Are the days of satellite dishes, boxes, and many, many cables over? Last year, Sky revised its hardware for the first time since it launched in the UK with the debut of Sky Glass.
The company's first-ever dish-free and box-free TV brings its services to homes over your broadband connection — and selected packages are slightly cheaper in January.
Available for a one-off fee or by spreading the cost over a contract term, Sky's streaming TV has been described by the company as the only one "with Sky and all your favourite apps inside". Sky has also acquired CarbonNeutral certification for the set, which it says is "the only TV to come in recyclable packaging, free from single-use plastic".
Sky Glass also has auto-switch-off and auto-adjusting screen brightness functions to conserve energy, and the company has shared some testing results for the TV's energy usage here.
Now that Sky Glass has been around for a little while, the company has also started offering some limited-time perks with its bundles. So, here's a round-up that will hopefully answer some burning questions: how much it costs for a package, what the recording situation is, and how you can get multiscreen with the new tech.
Sky Glass bundles, pricing, and package costs
Related: Sky Glass vs Sky Q – which TV package is best for you?
Sky Glass is available via a selection of bundle deals featuring the TV set and a Sky package together. During sale periods, there may be some extra incentives on offer, too.
Just over a year on from Sky Glass' launch, Sky is bundling a Sky Glass 4K TV and its Sky TV and Netflix package for a starting cost of £13 per month during its January sale.
Pricing for this package usually starts from £39 per month based on the 43" TV set and Sky TV and Netflix cost, with the payment for the television (£13 per month) spread over 48 months. But right now, you’ll pay £37 per month. There's an upfront cost for the TV set as well (more on those below).
If you want to add Sky Cinema as well, package prices will start at £48 per month (again, based on the price of the 43" Sky Glass TV set).
You can also bundle the Sky Glass 43", Sky TV+ Netflix, and Superfast broadband for a starting price of £54 per month.
Except where included as part of a bundle, the usual price for a Sky Glass TV set will not include the cost of Sky TV packages, which you'll have to purchase separately, or add on if you're not already a customer. So check carefully as you're building your package.
Related: Apple TV 4K (2021) review – Is the updated streaming device worth your time?
There are hundreds of potential package combinations, but let's start with the price of the TVs themselves.
• The 43" Sky Glass TV is priced at £649 outright, £13 per month (with a £10 upfront fee) on a 48-month contract, or £26 per month (with a £20 upfront fee) on a 24-month contract.
• The 55" set is priced at £899 upfront, £18 per month (with a £10 upfront fee) on a 48-month contract, or £36 per month (with a £20 upfront fee) on a 24-month contract.
• The 65" set costs £1,149 upfront, £23 per month (with a £10 upfront fee) on a 48-month contract, or £46 per month (with a £20 upfront fee) on a 24-month contract.
All contract purchases are subject to status and credit checks.
In addition to your TV, you'll also need to make sure that you have a Sky subscription of some sort. Sky Glass requires its popular Ultimate TV offering, which pairs Sky TV with Netflix Basic at a price of £24 per month during the promotional period (usually £26 per month), as a minimum.
According to Sky's terms, this allows you to watch the streaming service's programming "on one screen in SD". So you'll need to pay a little more for multiscreen Netflix, in line with its own pricing (and have the option to do this as you work through the checkout process).
The cheapest Sky Glass TV and Sky channels package is £37 per month (that's over a 48-month term for the TV, plus an 18-month contract for the Sky TV bundle, and excludes any upfront costs).
Another thing to note from the small print: "Sky TV subscription includes fast forward ads (£0pm for 12 months, then £5pm)". This means that if you want to keep scrolling through the adverts to get to the shows and films you love with more speed, it'll cost you a bit more after the first year.
You can, however, add other packages on top of the Ultimate TV bundle if you're interested in cinema, sports, or kids' channels, for example. All the details for the different packages are here, and you can build a bundle that works for you, step by step.
Furthermore, if you want to take full advantage of the TV's Dolby Atmos capabilities and UHD or HDR-ready content, you'll need an add-on for that. There's an "Ultra HDR and Dolby Atmos Pack" priced at £6 per month.
You'll also need a minimum broadband speed of 25mbps, and, of course, for your content to be Dolby Atmos-optimised, to get the most out of that extra.
Can you record on Sky Glass?
Series Link-style recording is no more on Sky Glass, but it has a playlist system that's the counterpart of watchlists on other streaming services.
You can instead stream anything from your playlist on demand, and use the plus button on the remote to add a series or movie to your playlist. There's a more detailed explanation of how the playlist system works in an FAQ written by one of Sky's employees who worked on the Sky Glass project.
Sky Glass TV features
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Sky Glass is available in three different sizes (43", 55", and 65") and five different colour schemes (Ocean Blue, Ceramic White, Racing Green, Dusky Pink, and Anthracite Black). While the hardware design and architecture were conceived in-house, the panel was created by TP Vision, according to a tweet from Sky's customer service team.
Each TV has a matching remote control with backlit keys, and there's a video user guide, too.
Sky Glass TVs boast Ultra HD and Quantum Dot technology, as well as 360° Dolby Atmos sound through an integrated speaker system. The TVs have digital tuners, so if your internet (which doesn't have to be from Sky, by the way) has a moment, at least you can watch free-to-air channels in the meantime.
Like Sky Q, there's also the option to use voice control, and each set has a two-year warranty.
Around the time the service launched, Sky also shared plans for a smart camera that works with Sky Glass and the Zoo video calling service.
It has a one-cable connection and also includes motion tech that can follow you around the room if you're moving during a call, as some conference room cameras do. It also has a one-button on/off switch, which makes maintaining your privacy as simple as possible.
Sky Glass multiroom
If you're after a multiroom Sky Glass experience, you can add the Whole Home package for £12 per month on a 31-day rolling agreement — plus a piece of hardware called the Sky Stream Puck, which costs £50 per unit (although sometimes, you can get your first one for free).
The Stream Puck is actually a square shape and connects directly to the cloud, as What Hi-Fi notes. Up to six of the pucks can be connected. In fact, there's a maximum order of six per household.
The puck is the same piece of hardware used to deliver the satellite-dish-free, TV-free Sky Stream service.
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