Unless you're living under a particularly isolated rock, you'll know that the World Cup is currently causing a global outbreak of football fever.

That’s certainly the case in my household. My housemates are footy enthusiasts who demand that we tune in for all of the matches that are being played at "sensible" times – thankfully, that hasn't included those 2 AM kickoffs as of yet.

This means my TV and Sky Stream box have been working overtime, a trend I expect to continue for the rest of the tournament. But there's an unexpected joy to owning a top-notch TV (in my case, a Sony OLED): my friends suddenly care about picture quality

Usually, I'm met with eye rolls when I bring up resolutions and HDR formats, but the World Cup has miraculously changed all of that. As soon as I switch the TV on, I'm reminded to "put it on BBC iPlayer because it's showing the matches in 4K". This, of course, doesn't apply to the games shown on ITV.

I happily oblige for most games, and for the most part, I've been pretty impressed by the 4K streams from BBC iPlayer. Generally speaking, the games have looked really sharp, and colours pop nicely.

In fact, I'm watching the Czechia vs. South Africa game in 4K as I type this, and visually, it's an absolute treat.

Why, then, will I absolutely refuse to watch any of the England games in 4K? I'm so glad you asked.

The problem is the broadcast delay.

BBC iPlayer reportedly has a delay of around 30 to 40 seconds, while Sky Stream has a similar 35 to 40-second delay compared to Freeview's 8 to 10-second delay (these figures tally with some real-world testing we've just done for this feature on World Cup broadcast lag, by the way).

In real-world terms, this led to a few goal spoilers during the recent England vs. Croatia match, thanks to cheering from my surrounding neighbours before the goals even registered on my TV.

There is, thankfully, a solution. Sky has implemented three new "Real Time" channels in tandem with the World Cup.

These new versions of BBC One HD, ITV1 HD, and ITV4 HD reportedly slash latency by 22 seconds – not perfect, but much closer to Freeview.

However, Sky seems to have been fairly modest with that figure; our testing found that the latency compared to Freeview could drop to as low as five seconds

The tradeoff, of course, is resolution. These channels are capped at regular HD, and you can feel the drop after watching in 4K on iPlayer. Even so, it's a compromise I'm willing to make for England's game on Tuesday.

Thankfully, when I quizzed my housemate on whether he's willing to drop 4K to avoid spoilers, he also felt that the loss of visual fidelity was worth the tradeoff.

While sacrificing 4K in this instance is a shame, I'm ultimately chalking this up as a worthwhile learning experience. My flatmates now appreciate 4K more than ever before; now I just need to expose them to the wonders of 4K Blu-ray...

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As well as our full Sky Stream review

I’m obsessed with broadcast delays (no, I’m not much fun at parties).

It all stems from Euro 2020, when my insistence on watching every match in 4K via BBC iPlayer resulted in several goals being spoiled by cheers from my neighbours and the revellers at a pub down the road.

Since then, I've prioritised low latency over outright picture quality when choosing how to watch major sporting events.

But I'd never actually tested the accepted wisdom around broadcast delays. So, with Sky launching its new Real Time feature for Sky Glass and Sky Stream, I decided it was time to find out which viewing method is actually fastest.

So, there I was, on a sweaty Thursday evening, setting up a second TV in my living room so that I could compare different broadcast options during the Czechia v South Africa match.

I needed to remove as many variables as possible, of course, so my two TVs needed to be identical. I therefore borrowed a 65-inch Sony Bravia 8 II OLED to match the one currently in situ in my lounge.

After ensuring that both TVs were running the same software and had the same picture settings, I plugged my now rarely used aerial into the ‘new’ TV (the one on the right in all of the photos sprinkled throughout this piece) and set about comparing that with the alternatives at my disposal.

This is what I discovered.

Freeview (aerial) vs BBC iPlayer

Before I get started, it’s worth noting that everything is delayed.

It simply takes time for anything that's filmed live to make it through all of the broadcast equipment, be encoded and transmitted, travel to and from satellites in space or through underground fibre-optic cables, and finally be decoded and displayed by your TV.

It’s commonly accepted, though, that watching the signals received by your aerial via a Freeview tuner is the least delayed option available. The BBC itself says that it takes 7-8 seconds for something happening live to reach your TV via this method.

So, how much slower was iPlayer than the TV playing Freeview? A hefty 23 seconds. That’s plenty of time for a goal to be spoiled by cheers from the neighbours.

Interestingly, I found no meaningful difference between BBC iPlayer's HD and UHD streams. If you're watching via iPlayer anyway, choosing the 4K feed doesn't appear to add any extra delay.

I also tested the iPlayer app on several devices – the Bravia 8 II itself, a Sky Stream box, and an Apple TV 4K – and the result was always 23 seconds, there or thereabouts.

It’s worth remembering that BBC iPlayer is the only way to watch the World Cup in 4K, and the feeds look terrific, but when immediacy matters, such as when England are playing, foregoing pixels for promptness is the sensible way to go.

Sky Stream/Glass

Time for Sky Stream, and the good news is that this was indeed quicker than BBC iPlayer. The bad news? It was still around 18 seconds behind Freeview.

That’s better, of course, but still more than enough time for a goal to be spoiled.

But, as I mentioned earlier, Sky has a special feature up its sleeve for dealing with this…

Sky Real Time

That feature is Real Time, which is designed to massively reduce the amount of lag experienced during big sporting events.

Sky has rolled Real Time out just in time for the World Cup, and it’s available on the BBC HD, ITV1 HD and ITV4 HD.

It’s worth noting that it’s not turned on by default. Once you tune in to one of the channels mentioned above during a World Cup match, you then need to click the ‘Real Time’ button that appears on the screen. Do that, and you’ll be switched to a special ‘RT’ version of the channel.

So, how much faster is Real Time? A whopping 13 seconds faster than standard Sky Stream, which makes it just five seconds slower than the Freeview tuner.

That’s close enough, I think, to rarely be an issue.

Conclusions, caveats and Sky Q

You’ve probably spotted that there’s a significant absentee from my testing, Sky Q, and there’s an easy explanation for that – I no longer have a satellite dish.

However, Sky has previously told me that Real Time brings Sky Stream/Glass to within three seconds of Sky Q, and the results of my testing certainly suggest that's plausible.

It’s also worth noting that there are plenty of variables that mean your results might vary slightly from mine. Aerial connections and Freeview tuners are remarkably consistent, but network conditions are not. Broadband speeds, router performance, wi-fi quality and even the streaming device itself can all affect how quickly a live stream reaches your screen.

Still, if you want to see how all of these various viewing methods compared, delay-wise, for me, here’s a little graph I whipped up:

Broadcast / reception delay

Here's how long, in seconds, it takes each broadcast type to show you a goal that's just been scored

Delay

Live

0

Freeview (aerial)

8

Sky Q (satellite)

10

Sky Glass/Stream with Real Time

13

Sky Glass/Stream without Real Time

26

BBC iPlayer

31

010203040

Delay Data

Product	Value
Live	0
Freeview (aerial)	8
Sky Q (satellite)	10
Sky Glass/Stream with Real Time	13
Sky Glass/Stream without Real Time	26
BBC iPlayer	31

This is according to my testing – bear in mind that your mileage may vary.

