For years, Sky Sports was the destination for live televised sports. But with BT's huge investment in sports programming, including its exclusive access to UEFA Champions League football, the choice isn’t quite as clear-cut anymore. So fans have a big decision to make.
Here we outline exactly what BT and Sky offer to help you get the best sports package to watch all the domestic and international fixtures you want.
Both BT Sport and Sky Sports broadcast a lot of high-profile matches and live events, especially when it comes to football - so both are good options for sports fans. But if you want to watch everything that’s going on, you would need to subscribe to both.
There are four BT Sport channels included when you subscribe:
BT Sport 1
BT Sport 2
BT Sport 3
BT Sport ESPN
As BT Sport airs HD coverage of its sports as well; each BT Sport channel has an HD counterpart too.
Our latest BT TV deals
BT Sport subscribers will get access to 52 Premier League fixtures a season, all 351 UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League matches, as well as FA Cup, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Ultimate Fighting Championship, MotoGP™ and so much more.
Premier League
Champions League
Europa League
FA Cup
Scottish Premiership
SmackDown
RAW
NXT and NXT UK
Big Bash
Bangladesh Premier League
Various international tests, one-day and T20 matches
Gallagher Premiership
Champions Cup
Challenge Cup
And others include:
MotoGP
UFC
Boxing
Motorsport from around the world
International hockey
Red Bull events
Major League Baseball
College football
Canadian football
College basketball
Our latest BT TV deals
Sky Sports includes 11 dedicated sports channels, each featuring a different sport so you can watch as much — or as little — of each sport as you like. Sky Sports channels include:
Sky Sports Main Event
Sky Sports Premier League
Sky Sports Football
Sky Sports Cricket
Sky Sports Golf
Sky Sports Racing
Sky Sports F1
Sky Sports Actions
Sky Sports Arena
Sky Sports News
Sky Sports Mix
Sky also offers HD channels that you can add to your package for an additional monthly charge.
Want a bigger and better TV package? Check out the latest Sky TV deals on Uswitch.
Sky Sports still holds the lion's share of Premier League matches, with by far the most live games per season.
Live Premier League games and dedicated Premier League channel
English Football League — including the EFL Cup
The SPFL,
La Liga,
Major League Soccer,
Eredivisie,
Chinese Super League
...and every match featuring Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland.
Football punditry is a divisive topic amongst fans. Everyone has their favourite commentator, as well as that one pundit who drives you mad.
From intelligent analysis to sensational rants, football punditry comes in many forms, all of which have a vital place in the game.
With Sky Sport and BT Sport both showing the English Premier League, you’ll have to skip between both channels to catch all the games, but which channel has the best pundit?
Sky Sports’ team of pundits includes a host of English football’s most famous names, such as:
Gary Neville
Alan Smith
Jamie Carragher
Jamie Redknapp
Melissa Reddy
Paul Merson
Graeme Souness
Roy Keane
As well as these regulars, you can also expect many special guests and big names from the world of football.
BT Sports’ team of experts includes:
Rio Ferdinand
Martin Keown
Micheal Owen
Rachel Brown-Finnis
Joe Cole
Jermaine Jenas
Robbie Savage
Peter Crouch
Owen Hargreaves
Both channels have a good selection of pundits, but it’s up to you to decide who’s your favourite.
As well as actual football matches, Sky also has a host of programming to keep you talking about football long after the final whistle.
From beloved panel shows to engrossing documentaries, here are some of the shows you can watch on Sky Sports.
The day after the Heysel disaster, Kenny Dalglish has a storied history with Liverpool Football Club, becoming manager after the Heysel disaster and leaving after the Hillsborough disaster.
Leading the club to great glories, Dalglish’s story is that of an iconic man on Merseyside, with much to take in over the roller-coaster years he was there.
Another documentary on an English football great, Matt Busby led the revolution that turned Manchester United into one of world football’s biggest names.
A long look at one of the most iconic moments in English football. The fortress Anfield. Arsenal needed two goals to win the league title. As the game enters the dying moments of stoppage time, the Gunners are winning, but just by one goal… See how it all went down and hear from Arsenal legends like Lee Dixon and Tony Adams.
Pep Guardiola's Barcelona team is one of the greatest club sides in the history of the game. Learn more about how Guardiola created one of the most successful football teams ever, and hear from the likes of Lionel Messi, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and of course Pep himself.
Sky’s long-running fun football show is the place to go on Saturday mornings. Celebrity challenges, surprise guests, and more.
