Deciding which of the best streaming services in the UK to buy will depend on what you enjoy watching the most.
Are you someone who wants to binge a current series like Bridgerton on Netflix, or do you like to revisit old favourites like The Sopranos on Sky Stream? Are you keen to keep up with the latest blockbuster movies like Killers of the Flower Moon on Apple TV+, or are you more interested in old-school animations like Toy Story on Disney+? You may also be looking for something more specific, like anime on Crunchyroll or Star Trek on Paramount+. Whatever you're after, there will be a streaming service that suits you.
Before you sign up for one of the top streaming services, there are a few other things to consider, like the price – TV and movie subscriptions can range from less than £5 a month for basic plans to over £100 if you buy a complete TV package. Some offer a free trial to test the waters before you spend any money.
If you live in a big household, you should consider how many devices can be streaming at any one time. Picture quality is worth factoring in too. If you own one of the best TVs, it makes sense to pay for a service that supports 4K. But if you intend to use one of the best tablets, that won't be necessary. You can also take into account which streaming device you're going to use and what level of definition that supports.
Best TV streaming services 2024
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Best streaming service for sports
TNT Sports with Discovery+ Premium
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Best streaming service for cult series
Paramount+
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To help you in your hunt, Digital Spy's team of experts has tried and tested every TV and movie subscription available in the UK. We've narrowed them down to 10 of the best streaming services available to buy right now in the UK.
Pros
- Easy-to-use app and website
- Lots of original content across TV and movies
- Stream in 4K HDR with the Premium plan
Cons
- The Premium plan is pricey
- TV shows and movies regularly get taken down
Price per month: £4.99 Standard with Ads, £10.99 Standard with 1080p, £17.99 Premium with 4K | Free trial: No | Catalogue size: 7,700 titles | Playback quality: SD, HD and 4K
Everyone has heard of Netflix, and for good reason. Netflix is the original streaming service, creating and popularising a new way of watching TV. It has a huge library of TV shows and movies — if you like to keep up with what everyone's talking about on social media then more often than not it'll be on Netflix.
Original content is one of the reasons to buy Netflix – there are tonnes of TV shows and movies that you won't find anywhere else including The Crown, Stranger Things and The Irishman. To add to that, there are lots of other options from networks across the world like Breaking Bad, Peaky Blinders and The Office US.
The biggest downside to Netflix is the price. If you want 4K streaming on more than 2 devices at once, you'll have quite a hefty bill every month. Netflix is also making it harder to share accounts between households. To add to that, content is regularly taken down, so you could be left in the lurch halfway through a series.
Pros
- Free for anyone in the UK with a TV Licence
- The app and website are well-made
- Stream in resolutions up to 4K
Cons
- You can't use it outside of the UK
- Content is regularly removed
Price per month: N/A | Free trial: No | Catalogue size: N/A | Playback quality: SD, HD, 4K
For UK viewers, iPlayer is a free service allowing you to catch up on BBC programming with no adverts, and you can use it to watch BBC channels live. You will need a TV Licence to use it, though.
BBC iPlayer is available to stream on all sorts of devices including smart TVs, smartphones and tablets. It's one of the few ways of streaming 4K content for free, although the majority of its TV shows and movies are still in an HD format. You'll be able to catch up on soaps like EastEnders, cooking shows like MasterChef and documentaries like David Attenborough's Planet Earth.
TV shows regularly come and go from BBC iPlayer but most will be available for at least 30 days after being aired on a BBC channel.
Pros
- Lots of excellent original content
- Share the account with up to 6 people
- 4K streaming with Dolby Atmos audio
Cons
- No Android smartphone app
- Relatively small library
Price per month: £8.99 | Free trial: Yes | Catalogue size: around 200 titles | Playback quality: SD, HD, 4K
Apple TV+ is a streaming service that is all about quality over quantity. A fraction of the size of Netflix, it has a refined catalogue of around 200 TV series and movies. Apple TV+ Originals include dramas, documentaries, comedies, kids' TV shows and more.
If you sign up, you'll get award-winning movies like Killers of the Flower Moon and CODA, and series with A-list casts like The Morning Show, Masters of the Air and Hijack.
Apple TV's small library is made up for by the quality of the content. But it's a massive shame that there's no dedicated Android app, so you'll need to go to the website to watch on an Android phone or tablet.