So, is Sky Real Time the saviour of sports fans tired of hearing celebrations before they see the goal?

Not quite. My tests suggest that a good old-fashioned aerial is still the quickest way to watch live TV, and Sky Q via satellite probably remains a touch faster too.

But Sky's new mode narrows the gap dramatically. Instead of lagging tens of seconds behind the live action, Sky Stream and Sky Glass are now close enough to traditional broadcast TV that, in most homes, they're unlikely to be the reason a goal gets spoiled.

For years, choosing streaming TV meant accepting that everyone else would see the goal first. Thanks to Real Time, that trade-off is finally starting to disappear.

Watch the World Cup from anywhere

If you're abroad during the World Cup and struggling to access your usual streaming services, you can always use a VPN (where terms allow).

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Hands up if at least one of England's Euro 2020 goals was spoiled by the roar from a neighbour's house or the pub down the road?

If you, like me, have your hand up – and you're a Sky customer – you're going to love this upgrade that is rolling out to Sky Glass and Sky Stream.

That upgrade is 'Real Time', and it's designed to reduce latency when watching sport on Sky Glass/Stream – just in time for the World Cup.

Sky Glass and Stream have a fair amount of delay when compared with Sky Q and Freeview via the aerial – about 35-40 seconds against Sky Q's 10-15 seconds and Freeview's 8-10 seconds – but Sky tells me that Real Time reduces this by 22 seconds, and that this makes it "just 3 seconds behind Sky Q".

That means that the delay on Sky Stream should be down to around 13-18 seconds, which should be close enough to significantly reduce the chance of hearing about a goal before you see it.

Here's a graph showing the different delays of the various broadcast/reception methods, because I like that sort of thing:

Broadcast / reception delay

Here's how long, in seconds, it takes each broadcast type to show you a goal that's just been scored

Delay

Live

0

Freeview (aerial)

8

Sky Q (satellite)

10

Sky Glass/Stream with Real Time

13

Sky Glass/Stream without Real Time

35

BBC iPlayer

40

010203040

seconds

Delay Data

Product	Value
Live	0
Freeview (aerial)	8
Sky Q (satellite)	10
Sky Glass/Stream with Real Time	13
Sky Glass/Stream without Real Time	35
BBC iPlayer	40

Sky's new Real Time feature brings Sky Glass and Sky Stream within touching distance of watching via your TV's aerial

Sky Glass and Stream have actually had a low-latency feature for a while, but only for the Sky Sports Main Event channel.

That's no good for the World Cup, though, because all World Cup matches are broadcast in the UK by the BBC and ITV.

That's where Real Time comes in: it works on the BBC HD, ITV1 HD and ITV4 HD channels. And while Sky's press release mentions a somewhat vague "select live sports", a representative confirmed to me that all World Cup 2026 matches will be available with Real Time.

It's worth noting that Real Time won't be activated by default. Instead, once you tune in to the channel showing your match, a Real Time button will pop up. Select that, and the latency should immediately drop.

Another thing to note is that Real Time only works on the HD channels mentioned above. If you want to watch the World Cup in 4K, you will have to do so via BBC iPlayer, but you will have to accept around 40 seconds of delay in that case: the Beeb has been working on low-latency streaming for a while now, but it's seemingly not ready for wholesale rollout.

As always, actual delays can vary depending on factors such as broadband performance and how content is being delivered, but cutting more than 20 seconds from Glass and Stream's latency is a genuinely meaningful improvement.

For football fans, especially during a World Cup summer, it could make spoiled goals a thing of the past. That's a big win in my book.

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Check out our Sky Stream review, our Sky Glass Gen 2 review, and our Sky Glass Air review

Here are all of the best TVs you can buy right now

It's been a busy start to the month for myself and my fellow TV & AV testers.

We've published reviews of the Hisense UR9 RGB Mini LED TV, the BenQ TK705i projector, and the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S soundbar system, and we've also been hands-on with the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar and Denon AVR-X2900H AV receiver.

But what movies and TV shows did we use during testing? And what content has really wowed our team of home cinema experts over the last month? Simply scroll down to find out.

And if you want more of this sort of thing, here are the 42 best Dolby Atmos movie scenes to test your home cinema surround sound system.

War Machine (2026)

Watch the trailer above, and you'll know exactly what you're going to get from War Machine.

That's right; this is a bunch of ooh rah marines, led by Jack Reacher's Alan Ritchson, doing bombastic battle with a massive robot. It's ridiculous, and the seriousness with which the filmmakers and actors have taken the whole thing only heightens that ridiculousness. I love it.

You could say that once you've watched the trailer, there's really no point in watching the full movie, and you wouldn't be denying yourself a great story by taking that approach. You would, though, be denying yourself some brilliantly breathless action with great special effects and a rollicking Dolby Atmos soundtrack.

This is an old-school sci-fi action adventure, and it demands to be played if you have a cherished home cinema system. Bring on the inevitable sequel!

Words by Tom Parsons

Watch War Machine on Netflix

Apex (2026)

If you’ve ever wanted to see Elton John take on the role of the Predator, Apex is for you.

Charlize Theron plays Sasha, a grieving kayaker and rock climber who goes exploring the fictional Wandarra National Park in Australia. Despite being warned repeatedly that she shouldn’t go it alone, she does just that, only to find herself being hunted by Ben (Taron Egerton), a psychopathic stranger with a penchant for The Chemical Brothers.

If you’ve seen Rocketman, it’s hard to see the character of Ben as anything but a creepy Elton John, which in some ways makes him even more terrifying. Egerton is intense, to say the least, which despite the lush, outdoors setting, lends the film a claustrophobic feel that fits the two-hander, cat-and-mouse nature of the plot.

Visually, it’s a treat, helped in no small part by Theron’s commanding performance and ability to do a lot of her own stunts. It’s full of sweeping vistas of stunning cliffs, treacherous gorges and perfect-for-falling-into rivers that will sort the sufficiently detailed TVs from the rest. Even the CGI is integrated pretty seamlessly.

It’s nothing deep, but it’s a very effective thriller with some excellent performances (Theron in particular). Given its visual flair, it’s a shame not to see it in cinemas, but dim the lights, fire up your big-screen TV, and enjoy.

Warning: you’ll never hear Go by The Chemical Brothers the same way again…

Words by Joe Svetlik

Watch Apex on Netflix

The Day of the Jackal (2024)

I’ll be the first to admit that I very rarely have my finger on the pulse of popular television, hence why I’m only now getting around to watching Sky’s highly acclaimed espionage action thriller The Day Of The Jackal.

I’d heard very good things about it when it premiered back in 2024, but it sat on the watchlist until this week; I needed something to watch after blitzing through the hilarious second season of Amandaland on BBC iPlayer, and who doesn’t like a breakneck tonal shift?

The Day Of The Jackal is a tense, high-octane thriller with twists, turns, and some fairly brutal violence. When bullets start flying, and tyres screech in pulse-pounding car chases, it becomes evident that this TV show is at its best when watched with a capable Dolby Atmos soundbar or speaker system.

