How to watch Sky Atlantic — with or without Sky

Sky Atlantic is known as the official home of HBO in the UK, and it's the only place you can watch brand new shows as they air, such as The Last of Us, Euphoria, The White Lotus, Succession, and of course, Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon.

Unlike other Sky channels like Sky Sports or Sky Cinema, which are available with any TV provider, there are only two ways to get Sky Atlantic: subscribing to a Sky TV package or signing up for an Entertainment Pass with Sky’s standalone streaming service, NOW.

What TV shows are on Sky Atlantic?

With new content being released each month, the list of TV shows on Sky Atlantic is constantly growing and changing. Here are just a few of the incredible shows you can watch on Sky Atlantic:

• The Last of Us

• The White Lotus

• The Lazarus Project

• House of the Dragon

• Euphoria

• Game of Thrones

• The Flight Attendant

• Westworld

• Succession

• Mare of Easttown

• Raised by Wolves

• Big Little Lies

• Your Honor

• Girls

• ZeroZeroZero

• Band of Brothers

• Penny Dreadful

• Boardwalk Empire

• Chernobyl

• The Wire

Get Sky Atlantic with a Sky TV package

With Sky TV, you’ll not only get an HBO series from the States, but you’ll also get to watch other breakout hits and Sky Originals on Sky Atlantic, Sky Witness, Sky Max and Sky Showcase.

If that’s not enough for you, Sky makes it easy for existing customers to upgrade to Sky Cinema and Sky Sports packages, giving you access to thousands of films or exclusive live sports events. You can also add and remove upgrades to your package, like box sets or kids' content, on a flexible 31-day basis.

As a Sky subscriber, you'll receive a Sky Q set-top box and can watch shows live from your TV or up to two compatible devices — including laptops, smartphones, tablets and game consoles — once you register for Sky Go.

Sky is a quad-play provider, which means you can bundle your TV, broadband, landline and mobile phone plan together with one operator, which saves you money and consolidates your monthly bills.

See the latest Sky TV deals

Stream Sky Atlantic with NOW

NOW is a streaming service that gives you access to the content you want on your terms.

You can use the app to purchase themed TV memberships on a monthly basis, as well as daily and mobile-only passes to Sky Sports. TV memberships can also be stacked together to offer more viewing options.

The company also offers broadband and landline capabilities, making NOW a triple-play provider. Users still have the option of signing up for NOW TV memberships and watching content through the app. And it's available on most laptops, smartphones, tablets, set-top boxes, games consoles and smart TVs.

The passes and app allow you to watch live channels (although this isn’t supported on all devices) or on-demand content available depending on the TV pass you sign up for.

NOW broadband and TV deals

NOW offers four TV memberships:

Entertainment: If you want Sky Atlantic, this is the TV membership you need to get. It gives you access to Sky Atlantic’s programmes — either live or on-demand — plus 18 other pay TV channels.

Cinema: This pass gives you access to Sky Cinema films, both live and on demand.

Sports: Available on a daily, weekly or monthly pass, you can watch live matches and events across 11 Sky Sports channels.

Hayu: If you need access to all the latest reality TV from the US, this is the pass for you.

Again, all of these TV passes are available on their own or can be stacked together — and cancelled whenever — to meet your household’s needs.

Which is better, NOW or Sky?

Both services have pros and cons, and this question ultimately comes down to your needs.

If you’re not happy with your current TV provider or if you want to watch a lot of Sky channels, it makes sense to subscribe to Sky.

Although the NOW Entertainment TV membership is a good deal, if you’re renewing it month-over-month or if you’re combining multiple TV passes regularly, you may be able to save money by switching to Sky.

Subscribing to Sky also guarantees you’ll get Sky Atlantic in HD on a consistent basis. NOW streams Sky Atlantic in HD on certain devices; however, this is subject to broadband speeds.

On the other hand, if you’re not concerned with always watching programmes in HD or if you’re only interested in a few series, NOW may be a better deal for you than signing up for a contract with Sky.

NOW's flexibility allows you to get Sky Atlantic when you need it and cancel it when you don’t. So if you’re a huge HBO fan, you can sign up for the NOW Entertainment TV membership for the premiere of the latest HBO show, then cancel it after the series finishes.

If you're still not sure which one is right for you, our Sky vs NOW guide goes into greater detail, comparing set-top boxes, quality and additional features across the two services.