UK households have more ways to watch TV than ever, and the right choice depends on what you watch, how you feel about contracts and how good your broadband is. This guide compares the main options fairly, including where an IPTV subscription such as King of Stream is not the best fit.
Prices below are the starting prices each provider showed on its own website on 6 November 2026. They change often, so always check before you sign up.
Freeview
What it is: free-to-air TV through a rooftop or indoor aerial.
Cost: free once you have an aerial and a TV with a Freeview tuner, which almost every UK TV has. You still need a TV Licence for live TV.
Best for: anyone happy with the main public service channels and a good aerial signal. If you mainly watch the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, Freeview may be all you need.
Freely
What it is: a free service from the UK's public service broadcasters that streams their live channels over broadband, built into selected smart TVs released since 2024.
Cost: free, with a TV Licence for live TV.
Best for: homes with a compatible new TV and good broadband that want free live channels without an aerial.
Sky
What it is: pay TV, now available over broadband through Sky Stream as well as by satellite.
Cost: Sky Stream Essential TV starts from £15 a month on a 24-month term, with sport, films and other packs extra. Prices can rise after the minimum term.
Best for: people who want Sky's own channels and packs in one place and are comfortable with a long contract.
Virgin Media
What it is: TV and broadband bundles over Virgin Media's own cable network.
Cost: TV and broadband bundles start from £31.99 a month on a 24-month term, which includes your broadband as well as TV.
Best for: homes in Virgin Media areas that want broadband and TV from one provider on one bill.
NOW
What it is: Sky's contract-free streaming service, sold as separate monthly memberships.
Cost: Entertainment is £7.99 a month and Cinema is £9.99 a month on rolling monthly plans, so both together cost £17.98 a month. Sport is a separate, more expensive membership.
Best for: people who want Sky channels without a long contract and only need one or two memberships.
An IPTV subscription such as King of Stream
What it is: live channels, a programme guide and an on-demand library delivered over broadband to a player app on a device you already own.
Cost: King of Stream plans start at £9.99 for one month, or £59.99 for 12 months on one screen, paid once with no automatic renewal. See plans and prices for 2 to 5 screens.
Best for: households that want live TV, films and series across several devices without a long contract, and that have steady broadband.
Less suited to: homes with slow or unreliable broadband, where an aerial-based service such as Freeview will be more dependable.
Side-by-side summary
| Monthly cost from | Minimum term | Equipment | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freeview | Free | None | Aerial |
| Freely | Free | None | Compatible smart TV and broadband |
| Sky Stream | £15 | 24 months | Sky Stream box or TV |
| Virgin Media | £31.99, with broadband | 24 months | Virgin Media box |
| NOW | £7.99 per membership | None, monthly | Streaming device or app |
| King of Stream | £5.00 on a 12-month plan | None, paid once | Your device and a player app |
How to choose
- List the channels you actually watch. If they are all free-to-air, start with Freeview or Freely.
- Decide how you feel about contracts. A 24-month term usually buys a lower monthly price but less flexibility.
- Check your broadband. Every broadband-based option, including IPTV, depends on it.
- Add up the whole cost, including add-on packs and any price rises after the minimum term.
Whichever service you consider, check that the provider is legitimate before paying. Our guide on how to spot an IPTV scam explains what to look for.
Combining services
Many UK households do not choose just one option. Common combinations include:
- Freeview or Freely plus one streaming app, for a low cost with one paid service for films or box sets.
- Freeview plus IPTV, keeping the aerial as a backup for the main channels and using IPTV for everything else.
- Pay TV plus a streaming app, often for one exclusive series.
Combining works well as long as you are not paying twice for the same content. Our guide to cutting the cost of TV shows how to audit what you pay for.
Which option suits which household?
Renters who move often
Contract-free options suit people who may move within a year: Freeview or Freely, monthly streaming apps, or an IPTV plan that is paid once and simply ends. Our guide to moving house explains why.
Families with several TVs
Look at what each extra room costs. Pay TV packages usually charge for each extra box, while IPTV and streaming apps work on any device that runs the app, up to the plan's screen limit. See our guide to multiroom IPTV.
Older viewers who mainly watch the main channels
Freeview or Freely may be all they need, with a simple remote. If they want more, a short, easy favourites list makes any option simpler. Our guide to IPTV for older viewers has setup tips.
Sport fans
Sport rights in the UK are split between broadcasters, so check exactly which competitions each option carries before you commit. Be wary of any seller promising every sport channel for a few pounds.
The equipment each option needs
| Option | What you need at home |
|---|---|
| Freeview | A TV with a built-in tuner and a working aerial |
| Freely | A compatible smart TV and broadband |
| Sky | A Sky box, Sky Glass TV or Sky Stream puck, plus a dish for satellite or broadband for streaming |
| Virgin Media | A Virgin Media TV box and a Virgin Media connection |
| NOW | A supported smart TV, streaming stick, console, phone or computer, and broadband |
| IPTV such as King of Stream | Any device that runs an IPTV player app, and broadband |
Equipment matters for cost and for flexibility. Options that use devices you already own are easier to take with you when you move, and cost less to add to a second room.
Contracts and notice periods
How long you commit for varies a lot between options:
- Freeview and Freely have no subscription at all, only the TV Licence.
- Pay TV packages usually have a minimum term, commonly 24 months, with a notice period to leave and charges for leaving early. Check your provider's current terms.
- Streaming apps are usually monthly and can be cancelled at any time, but renew automatically until you do.
- King of Stream plans are paid once for 1, 3, 6 or 12 months and simply end, so there is nothing to cancel.
If flexibility matters to you, weigh the notice period and renewal terms as carefully as the monthly price.
What happens when the broadband goes down
Every option except Freeview over an aerial and satellite TV depends on your broadband. If the internet goes down, broadband-based TV stops too. Many households keep a TV connected to an aerial for this reason, so the main channels are still available during an outage. If your broadband is unreliable and cannot be improved, an aerial or satellite option will be more dependable than any broadband-based service.
Questions to ask before you choose
Before you sign up for anything, answer these for your household:
- Which channels and programmes would we genuinely miss? Write them down; the list usually decides the matter.
- How many TVs, and how many people watching at once? This changes the cost of every option except free TV.
- How long might we stay at this address? Long contracts suit settled homes; flexible options suit renters.
- How good is our broadband in the evening? If it is poor and cannot be improved, an aerial or satellite option is more dependable.
- What is the full yearly cost? Include add-ons, extra rooms, equipment and price rises, not just the headline monthly figure.
Answering these honestly often makes the choice obvious. If you would like a second opinion on what suits your home, ask us and we will tell you, even if the answer is not King of Stream.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest legal way to watch TV in the UK?
Free-to-air TV through Freeview, Freely or the broadcasters' apps, with a TV Licence.
Do I need a TV Licence for all of these options?
You need one to watch live TV on any of them, and to use BBC iPlayer. Watching only on-demand programmes from other services does not need a licence.
Can I switch between these options easily?
Freeview, Freely, streaming apps and IPTV plans like ours have no long contract. Pay TV packages usually have a minimum term, so check your end date before switching.