The cat-and-mouse game played by the titular Jackal (Eddie Redmayne) and MI6’s Bianca Pullman (Lashana Lynch) spans a wide variety of countries, including Germany, Hungary, Spain, France and Estonia, and these locales are often framed with eye-catching establishing shots.

Paired with a handful of action sequences set under the cover of night, this series is best enjoyed on an OLED TV, or at least a set that excels with contrast. Be sure that your TV’s motion settings are also in order, as you’ll want to avoid judder when chase sequences break out, and especially during the sporadic action-packed shootouts.

If you’re a fan of Bond, or are just a thrillseeker looking for a show that also looks and sounds great on your home theatre set-up, then The Day Of The Jackal, available on Sky and Now (I recommend springing for the 4K upgrade if possible), is definitely worth a watch.

Words by Lewis Empson

Watch The Day Of The Jackal on Sky

Daredevil: Born Again (2025)

The original Daredevil series on Netflix quickly cemented itself as top-tier superhero television – and top-tier television in general – by combining thematic ponderings on vigilantism, violence and religion with brutal, well-choreographed, and often one-take fight sequences. So it was a crying shame when it was cancelled after season three as a victim of the streaming wars.

After a rocky road that included fan campaigns, surprise MCU cameos and a first season that was heavily restructured and reshot, we’re now two seasons deep into the Born Again revival on Disney+. And while it doesn’t quite reach the highs of the original series, it’s still easily one of the best Marvel projects in recent years, playing with a bigger budget, more MCU integration and a storyline that has more than a few things in common with the US political landscape right now.

For anyone sick of the multiverse, this gritty, street-level look at superheroism remains highly refreshing, bolstered by standout performances from Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio, with the latter arguably providing Marvel’s most layered villain.

When Daredevil first premiered on Netflix in 2015, it was one of the first pieces of superhero media widely available in 4K HDR, and it was great for testing dark detail and motion handling thanks to the many dingy hallway fight scenes.

Daredevil: Born Again has a slightly different visual look, but the same still applies here, with a higher-budget, more cinematic production that is great for testing contrast and black levels. A really good lawyer such as Matt Murdock deserves to be seen on a really good TV.

Words by Daniel Furn

Watch Daredevil: Born Again on Disney+

Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen (2026)

Haley Z Boston’s latest horror series for Netflix, Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen, was a surprise hit for me earlier this month. Despite positive press, I went into the series blind, while mounting my usual hunt for anything with similar vibes to Mike Flanagan’s Haunting Of Hill House (which is one of my benchmarks for serial horror shows).

And, after years of disappointment, while I wouldn’t say it reaches the same heights as Flanagan's classic, it comes pretty darned close, offering a tour de force performance both technically and narratively.

The story focuses on soon-to-be bride Rachel (ably played by Camila Morrone) as she travels to a remote mansion in the woods in the run-up to her nuptials. Not to give any spoilers away, the film uses pretty much every tool in the haunted-house toolbox.

Dark, bloody lore that gets more disturbing with every door she opens? Check. Creepy secluded setting? Yep. Weirdo family that clearly isn't quite right, feeding her neurosis with their gaslighting? Present.

Every shot oozes oppressive, creepy terror, with the intentionally dim house and surrounding forest hiding creepy details you can’t un-see. But, like Hokum, which I also saw in the cinema this month, it’s the audio that really steals the show. The series aims to build a sense of dread through constant teasing and subtle, psychological ploys rather than outright jump scares or overt gore – and it’s all the better for it.

It’s a creepy whisper just out of shot, the sound of something menacing behind you, or emanating from the on-screen shadows, that constantly keeps you on edge, doing the heavy lifting. The result is a spine-tingling experience that will delight horror fans.

Words by Alastair Stevenson

Watch Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen on Netflix

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Here are the best TVs, best projectors and best Dolby Atmos soundbars you can buy right now

Isn't it frustrating when things don't just work?

I'm used to my fair share of software gremlins in the products I test every day, which makes troubleshooting my system at home a bit easier. The usual answer is to turn something off and turn it back on again, but that solution doesn't solve every issue.

The problem I've been having relates to playing Dolby Vision content to my Sony OLED TV via my Sky Stream box, which results in some odd visual artefacts: little white spots flashing up randomly when streaming content in the dynamic HDR format.

Most people, including my housemates, would gladly ignore these, but not me. Instead, I began trawling through the settings of my TV and Sky Box, and swapping between the HDMI sockets to negate the issue.

Nothing seemed to work, and if I used the passthrough HDMI socket on my soundbar, then the picture would cut out entirely.

This is when it dawned on me: is my HDMI cable not up to the task? Scrolling through the Sky forums, I found many users claiming that the Stream puck comes with a high-speed cable, and one post even claimed that it's a better idea to use the cable that comes in the box.

However, being the rulebreaker that I am, I disregarded this advice. One perk of being surrounded by AV and home cinema gear 24/7 is that I am never short of an HDMI cable, and I quickly found a 4K-rated high-speed cable.

I switched the cables around, played the latest episode of the once excellent, now extremely disappointing Euphoria on HBO Max in 4K Dolby Vision, and like magic, the issues were resolved.

It sounds simple and obvious, but I think many of us, myself included, just presume that the cables supplied with our home cinema products should do the job, but that's not the case.

Now, I know that discussing digital cables is a contentious subject. Many of our readers have expressed disdain towards the pricey "snake oil" HDMI cables that make all sorts of claims and can run you hundreds (sometimes thousands) of pounds, and to be honest, I'd recommend steering clear of those too, unless you are the most die-hard home cinema enthusiast with money to burn.

But your run-of-the-mill certified high-speed HDMI cable is the real deal, and one of those doesn't have to cost all that much. I've spotted plenty on Amazon for anywhere between £5 and £10, and they can be a quick, cheap and effective way to solve issues in your home cinema set-up.

And for troubleshooting needs, it's surprising how often a picture-related issue can be fixed by double-checking that you're using the correct HDMI cable and socket.

While I'm at it, some TVs require you to select the correct setting for your HDMI sockets; for instance, my previous Philips OLED907 and current Sony A80L TVs required me to go into the input settings and select "enhanced format" to unlock some HDMI 2.1 features, including VRR and 120Hz gaming.

These are simple fixes that often get overlooked, so if you're dealing with picture problems of your own, do yourself a favour and check your cables before you start spiralling in the settings menus.

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Check out our picks for the best OLED TVs

As well as the best streaming devices

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Cast your mind back roughly ten years, and you'll remember a very different era of streaming.

The modest monthly subscriptions and cancel-anytime promise made these risk-free alternatives to traditional cable and satellite packages, which came with pricey contracts that locked you in for months, and in many cases, years.

There were no ads, and you didn't need a satellite dish either; just a vast library of things to watch via an internet connection.

However, those days are over. The current streaming landscape is fraught with subscription tiers that lock high-quality, ad-free watching behind paywalls, and the number of services is, frankly, out of control.

If you're anything like me, your bank statement likely has, or at one point had, withdrawals from Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney and more, all because there have been various shows or movie franchises that I've been watching concurrently.

While I yearn for the simpler and streamlined days when everything was in one place, with one bill, I know we can never go back. So who will save us from the muddled, increasingly expensive world of modern streaming? Ironically, I think it's Sky...

