TV offers Vodafone customers Channel Four, Channel 5 and ITV for £3 a month, a Sky entertainment pack for £5 a month, a Sky news and sports pack for £6 a month or the lot for a tenner a month. In all cases, the first month is free.

Online TV services are a decent and wallet-friendly alternative to specialist mobile services, although live programming is likely to be broadcast infrequently, if at all.

BBC iPlayer can be accessed via your mobile phone’s internet browser, allowing you to catch-up on the last seven days of BBC TV and radio programmes but not to view live broadcasting. Apple iPad and Android devices can access the BBC iPlayer app, which can be downloaded from the App Store and Android Market respectively.

Programmes from ITV1, ITV2, ITV3 and ITV4 can also be caught up on when on the move by using ITV Player, which can be accessed from Apple and Android devices through a free app which allows users to watch ITV programmes up to seven days after they have first been broadcast.

Channel Four says that 4oD will be available for the iPhone “at some later date” but there is a free 4oD catch up app available for the iPad that makes Channel 4 programming from the last month available to iPadders free of charge.