Sky raises price, and it might be time to update the way you watch TV

If you’re looking for a hassle-free way to watch live Sky TV channels, exclusive boxsets, streaming services, sports and movies – Sky Stream does not disappoint. This diddy device offers access to 150 paid-for channels you won’t find on Freeview, as well as the most popular terrestrial channels. Everything is beamed to your television in High Definition as standard – something Sky Q customers still need to pay extra for – without a satellite dish drilled into your walls or engineers trudging through your home.

Once ordered, Sky Stream arrives in the post with a step-by-step guide to get set-up and streaming in seconds. Trust us, even the biggest technophobe should cope with this simple DIY set-up: just plug it in, connect to your Wi-Fi, and the binge-watching begins!

Seriously, setting up Sky Stream takes less time than preparing the popcorn to enjoy with your movie once everything is up-and-running.

Once you’ve installed Sky Stream, you’ll be treated to a gorgeous new on-screen menu design that looks and makes navigating around your TV incredibly easy.

The traditional Telly Guide, with access to all live channels, is present and correct, alongside the new “Continue Watching” carousel which brings together all of your in-progress TV shows from Sky’s own catalogue of on-demand boxsets, as well as platforms like Prime Video, Netflix, BBC iPlayer, ITVX, My5, and Disney Plus.

The Sky Stream box ships with the same rebooted remote control that launched alongside Sky Glass, with the backlit keys – which glow in the dark so you can easily see what you’re doing when the lights are low for movie night.

The record-low starting price for Sky Stream makes this dish-less box one of the best Sky deals available right now (in comparison, Glass starts from £40 per month). And unlike Sky Glass, where everything is combined into an all-in-one QLED TV – Sky Stream can be paired with any television. As such, you can design your own set-up from scratch.

There’s no doubt, Sky Stream is a brilliant little device. However, there are still a few niggles with this new hardware.

First up, while the menus look slick …the chipset inside the Sky Stream can struggle with the flash graphics found throughout EntertainmentOS. Unfortunately, despite the software and hardware both being created by the internal teams at Sky, whizzing around the menus can often feel a little stuttery.

But for those who are unable to install a satellite dish (perhaps because you live in rented accommodation, or you’re in a block of flats without a communal dish), Sky Stream will finally unlock the brilliant exclusive boxsets, live sports fixtures, and blockbusters you can only watch with Sky TV.