Everything in one place...

Sky's angle for beating streaming confusion is to have everything in one, organised place – that being its Ultimate TV package.

That includes Sky's original channels (including Sky One and Sky Atlantic) and 130 additional ones, as well as Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, Discovery+ and Hayu (the last of which is being added in July), all for £24 per month. You also get the What Hi-Fi? Award-winning Sky Stream puck as part of this package, too.

While these are the ad-supported versions (I'll touch on that later), some simple calculations show that this is still a pretty great deal.

Now (formerly Now TV) offers up the core Sky channels without needing a Sky subscription, and that costs £9.99 per month for the Entertainment package with HBO Max included. A Netflix Standard with Ads subscription is £5.99 per month, Disney+ Standard with Ads is also £5.99 per month, Discovery+ is £3.99 per month, and Hayu is another £5.99.

Totting that all up, we get to £31.95 per month, which means you get a pretty respectable saving of around £8 per month, or around £192 over the minimum subscription length. There is also the option to upgrade these services individually if you do want the better picture quality and are tired of adverts.

What's better is that this all comes out in one big subscription, meaning you don't have to keep track of when you renewed or joined a service.

Now, there is the caveat that you are locked into a 24-month minimum term contract, so you forgo the option of cancelling a service if you find that you're not using it. Sky is also up front in saying that subscription prices may rise over the contract length, which is something to be mindful of.

While that can be slightly daunting for those who value the flexibility of the streaming model, I have to admit that I've been subscribed to the likes of Netflix, Disney+ and Apple TV for years, and don't see myself ending my streaming subscriptions any time soon.

In fact, using Sky Stream has made me dig even deeper into the services I was paying for, thanks to the handy Sky OS software. It's a dab hand at suggesting content that I'd actually like, and being able to play it directly from the home screen without having to track down which service it's on is, quite frankly, a time-saving marvel.

A couple of missing pieces...

While Sky Ultimate TV has been a mostly superb antidote to the streaming frustrations I've faced, there are a couple of omissions. There are still a couple of services that aren't bundled into this package, those being Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.

I'm subscribed to both, the former for the upcoming final season of The Boys, and the latter for the likes of Shrinking, Slow Horses and Your Friends and Neighbours, and while it's not the end of the world that I have a couple of free spirited streaming apps to keep track of, it would be nice if they were all neatly tucked into the bundle. That would, of course, bring the price up.

Secondly, as I've previously mentioned, these are the ad-supported tiers of the respective services. This means you have to live with fairly frequent adverts, and give up on a few premium experiences, including UHD streaming and Dolby Atmos.

As frustrating as that is, this is a trend that's been plaguing streaming services for years now, and you have to make the plunge into higher monthly costs if you want the improved picture quality, better sound and ad-free watching on almost all of the services mentioned above.

The perfect alternative?

So, is Sky the perfect answer to the convoluted and expensive world of streaming that we live in? Not entirely, but it's pretty darn close.

I've found myself using my streaming services much more often, and watching hidden gems I didn't even know existed, thanks to Sky OS's platform-agnostic suggestions, and being able to manage almost all of my services in one place makes things much easier and smoother.

While the lengthy contract can be slightly off-putting for those who like to mix and match their services each month, it does sort of prove my point about streaming services coming full circle. The easiest way to access and keep track of these services is by using the very package it sought to challenge.

Overall, I prefer the convenience of Sky's Ultimate TV package over wrangling a long list of subscription services that renew on different days each month, and if you're already shelling out for multiple services each month (and don't plan on dropping any in the immediate future), then Sky's Ultimate TV package is genuinely worth a look.

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Read our full Sky Stream review

As well as our picks for the best streaming services for movies and TV shows

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HBO Max has now launched in the UK, and is free to Sky subscribers. It's also dropped the first trailer for its much-anticipated Harry Potter TV series, which you can watch below.

If you watched to the end you'll have seen a nice little surprise – the show will premiere on Christmas Day this year. Previously it was flagged as coming in 2027, so this should be a nice little treat for Potter fans.

And they include my son. Thank you, HBO Max. It should buy me a few hours' peace for a post-Christmas-lunch slumber.

It's not been announced whether the entire first series will drop on Christmas Day, or just the first episode. Please the former please the former please the former.

Each season of the new series will focus on one book, giving much greater scope than the Harry Potter films of the early 20th century. The first in the series is Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone.

Of course, there's a lot more to HBO Max than pubescent wizards. The network is know for its big-budget series like Game Of Thrones (and the spinoff House Of The Dragon), The Wire, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Boardwalk Empire.

HBO Max Basic with Ads is free to Sky Q customers, and those with Sky Glass or Sky Stream who have the Ultimate TV package. This HBO Max tier is limited to Full HD picture quality, lets you stream on two devices at once and doesn't include movies that stream on HBO Max following a cinema release.

Here's a full recap of the HBO Max tiers (plus TNT Sports).

• Basic with Ads (£4.99 per month): stream on two devices at once, limited to Full HD resolution. Doesn't include those movies that stream on HBO Max following a cinema release
• Standard with Ads (£5.99 per month): the same as Basic with Ads, but includes "all the best HBO Max shows and movies" and gives you 30 downloads a month for offline viewing
• Standard (£9.99 per month): the same as Standard with Ads but without the adverts
• Premium (£14.99 per month): this ups the quality to 4K with Dolby Atmos (where available), lets you stream on four devices at once and gives you 100 downloads a month
• TNT Sports (£30.99 per month): this brings all manner of live sports like 185 UEFA Champions League matches and every game in the Europa League and Conference League, plus some Premier League matches and tennis. This is in 4K and Dolby Atmos, and lets you stream on two devices at once

Sky customers can upgrade to a superior HBO Max tier if they wish, but it'll cost you. And those without Sky can take out a standalone subscription to HBO Max – the first time HBO shows have been available to non-Sky customers in the UK.

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Are 4K Blu-rays better quality than streaming services? We dig into the detail

Sky Stream vs Sky Q: what are the differences?

Disney+ has been added to Sky's Ultimate TV package, which can be accessed through Sky Stream or Sky Glass at no extra cost.

Sky Q customers can also access Disney+, provided they have the Sky Signature or Sky Entertainment package, and Sky Essential subscribers who have the Sky Cinema upgrade applied get access to the streaming service for free.

As is the case with Netflix, the version included with Sky TV is the 'Standard with Ads' tier, although customers can upgrade to the Premium tier for £4/month. Cinephiles will likely want to upgrade, as the Premium tier unlocks 4K streaming with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.

Activating the bundled Disney+ subscription is easy. There is currently an icon on the Sky OS home page prompting users to activate their new subscription, and it takes merely a few clicks to get up and running. Sky has also implemented a "get Disney+" voice command, which will also guide you towards the activation process.

But what if you already have Disney+? Existing subscribers can move their current subscription (including their watch history and profiles) over to Sky TV through a linking prompt, which is shown during the sign-up process.

Furthermore, Disney+ content will now be better integrated into the Sky OS platform. Content watched on Disney+ will now show up in the 'Continue Watching' rail for the first time on Sky Stream and Glass, and Sky Q users will notice Disney+ content in the 'Today's Top Picks' and 'Continue Watching' rails.

