Sky Go Review – TV On-demand and On The Move
We review Sky Go, the mobile TV and on-demand TV service from Sky. Want to watch Sky’s content on your smartphone, tablet or computer. We’ll show you how…
What is Sky Go?
Launched in July 2011, this service lets you watch Sky TV channels on your computer, tablet device or smartphone. It’s a replacement for the old Sky Mobile and Sky Player service.
How do I get Sky Go?
Sky Go is available on the following:
- Desktop / laptop computer
- Apple iPhone
- Apple iPad
- Some Android smartphones
- Microsoft X-Box console (with XBox Live Gold membership)
Other platforms and smartphones will be supported in due course
You need to have a Sky iD account – which is free to create on the Sky Go website
How much does Sky Go cost?
The good news – if you’re a Sky TV customer already – nothing, Sky Go is free to Sky subscribers. Sky Go is also available to non-subscribers, with prices from £15 a month.
How do I get Sky Go?
- Got an iPhone or iPad? Download the free Sky Go App from iTunes
- Got a PC? Watch online direct from the Sky Go website. If you want to download content, you’ll need to download the free Sky Go app
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What channels do I get?
At launch, you’re able to watch live TV from the following channels:
- Entertainment: Sky 1, Sky Living, Sky Atlantic, GOLD, Sky Livingit, Sky Arts 1, MTV
- Movies: Sky Movies Premiere, Sky Movies Showcase, Sky Movies Action, Sky Movies Family
- Sport: Sky Sports 1, Sky Sports 2, Sky Sports 3, Sky Sports 4, Sky Sports News, Eurosport, British Eurosport, SPN, ESPN Classic
- News: Sky News
- Documentaries: National Geographic, Nat Geo Wild, History, Eden, Crime Investigation
- Kids: Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Nickelodeon, Disney XD, Disney and Nick Jr
At launch, here are the channels available on the Sky Go iPhone and iPad application:
- Sport: Sky Sports 1, Sky Sports 2, Sky Sports 3, Sky Sports 4, Sky Sports News, ESPN
- News: Sky News
- Movies: Sky Movies Premiere, Sky Movies Showcase, Sky Movies Action. Sky Movies Family
On Demand Content
On the PC version of Sky Go, as well as being able to watch live TV, you can also download content from the Sky Anytime service (which you can also do from a Sky+HD box connected to a Sky Broadband account).
We found the TV content on offer to be a little thin. In the Comedy section, we only found 4 shows (My Family, Angry Boys, Modern Family and Raising Hope), with just two shows in sci-fi (Stargate Universe and Ten Wolf). Movies was a bit better populated, with a fairly decent selection of movies that have recently appeared on the many Sky Movies channels.
The Comedy section of Sky Go Movies
To watch the on-demand stuff, you can either stream the content from your web browser, or if you download the separate Sky Go application, you can select an on-demand show from the library, and the programme will be downloaded onto your hard drive, so that you can watch it offline.
The downloadable PC application uses Microsoft Silverlight, and allows you to watch downloaded content for a specified period. A download of a 90 minute show took around 45 minutes when we tested, and allowed us a 6 day pass to watch what we’d downloaded
Downloading content with Sky Go on a PC
Sky Go Restrictions
The Sky Go service is free to Sky subscribers, but you can watch what you subscribe to, so you’ll only get the Sky Go Sky Movies channels if you subscribe to Sky Movies on the TV service.
If you’re not a Sky TV subscriber, you can still sign up thought, and watch channels and movies without the need for a satellite dish. Prices and signup information can be found on the Sky Go Site
Also, note that you can only have two devices “authorised” to use Sky Go – perhaps a desktop computer and an iPhone. You’re not allowed a third device, although you can delete one of your two devices, to make room for a different device.
You can manage your devices on the Sky Go website, where you’ll be required to enter your Sky iD username and password.
Managing your two devices on the Sky Go website
Sky Go Questions
How much bandwidth do I need to watch Sky Go?
Sky recommends 2Mbps for home broadband, and between 180-1400kbps on the 3G mobile network
Got a question we can help with? Please ask!
Related pages:
- NOW TV – The on-demand movie service from Sky
- Catch-up TV services – Help with TV shows you’ve missed recently
- TV over Internet – A look at what TV services are available over the Internet in the UK.
- Video on Demand – Who needs a TV listings service? TV when you’re ready.
How do I get more channels including radio channels that are within my package. I can only seem to get some of the t.v channels and none of the plus one channels or any of the radio/music channels.
Please advise.