This is Sky Sports' look at what went down over the last week of football. Each week hosts Kelly Cates and David Jones are joined by special guests and Sky pundits.
Catch up on the weekend's football every Sunday morning with Sky Sports Sunday Supplement.
Find out what’s been happening on the pitch with all the women’s football news and events from Jess Creighton and a number of footballers and pundits.
BT Sport also has a range of shows and documentaries covering the latest football happenings, as well as classic moments from the past. Here’s a peek at some of the entertainment you can watch.
Your hosts Robbie Savage and Jules Breach take a look at everything football, with Savage’s irreverent style leading the way! Expect rants, japes and football legends.
Covering title races of seasons past, take a run out onto memory pitch lane and see how leagues were won, titles were claimed and dreams were lost.
This BT Sports Films production celebrates Jimmy Greaves, one of England’s best-ever strikers.
It’s a rags-to-riches story that inspires. Delve into archive footage to get a glimpse into the life of one of English football’s most revered figures.
With a career that ran off the pitch and into the broadcast booth, Greavsie was loved by all but had issues to contend with too. An emotional journey awaits.
Arsenal legends Ian Wright and David Rocastle had a strong bond on and off the pitch. From their humble beginnings on a South London estate to glory for club and country, this story looks into the power of friendship, the ecstasy of sporting triumph and the pain of loss.
The Ashes (for games held in England)
Rugby Champions Cup
RFU
Formula One
NASCAR
ATP World Tour
US PGA Championship
Ryder Cup
The price and ease of watching BT Sport depends largely on which broadband and TV provider you currently take services from.
BT Sport is included for free on its VIP TV package –– which is BT's top-tier bundle –– but is also included in both the Sport and Big Sport packages.
If you're not on a BT TV plan but have BT broadband, you can still subscribe to BT Sport and watch it through the app or web player.
Sky TV customers can sign up for BT Sport, and if they get their broadband from BT the same rule as above applies. Both companies know that many fans want access to as much sport as possible, so they make it quite easy to subscribe to both services.
You can't simply just get a BT Sport and Sky Sports package — you'll need to be paying for a full TV service from one provider, and then add on either BT Sport or Sky Sports to that plan.
BT Sport channels on Sky:
BT Sport = Sky channel 413
BT Sport 2 = Sky channel 414
BT Sport 3 = Sky channel 417
BT Sport ESPN = Sky channel 423
Currently, you can add BT Sport to your Sky TV subscription from £29.99 extra per month on a rolling 31-day contract. But if you want its Big Sport package, it'll cost you £41 per month.
Virgin Media TV subscribers automatically get BT Sport if they’re on the Bigger Bundle + Sports package (currently £72 per month). Otherwise, you can add BT Sport for an additional £18 per month and experience the action in 4K Ultra HD.
See the latest Virgin Media deals
BT Sport can be added to your TalkTalk TV subscription for £29.99 per month, giving you access to all four BT Sport channels in standard definition. You can also add the BT Big Sport package, which includes access to all 11 Sky Sports channels via a NOW Sports Membership, for £40 per month on a 24-month contract.
See the latest TalkTalk TV deals
You can sign up for Sky Sports no matter who your provider is, and you can access Sky Sports either through a digital TV subscription or via streaming.
The most comprehensive digital TV packages that include Sky Sports will be with Sky itself. You can add Sky Sports to your subscription for £22 per month on an 18-month contract (accurate at the time of writing).
The Sky Go app for smartphones and tablets lets you watch all Sky Sports channels you’re subscribed to while you're on the move. If you're not a Sky subscriber, you can watch Sky Sports in a limited fashion through the dedicated Sky Sports app.
All 11 Sky Sports channels are included in the BT Big Sport TV package as well as its VIP package. Both of these also automatically give you access to BT Sport channels, so you won't have to worry about ever missing a game.
You can add Sky Sports to any Virgin Media TV package or select Virgin’s Maxit TV bundle from £31.75 a month.
To watch Sky Sports on TalkTalk TV, you just need to subscribe to a NOW Sports membership (details below).
If you don't have a TV provider or don't want to commit to a longer-term Sky Sports add-on, you can sign up for a Sky Sports TV pass from NOW.
With NOW TV memberships, you can get a day or a month pass to view Sky Sports, then cancel penalty-free. There are no contracts involved and no need to subscribe to anything.
Sky Sports can be viewed in standard definition, HD or even UHD/4K, depending upon your package and TV.
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