This is the first phase of Sky TV's streaming expansion, as HBO Max and Hayu will join Disney+ when they launch later this year.

MORE:

Read our full Sky Stream review

I replaced my Apple TV 4K with Sky Stream

Check out our picks for the best streaming devices

Sky’s Glass concept remains refreshingly simple – a TV with the full Sky streaming experience built in, no satellite dish required, and no need for a separate soundbar.

If that sounds good to you, you’ve got two options to consider.

The Sky Glass Gen 2 sits as the more premium option, complete with full-array local dimming and an integrated Dolby Atmos sound system.

In the opposite corner, we have the newer Sky Glass Air, which trims back the hardware in pursuit of a dramatically lower price, while retaining the same Sky OS platform.

Both earned a respectable four-star rating in their respective reviews. But which one should you buy? We break down everything you need to know below.

Oh, and before we jump into the details, some context – our Sky Glass Gen 2 review sample was the 55-inch model, while the Sky Glass Air we tested was the 65-inch version. While our review sample sizes were different, elements such as the sound, performance, picture quality, and features can still be compared between the two.

Sky Glass Gen 2 vs Sky Glass Air: price

Sky Glass Gen 2 starts at £699 for the 43-inch version, £949 for the 55-inch model we reviewed, and £1199 for the 65-inch option. As with all Sky Glass sets, you can spread the hardware cost over 24 or 48 months, with a £20 upfront fee on pay-monthly plans.

That only covers the TV itself, mind. You’ll also need a Sky TV subscription, starting at £15 per month, and 4K plus Dolby Atmos costs an additional £6 per month. Add sport, movies, or other extras, and the monthly total can climb quickly.

As for the Sky Glass Air, it heavily undercuts its Gen 2 sibling. At the time of writing, the 65-inch model we reviewed costs £481 upfront or £9.50 per month over 48 months, again with a £20 upfront fee. Smaller sizes go even lower.

As with the Gen 2, those prices require a Sky subscription, so the real-world monthly spend depends on your package. Even so, from a hardware perspective, the Air is significantly cheaper.

If your priority is the lowest-cost entry into the Sky-toting TV ecosystem, the Air’s pricing is certainly the more persuasive of the two.

** Winner: Sky Glass Air **

Sky Glass Gen 2 vs Sky Glass Air: design

Sky Glass Gen 2 retains the bold, monolithic aesthetic of the original model, but improves it with a much more practical stand that simply slots into the chassis.

The lower portion houses an integrated Dolby Atmos soundbar, featuring drivers that fire diagonally from the ends, a centre speaker, an upgraded subwoofer, and two up-firing drivers mounted within the top edge.

It's chunky, but purposefully so – this is an all-in-one system designed to remove the need for extra boxes.

Sky Glass Air takes a cleaner, more conventional approach. It’s slimmer at the edges but thicker towards the bottom, where its stereo speakers reside. It lacks the sculptural presence of Gen 2’s soundbar, but still looks smarter than most budget sets.

It’s available in Carbon Grey, Cotton White, and Sea Green, with the eye-catching lighter finishes being particularly effective at disguising its low price. One caveat, though, is that the screen sits low on its wide base, which may complicate soundbar placement depending on your setup.

Ultimately, the look depends on your taste. The Gen 2 feels more purpose-built as a self-contained entertainment centre, but the Air is no eyesore by any means, and arguably more discreet.

** Winner: Draw **

Sky Glass Gen 2 vs Sky Glass Air: features

Both TVs run Sky OS, meaning you get the same deeply integrated content experience, strong content discovery, voice control, and app support. Everything streams over Wi-Fi, and there’s no traditional hard drive recording – content is cloud-based.

Under the hood, though, there are some notable differences.

The Sky Glass Gen 2 uses a Quantum Dot LCD panel with full-array local dimming, and our 55-inch sample featured 104 dimming zones. It supports HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos audio.

Sky Glass Air also uses a Quantum Dot LCD panel, but its direct LED backlight has no independent dimming zones. It supports HDR10, HLG, and Dolby Vision, but not Dolby Atmos, and its audio system is a 2.0 stereo configuration with 15W per channel.

Both sets have three HDMI ports and support ALLM, but neither offers 4K/120Hz or VRR, which is something that demanding gamers will certainly want to take into account.

Neither allows manual selection of the low-latency gaming mode, either, which could frustrate gamers using devices without ALLM.

Overall, the Gen 2’s extra hardware, local dimming, and Atmos support give it an edge, but both deliver the same core Sky experience and share the same gaming limitations.

** Winner: Sky Glass Gen 2 **

Sky Glass Gen 2 vs Sky Glass Air: picture quality

Sky Glass Gen 2 delivers a bright, dynamic, and engaging image for an all-in-one TV. Watching Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One in Dolby Vision, highlights pop convincingly, colours look natural and warm, and there is a strong sense of depth.

With Civil War on 4K Blu-ray, the picture remains striking and vibrant, though the slight tendency to exaggerate reds becomes more apparent.

In Blade Runner 2049, the set shows impressive shadow detail and strong highlight contrast, but also reveals its most notable limitation – when scenes fade to black, the screen settles at dark grey rather than true black.

Despite that raised black floor, contrast in mixed-brightness scenes is still impressive, and the overall presentation is cinematic and immersive.

As should be expected, given the lack of local dimming, the Sky Glass Air can’t match the Gen 2’s contrast authority. Dark scenes look greyer, and faint corner clouding can occasionally be visible. Viewing angles are also more limited.

However, its performance is remarkably strong for the price. In Extra Vivid mode, HDR images are bright and colourful, with sharp detail and respectable shadow retention.

Dolby Vision content in particular strikes a pleasing balance of brightness and colour straight out of the box. With darker material, leaving some ambient light in the room helps mask the more limited black depth.

Gen 2 offers stronger contrast and a more cinematic feel overall, but the Air remains highly watchable and impressively balanced for the money.

** Winner: Sky Glass Gen 2 **

Sky Glass Gen 2 vs Sky Glass Air: sound quality

Sky Glass Gen 2 integrates what Sky describes as a Dolby Atmos soundbar, with drivers firing diagonally from the ends and two up-firing units mounted in the top edge.

In Blade Runner 2049, effects move convincingly across the soundstage, and there is good projection into the room.

Bass depth is lighter than you might expect, given the apparent dual subwoofer presence, and enabling the Bass Boost setting is advisable to add weight to voices and low frequencies.

It still can’t compete with the best soundbars, but for an integrated system, it is spacious, detailed, and immersive.

Sky Glass Air’s stereo system is simpler but surprisingly capable.

In It, the opening piano extends beyond the physical boundaries of the TV, and dialogue remains well anchored to the screen. It can go impressively loud without distortion, and bass has respectable impact for such an affordable set, though occasional sibilance creeps into dialogue.

Overall, the Gen 2 delivers greater scale and height, but the Air’s audio performance again exceeds expectations for the money.

** Winner: Sky Glass Gen 2 **

Sky Glass Gen 2 vs Sky Glass Air: verdict

Both the Sky Glass Gen 2 and Sky Glass Air are four-star performers, and both succeed in delivering Sky’s integrated TV vision.