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Best streaming service for families
Disney+
Pros
- Huge selection of family-friendly movies
- Cheaper if you buy an annual subscription
- Up to 4K streaming with Dolby Atmos
Cons
- Original content isn't as good as elsewhere
- Some Disney films are missing
Price per month: £4.99 Standard with ads, £7.99 Standard FHD, £10.99 Premium with 4K | Free trial: No | Catalogue size: around 3,000 titles | Playback quality: SD, HD, 4K
If you're looking for a service suitable for the whole family, the best option is undoubtedly Disney+. There's loads of content available – old and new, for adults and kids.
Disney+ features some of the very best family movies dating back to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs from 1937 to more recent hits like Frozen, Moana and Mary Poppins Returns. You'll also find popular franchises like Star Wars and Marvel, as well as original documentaries like Ed Sheeran's The Sum of It All and National Geographic titles like Expedition Everest. That's not all – there are loads of bingeable series such as Desperate Housewives, The Dropout and The Kardashians.
Disney+ has some original content but it doesn't compare to the likes of Netflix and Apple TV+. Nostalgia and having access to big franchises are why you'd go to Disney+, rather than being a platform with lots of fresh content.
Pros
- Included with Amazon Prime memberships
- Sports coverage including the Premier League
- Stream in resolutions up to 4K without upgrading
Cons
- A lot of the homepage content costs extra
- The app and website are clunky
Price per month: £8.99 included with Amazon Prime | Free trial: Yes | Catalogue size: 9,000+ films and 1,500+ TV series | Playback quality: HD, 4K
Amazon Prime Video offers something very different from the rest of this list's subscriptions. Prime memberships have a lot of perks. As well as access to the Prime Video library, you get free next-day delivery on thousands of Amazon products, access to Prime Music with over 100,000 songs and Prime Reading with thousands of books to choose from.
The video library has both old and new content including huge shows like The Grand Tour and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Prime Video has plenty of hit movies too, including Saltburn, Pitch Perfect and Bohemian Rhapsody.
In comparison to the likes of Netflix, Disney+ and Apple TV+, both the website and app are a little hard to navigate, original content isn't as consistent, and you have to pay extra for a lot of the titles listed. Plus, as of 2024, you'll need to pay extra to remove ads from content.
Pros
- For the type of content you want to watch
- Low-cost Sky TV with a flexible contract
- Discounted with NOW Broadband
Cons
- Underwhelming image quality
- Not as many live channels as Sky
Price per month: starting from £9.99 | Free trial: Yes | Catalogue size: around 2,000 | Playback quality: SD, HD, 4K
NOW is a library of Sky content including TV shows and movies, but without a pricey long-term contract. You pay for it just as flexibly as any other subscription on this list.
What's great is that you can pick and choose what you'd like to watch: the Entertainment Membership gives you Sky Originals, HBO shows and kids' TV; the Sky Cinema Membership gives you the biggest blockbusters; and the Sports Membership gives you access to Sky Sports channels including extensive live football, tennis, golf, rugby, cricket and motorsports coverage. There are other add-ons as well, like Hayu and ad-free streaming.
If you want it all, you'll have to pay a high price. The Entertainment and Cinema bundle will set you back around £20 a month and Sports is usually £34.99 a month. There are sometimes good deals, so keep your eyes peeled!
Another option to consider is Sky Stream. You can use it with any TV and it starts from £26 per month for an 18-month contract. For that price, Sky Stream gives you access to Sky Originals and HBO shows but with the bonus of a Netflix plan (Standard with Ads as default) and more than 140 live channels. The price goes up the more content you add on.
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Pros
- Ad-free streaming
- Hundreds more shows than ITVX
- BritBox catalogue is included
Cons
- A lot of the content is available for free
- The app and website are clunky
Price per month: £5.99 | Free trial: Yes | Catalogue size: around 25,000 hours | Playback quality: SD, HD
Fans of British box sets should buy ITVX Premium. It gives you access to the whole BritBox catalogue including titles like Downton Abbey and Sanditon, as well as ad-free streaming of ITV shows like Love Island and Mr Bates vs The Post Office. If you want to have movie nights covered, there are some StudioCanal Presents titles as well, like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Mirror Mirror.
Don't expect to be wowed by the app technology, though. It can be slow and difficult to navigate. A lot of the TV shows are also available for free if you don't mind seeing adverts.
Pros
- Extensive anime library
- Free mobile games included
- 14-day free trial of premium access
Cons
- No 4K streaming
- Cluttered interface
Price per month: £4.99 for Fan, £5.99 for Mega Fan | Free trial: Yes | Catalogue size: around 4,000 episodes | Playback quality: SD, HD
Crunchyroll is the best streaming service for anime fans who live outside of Japan. While most popular services offer a small selection of Japanese animations, none have as many as Crunchyroll.
