Sky Movies

Whether it’s the latest Hollywood blockbusters, indie films, the best of British cinema or children’s favourites, subscription film services have got it covered.

With the pick of contemporary and classic film available at your fingertips and on demand, there’s never been a better time to be a cineaste.

Movies streaming services

From LoveFilm to Netflix and NowTV, there’s now a range of streaming services for movie buffs to pick from. Here, we’ll outline what each one offers to help you find the one that’s right for you.

LoveFilm

LoveFilm Instant is a video-on-demand service that offers unlimited streaming of over 5500 movies and TV episodes.

Price: £4.99 a month. Additional packages offer DVD, Blu-ray and video game rentals by post.

Netflix

Netflix is a US-based provider of rentals and on-demand streaming which launched in the UK in January 2012.

Price: £5.99 per month, which gives unlimited access to a catalogue of over 7000 movies and TV shows.

Now TV

Sky’s movies library is perhaps the most extensive in the UK. Now TV offers unlimited streaming of all 11 Sky movie channels, including five new premieres every week.

Price: £15 for a monthly ‘Sky Movies’ pass. 30-day free trial included.

‘Pay & Play’ digital rentals offered for up to 1,000 movies: 99p for older titles and £3.49 for latest releases.

TalkTalk Plus

TalkTalk Plus is not a streaming service per se, but rather a broadband and phone package that comes with a free YouView box (normally worth £299) and a 12-months free Lovefilm Instant subscription offering a wide range streaming content.

YouView is a new IPTV system that combines UK’s Freeview television channels, radio stations, catch-up TV services (such as BBC iPlayer, 4OD, ITV Player and Demand Five) and high-definition PVR capabilities – all into one device. Lovefilm Instant, as explained earlier, is a video-on-demand service.

Price: £14.50 a month, which includes unlimited bandwidth and unlimited calls to landline

Sky Movies

Sky’s movies output is broadcast by satellite or over the web, so it’s up to you which you choose.

Sky’s movie channels are divided up by genre and include ‘action and adventure’, classics, family, crime and thriller, comedy, drama and romance, showcase, sci-fi and horror, premiere, modern greats and indie.

Customers also get to enjoy all 11 Sky Movies channels, wherever they are in the UK and Ireland with the Sky Go app on their iPad, iPhone, laptop or selected Android smartphones.

Movies on BT Vision

BT’s TV service is called BT Vision. The BT Vision set top box offers a selection of thousands of films on-demand.

Vision Box Office is a pay per view service and has 600 movies to choose from, starting at £3.50 per film.

Vision Film is a subscription service, with 200 movies to pick from at any given time. 14 titles are replaced with new ones each week.

Virgin Media movies TV

Virgin Media TV customers with a Tivo box get a huge library of movies to choose from and can add Sky Movies channels to their package for an additional monthly charge.

Movie TV package contracts

Contract terms differ greatly among movie TV providers. Netflix and LoveFilm both frequently offer free trials, so you can easily see if they’re right for you without committing to a lengthy contract. Even if you sign and change your mind, you’re free to cancel at any time without incurring an extra charge.

If you take Sky Movies channels and want to cancel, however, you will have to commit to a one-year contract. This applies whether you sign up for them through Sky or Virgin Media and BT.