The Glass Air is more affordable, yet produces a balanced, vibrant picture and capable sound, alongside the full Sky OS experience. If budget is your overriding concern, it is an extremely compelling option.

The Glass Gen 2, though, justifies its higher price with stronger contrast, a brighter and more cinematic presentation overall, and a more immersive Atmos-capable sound system. Its raised black floor and minor quirks prevent it from being perfect, but it remains the more complete package.

If you can stretch to it, the Gen 2 is the better overall TV. If you can’t, the Air is far from a compromise.

** Overall Winner: Sky Glass Gen 2 **

Today, I invite you to put on your rose-tinted glasses and cast your mind back to a simpler time, long ago, in which streaming services were heralded as the saviours for those sick of paying through the nose for pricey television subscription plans – Sky TV for example.

It's hard not to think back to the early 2010s and not tear up at the blissful memories of streaming simplicity, when a very modest direct debit left your bank account in exchange for what felt like an infinite library of ad-free content to choose from.

Netflix ruled the roost, capturing the hearts of many when it launched in the UK back in 2012. And it got a welcome 4K upgrade two years later, which split the service into two easy-to-understand tiers – Standard or Premium.

As the years progressed, we had the likes of Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus and Apple TV take the remaining mainstream spots. At the same time, niche services such as Mubi, Crunchyroll and Shudder delivered content for cinephiles, anime fans and horror fiends, respectively.

Fast forward to today, and those days are well and truly behind us. Streaming services have become the very things they set out to destroy, with rising monthly costs (Netflix Premium now costs a staggering £18.99 per month), and ads forced upon users unless they cough up for the higher-tier options.

It's all a bit of a mess. And, quite understandably, the masses are becoming jaded by the increasing list of services taking up spots on their bank statements. Many feel betrayed by streaming becoming the very thing it set out to destroy.

In the words of Obi-Wan Kenobi from Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith: “You were the chosen one! It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them! Bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness!”

But what's this? Much like Darth Vader's story throughout the Star Wars saga, we have an unexpected tale of redemption on our hands; and it's coming from a truly unexpected and ironic place.

Who is better suited to solve the issue of fragmented streaming services than the very company that is mostly responsible for it in the first place?

That's right, Sky has stepped in with an upgrade to its Ultimate TV package – and it centralises most of our streaming needs into one easy-to-access place.

Sky already bundles in Netflix Basic with Ads with all of its TV subscription packages, but its Ultimate package (which also includes many of its own channels) will now include Disney Plus, Hayu, and HBO Max when it launches in March.

That package will cost £24/month, which seems pretty reasonable if you break it all down. All the services mentioned above are the basic, ad-supported tiers; still, if you were to buy them all separately, you'd be paying £5.99 for Netflix, £5.99 for Disney Plus, £4.99 for HBO Max, and £5.99 for Hayu.

That's a grand total of £22.96 in itself. And that's not factoring in the full Sky library you'll also get access to, including live and on demand content from the likes of Sky Atlantic and the upcoming Sky One relaunch.

Suddenly, Sky doesn't seem a bad option for anyone who is already shelling out for multiple services. And for those who constantly lose track of what they're paying for (myself included), this all comes as one easy-to-manage package.

Admittedly, it doesn't include the likes of Apple TV or Amazon Prime Video, but with Sky advancing its included streaming offerings now, it's not out of the question that we could see these services get added to Sky's roster down the line.

It's an ironic twist in the ongoing story of streaming services. Originally proclaimed as the answers to Sky's pricey packages, it's almost impressive how quickly the likes of Disney, Amazon and Netflix have incinerated their goodwill.

Only time will tell if the streaming landscape clears up or becomes even more convoluted.

Considering we're only a month and a half into 2026 and we already have a new service launching with four separate tiers (thanks, HBO Max), I'm betting on it being the latter. Which is why I'm all for Sky’s simple option to rein in these services a bit and put them all under one roof.

MORE:

Read our full Sky Stream review

As well as our Sky Glass Air review

And check out the best streaming services for TV and movies

At first glance, the recent HBO Max news looked like bad news for Sky, but Sky has responded in the best way possible.

The TV giant has just announced a big upgrade to its Sky Ultimate package, which will now include the new HBO Max, Disney Plus and Hayu, on top of the existing Sky and Netflix content.

How much will this cost? A very reasonable-sounding £24 per month.

Consider that the basic Sky Essential package is £15 per month, and this £9 upgrade looks very tempting indeed.

There is a catch, though: the bundled Disney+ and HBO Max subscriptions will, like the current bundled Netflix subscription, be the basic, ad-supported versions.

So, as well as putting up with the adverts, you will also have to do without 4K, HDR and Dolby Atmos.

The good news is that you will still be able to upgrade to the premium versions of each service. You can do this via Sky, and you will only pay the cost of the upgrade. So even those of us who insist on the top quality will save £4.99 on their Disney subscriptions and £5.99 on HBO Max.

Existing subscribers to these platforms can port over their current accounts and still benefit, too.

All in, that makes the new £24 Sky Ultimate package look like very good value indeed.

There’s news for subscribers to Sky's adjacent Now services, too, which will also incorporate HBO Max as part of its £6.99 Entertainment package.

Finally, Sky teased that a new version of the Sky Go app is coming “later this year”. Details are scarce at this point, but the update will, of course, add the look and feel of Sky Glass and Stream’s Sky OS.

MORE:

Here's the story about HBO Max coming to the UK

Check out our Sky Stream review, Sky Glass Gen 2 review, and Sky Glass Air review

Sky’s Glass TV concept has been a roaring success so far. At various times since the original Sky Glass TVs launched in 2021, in fact, Sky’s own-branded integrated TV solution has been the UK’s best-selling TV.

Part of the Sky Glass’s success has undoubtedly been down to how affordable it is – especially if bought in monthly instalments with a Sky subscription plan.

That didn’t stop Sky, though, from revealing when it launched the second generation of Sky Glass in 2025, that it was also preparing to release a new ‘budget’ Sky Glass TV option, the Sky Glass Air.

The Air models are now here – and it really is mind-bogglingly affordable. Especially, again, if you pay for it monthly as part of a Sky subscription premium.

It still lets you access Sky’s full subscription channel packages via streaming, too, and still carries the same renowned Sky operating system you get with the Sky Glass 2.

All of which raises one simple question about the 65-inch Glass Air sat on our test benches: what’s the catch?

Price

As you might expect of a TV created by Sky specifically to host its subscription broadcasting platform, the price situation with the Sky Glass Air is more complicated than usual.

While you can buy the 48-, 55- or 65-inch versions of the Sky Glass Air for a simple up-front price, you can also buy them on a monthly subscription basis. Though in both cases, the pricing really is remarkably low.

At the time of writing, the 43-inch Sky Glass Air is £225 up front, or as little as £4.25 a month over 48 months; the 55-inch version is £377 up front or £7.25 a month over 48 months; and the 65-inch model we’re looking at is £481 or £9.50 a month, again over 48 months.

All three TVs can also be bought over 24 months if 48 months sounds like a drag, with the 43-, 55- and 65-inch screens costing £8.50, £14.50, and £19 a month respectively under that two-year deal.