You'll find everything from classics to the latest titles, including Jujutsu Kaisen, Shangri-La Frontier, One Piece and Yu-Gi-Oh! You will also get access to the Crunchyroll Game Vault which has lots of mobile games.
If you're anything less than obsessed with anime, you'll be fine sticking with a more general streaming subscription. It's also worth knowing that some popular titles are missing from Crunchyroll, including Netflix-exclusive Aggretsuko.
Pros
- Premier League and Champions League football
- Live Eurosport with cycling, tennis, snooker, motorsports
- Included in the Discovery+ Premium membership
Cons
- It's expensive
- Not as extensive as Sky Sports
Price per month: £30.99 | Free trial: No | Catalogue size: N/A | Playback quality: SD, HD, 4K
TNT Sports is a top choice for those who follow a lot of different sports. It comes as a part of the Discovery+ Premium plan and gives you access to tonnes of events throughout the year including men's UEFA Champions League and Europa League football, selected men's Premier League football games, live rugby matches, cricket, NBA basketball, motorsport such as MotoGP and Formula E, plus WWE and UFC. The list goes on.
You'll also get shows from Discovery, TLC, Quest and Really as part of the package, plus Eurosport coverage including top-level tennis and the 24 Hours of Le Mans sportscar race.
It's slightly cheaper than buying the Sports plan on NOW, but it's also a little less extensive. You'll also need to consider that TNT will show different matches and games to Sky/NOW, and hosts a smaller number of Premier League fixtures per season under the current rights agreement.
For instance, Formula 1 fans will be better off with Sky Sports or NOW, but WWE fans are better off with TNT Sports (at least until those rights move to Netflix in 2025). If you're looking for football, TNT will be better for the Champions League and Europa League, whereas Sky/NOW is the better choice for most Premier League football games, as things stand.
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Pros
- Loads of cult shows including Star Trek
- Plenty of blockbuster movies
- Free with Sky Cinema
Cons
- 4K streaming is not available in the UK
- Not so focused on original content
Price per month: £6.99 | Free trial: Yes | Catalogue size: 30,000+ episodes, 2,500 movies, 1,000 annual sporting events | Playback quality: SD, HD, 4K
A relatively new streaming service, Paramount+ was only launched in 2022 in the UK, but has still managed to swing some of the biggest titles in the world.
On Paramount+ you'll find loads of cult series like Star Trek, SpongeBob SquarePants, Twin Peaks, South Park and Yellowstone, reality TV like MTV Cribs, Geordie Shore and Ex on the Beach as well as a good selection of blockbuster films including Top Gun: Maverick and Pulp Fiction.
Unfortunately, UK viewers won't be able to stream Paramount+ in 4K and you'll miss out on some US sporting events. Currently, the UK service only reaches 1080p HD.
If you pay for Sky Cinema, you can get Paramount+ for free.
How Digital Spy tests streaming services
To put together this list, the Digital Spy team all contributed their expertise. Everyone has used these services over several years – some have watched hundreds of movies, most have binge-watched TV shows and others have kept up with their sports teams using these services.
How to choose the best streaming service
Picking the best streaming service for you comes down to what you would like to watch.
If you love binge-watching series after series, most services can accommodate that. Netflix, Apple TV+, Sky/NOW, BBC iPlayer and ITVX Premium are the top choices, but you may also want to consider others like Crunchyroll or Paramount+.
Are you a bit of a cinephile? Apple TV+, Sky Cinema, Netflix, Prime Video, MUBI and the BFI Player are worth considering. If you're feeling nostalgic, Disney+ and Paramount+ are a good choice.
Avid sports fans will be best off with Sky Stream/NOW, TNT Sports or DAZN. Those who only really watch scary stuff should buy Shudder instead.
As well as thinking about the content, consider the price, the resolution, the size of the catalogue and how many streams you can have at once. You may also need the ability to download shows and you'll want to make sure your devices are compatible with the service, too.
What devices can you watch Netflix and other streaming services on?
You can stream Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ and all the other streaming services on loads of different devices — that includes top TV sets, streaming devices like the Fire TV Stick Lite, the best phones, your laptop and game consoles like the PS5.
How to stream TV for free
Lots of streaming services regularly offer free trials before you start paying a monthly fee. For example, Apple TV+ has a seven-day free trial, the ITVX free trial lasts seven days and Disney+ occasionally has a free trial too.
You can also stream a few catch-up TV services for free, like BBC iPlayer, Channel 4 and ITVX, although you will have to put up with ads on some of them.