Note, though, that you can only get these prices if you also take on a Sky TV streaming subscription, which starts at £15 p/m for new customers. Plus, there’s also a one-off £20 up-front fee with all of the monthly payment options.

So, while the TV itself really is remarkably affordable, the all-in monthly cost, once the TV subscription (which can quickly balloon once premium movie and sports channels are added) is accounted for, can still be quite high.

It’s also worth noting that the above prices are potentially limited-time offers. So we’ll also quickly mention the at-launch pricing in case they revert to that: £309 up front and from £6 a month for the 43-inch Sky Glass Air; £509 up front or from £12 a month for the 55-inch model; and £649 up front or from £13 a month for the 65-inch version.

Oh, and before you ask, this isn’t some sort of rental agreement. If you pay monthly for your Sky Glass Air, it is yours to keep once the final payment has been made.

Design

While the Sky Glass Air doesn’t benefit from the boldly industrial, metallic, speaker-bar-adorned design delivered so strikingly by the Sky Glass 2, it’s still easier on the eye than the vast majority of similarly affordable TVs.

Its bezel is reasonably narrow and enjoys a tasteful matte, almost powdered-effect finish, and its screen sits stylishly low down on an unusually wide desktop base (unless you pay for Sky’s optional wall mount).

While the lack of any gap between the screen and its stand adds to the TV’s style factor, though, it could be a problem for people thinking of adding a soundbar to their set-up.

The sides of the Sky Glass Air are much slimmer than those of the chunky Sky Glass 2. Though this is down in no small part to the fact that they don’t house the potent edge-mounted speakers that the Sky Glass 2’s do.

Also, parts of the Glass Air’s rear stick out quite some distance by modern TV standards – especially at the bottom, which accommodates the TV’s hopefully potent speakers.

We’ve cunningly left the coolest aspect of the Sky Glass Air’s design to last: namely, the fact that all three sizes are available in a choice of three colours: Carbon Grey, Cotton White and Sea Green.

We have samples to hand in both the Carbon Grey and Sea Green finishes, but we’ve seen all three side-by-side, and while the Carbon Grey colour looks a bit ‘standard’, the Cotton White and Sea Green options really do help to further disguise how affordable these TVs are.

Each Sky Glass Air ships with one of Sky’s distinctive remote controls, tastefully finished in the same colour as the screen it partners.

Features

Despite how affordable it is, the Sky Glass Air has a native 4K resolution and supports high dynamic range video. The HDR support extends beyond the HDR10 and HLG basics to Dolby Vision, too.

Like the Sky Glass 2, the Air also benefits from a VA panel rather than a contrast-challenged IPS one, and a Quantum Dot colour system capable of delivering more than a billion colours.

However, where the Glass 2 gets a backlighting system with local dimming, the Glass Air only features global dimming, where the entire backlight adjusts its output en masse in response to changes in the content.

As we’ve hinted at already, the Air doesn’t get the seven-speaker, 3.1.2-channel audio system of the Glass 2. In fact, the Glass Air features just a 2.0 stereo arrangement, with 15W available to each channel.

The Dolby Atmos decoding available on the Glass 2 doesn’t carry down to the Air, either – though the cheaper model can still handle Dolby Digital+.

The Sky Glass Air’s connections comprise a trio of HDMI 2.1 ports, an optical digital audio output, a 15W USB-C port, a 5W USB-A 2.0 port, both Bluetooth and wi-fi wireless support, and an RF tuner port that you’ll probably never use.

The wi-fi support is particularly important to the Sky Glass Air, of course, as it provides access to the streamed version of Sky’s expansive subscription-based TV service. There’s no need for any dish fitted to your house here.

The streamed version of Sky does away, too, with the whole hard drive recording thing associated with the classic Sky Q system. With Sky Glass Air, everything is stored on Sky’s unimaginably colossal servers, so you just have to find an episode of something or a film you want to watch in Sky’s menus, hit play, and it will start to stream directly to the TV.

Most of the time, this works really well, but when you live with a Sky Glass or Sky Stream device, you do encounter rare occasions when this system fails. This is particularly true of non-Sky content.

For example, we have encountered times when motor races on TNT Sports have been ‘Playlisted’ (so, in theory, recorded) and have been available to watch from any point during the live broadcast, but have then disappeared from our Playlist after the race has finished, making it impossible to resume from where we left off – or even start from the beginning again.

We have also had a ‘recording’ of a Formula 1 race, broadcast by Sky itself, cut off a few laps from the end, seemingly on account of a rain delay that the system hadn’t accounted for.

Instances such as these are mercifully pretty few and far between, but they’re hugely frustrating when they occur, and simply wouldn’t be a problem if Sky Q-style recording to built-in storage was supported.

On the plus side, on top of the huge range of Sky channels, Sky’s unique OS (more on this in a moment) also carries a healthy range of third-party streaming/catch-up apps, including Netflix, Discovery+, Disney+, Paramount+, YouTube, the BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4 and My5.

The way all these sources, channels and on-demand shows and films coalesce in the Glass Air’s Sky OS menus blurs the lines between on-demand and linear content to the point where they pretty much disappear. It’s all just content.

This is the result of years (and years) of refinement by Sky’s in-house OS design team, and as such feels like the most truly bespoke OS in the TV world.

For the most part, this OS handles the presentation and organisation of Sky’s vast amounts of content and channels extremely well, while its ability to recommend content that actually feels relevant to you based on analysis of your viewing history is outstanding.

Props are due, too, to Sky’s voice recognition system, which impresses in both how well it responds to relatively natural speech, and how deep its research results go.

The uniqueness of the Sky OS extends to some extent to the TV’s rather non-standard picture set-up options – with not entirely successful results.

The set of picture presets available, for instance, features quite an unusual bunch of relatively out there and very restrained options – though the Glass Air is actually less extreme with its preset ‘takes’ than the Glass 2 is.

The provision of straightforward Bright and Dark settings for both basic HDR/HLG and Dolby Vision content is a positive, and it’s good at this price level to find white balance and colour management tools.

But frustratingly, it’s not possible to store different picture set-ups for different sources; whatever picture preset or custom set-up you’ve selected applies to every source until you change it.

The most aggravating issue, though, is the way the Glass Air won’t let you make adjustments to any of its picture presets bar the Custom one.

So if, say, you’re watching the Extra Vivid preset but feel like you’d like to nudge its brightness down a bit to reduce dark scene noise and bright highlight clipping, you can’t. The moment you adjust anything, the TV switches to its Custom mode – a mode with default picture values radically different to those of the Extra Vivid mode.

So if you’d like a slightly tweaked Extra Vivid mode, you’re forced to try and recreate the mode’s look under the Custom preset.

The Sky Glass Air doesn’t fix a couple of frustrating gaming shortcomings of the Glass 2, either.

For one, while the screen can detect when a game source is playing thanks to HDMI’s ALLM feature, it doesn’t give you any onscreen indication that it’s switched into its low-latency mode.

Nor, worse, is there any way to manually put the TV into its fastest response mode. So if your console or PC doesn’t support the ALLM feature, there’s no way of manually switching the TV into low-latency mode.

This issue also prevents us from using our Leo Bodnar input lag test device to measure the screen’s input lag, so all we can say on that is that Sky claims Glass 2’s low latency mode gets input lag down to just under 20ms.

It’s honestly baffling that Sky hasn’t fixed these limitations yet, given the huge number of feature-adding software updates it’s rolled out to its Glass system over the years.

One last point gamers should take note of is that the Glass Air’s screen is only a 60Hz panel with no dual-line gate technology (which enables some brands to sacrifice resolution to double their screen’s refresh rates). So 120Hz gaming just isn’t an option on the Glass Air. There’s no support for VRR, either.

Picture

While the 65-inch Sky Glass Air’s pictures aren’t as bright, contrast-rich or generally intense as those of the Sky Glass 2, they’re really not bad at all for a TV that can be had for just a few quid a month.

For starters, in the Vivid and Extra Vivid presets (or a Custom mode set-up to largely mimic those presets), images look surprisingly bright. This is the case, too, with both full-screen bright HDR content and small bright highlights, despite the Glass Air not having any local dimming controls at its disposal.

Colours are surprisingly vibrant too – again in the Vivid and Extra Vivid presets – with the brightness highlighting the Glass Air’s colour intensity rather than causing it to wash out, as can happen with TVs that have more brightness than their colour systems can really cope with. Take a bow, Quantum Dots.

Colours in Vivid and Extra-Vivid mode arguably look better – or more natural, at least – than they do on the Sky Glass 2. Thanks, ironically, to the more limited capabilities of the Glass Air’s panel preventing it from pushing some colour tones a bit too hard and losing subtle details in very vibrant areas.

The Glass Air’s combination of decent brightness and vibrant colours means its pictures remain very watchable in its two Vivid modes, even in quite bright environments.

The Glass Air’s sharpness and detail are also better than we’d expect to see from such a cheap TV, leaving you in no doubt that you’re watching a native 4K screen. The sharpness doesn’t fall away badly when there’s motion to handle either, despite the lack of motion processing options, and even the set’s upscaling of HD sources is perfectly respectable.

The Glass Air retains lots of shadow detail in dark areas too, giving depth to dark scenes and helping to disguise the fact that its delivery of blacks falls some way short of the Glass 2.

Brightness is generally more stable than it is with the Glass 2 as well. The Air’s global dimming system can occasionally overreact, drawing attention to its machinations, but there’s no sign of the occasional local dimming zone ‘artefact’ you can get with the Glass 2. The extra intensity of the Extra-Vivid mode also really helps to disguise limited black level and faint clouding issues we’ll come to later.

In fact, the Glass Air’s freedom from many of the sort of overt distracting glitches and over-eager picture ‘boosters’ that many more expensive TVs can suffer with helps it deliver an overall unexpectedly natural, consistent and, as a result, immersive picture that’s rare to see for so little money.

Normally, TV presets with names such as Vivid and, especially, Extra-Vivid would be the ones we’d be most likely to avoid. On the Glass Air, though, they’re quite comfortably our favourite options. In fact, with SDR and HDR10/HLG, Extra-Vivid is our ultimate favourite, as it avoids a rather strong green tint that the Vivid mode introduces.

There are two issues with the Extra-Vivid preset’s appeal, though. First, it’s partly our favourite because the other presets just don’t seem to have been well thought through. They tend to make blacks become much more of a washed-out grey, reduce brightness and leave colours looking more flat and pallid.

The other issue with the Extra-Vivid preset’s appeal is that, while it’s the most watchable and enjoyable picture mode on the Glass Air, it can clip subtle shading and details out of the brightest parts of HDR pictures, and can bring out too much shadow detail in dark areas, leaving such areas looking a bit noisy.

And since you can’t try to fix these issues by simply adjusting the Extra Vivid settings, you’re basically forced to set up a Custom mode that looks like Extra-Vivid minus the clipping and dark-area noise issues.

One bit of very good and mercifully straightforward news in all this picture preset shenanigans is that the Glass Air responds very well to Dolby Vision content, with this premium HDR format’s extra image controls and information yielding a great balance of contrast, brightness and colour right off the bat.

Getting back to reasons the Glass Air is so affordable, its black level response is certainly a fair bit down on that of the Glass 2. Dark scenes look greyer, even in the most dynamic Vivid/Extra-Vivid modes, and there’s also occasionally evidence of backlight clouding in the image’s corners. Fortunately, this is faint and undefined enough not to become a major distraction. Especially if you leave some light in your room.

In fact, our attempts at dark room movie nights ultimately lead to the conclusion that the Glass Air is more watchable in all sorts of ways if you keep a little light in the room, as this helps hide many of its limitations without impacting its strengths. This is more a word of advice than a criticism, to be clear, given how watchable pictures remain in such room conditions.

Another tip would be to not place as much faith in the Glass Air’s Auto picture mode as you can in the Glass 2’s Auto picture mode.

On paper, the two modes should achieve the same aim – namely adjusting the picture to compensate for changes in ambient light conditions as well as the type of content (primarily sport or not-sport) being played.

While the Glass 2’s Auto mode did a good job of balancing out the screen’s otherwise sometimes over-enthusiastic extremes, though, the Glass Air’s mode tends to deliver rather dull, flat-looking results that quickly had us heading back to the Extra-Vivid mode (or our tweaked-to-look-like Extra-Vivid mode Custom preset).

One final limitation of the Glass Air’s pictures is that its viewing angles before black levels take a big hit are very limited. There’s also one final strength, though, which allows us to finish on the positive note the TV deserves; namely, that the Glass Air’s screen does a better job than most budget TVs of suppressing on-screen reflections.

Sound

The Sky Glass Air’s sound joins its pictures in outperforming the TV’s price point. It can go surprisingly loud, for starters, yet even at its maximum volume, it doesn’t sound strained or brittle, and we never manage to find a soundtrack moment extreme enough to elicit any buzzing or humming from the TV’s bodywork.

Despite the Glass Air only having a stereo speaker set-up, it manages to create a fairly convincing soundstage, even with complicated mixes. So, for instance, the piano at the start of It Chapter One on 4K Blu-ray sounds as though it’s coming from just outside the TV’s bodywork, while the rest of the mix seems to be coming from the screen. Voices seem to be coming from the onscreen action too, rather than from somewhere beneath or behind it.

Fine audio details are presented reasonably well, and high-pitched effects only sound harsh if they’re isolated in the mix, with no bass to counteract them.

Talking of bass, while there’s a limit to how deep the Glass Air’s speakers can go, that limit doesn’t prevent low frequencies from having respectable impact and presence for such an affordable TV. Yet the limit also cunningly kicks in just in time to stop even the most dramatic bass rumbles causing crackles or dropouts.

Dialogue can sound a little sibilant, and the Glass Air inevitably can’t rival the Glass 2 when it comes to Dolby Atmos soundstaging or general power. The Glass Air’s sound seldom does anything wrong enough to distract you from what you’re watching, though, adding to the TV’s surprisingly immersive qualities.

Verdict

While some of Sky’s picture set-up decisions and options are a bit odd (to say the least), the Glass Air is overall an excellent expansion of Sky’s TV hardware offering.

Despite being available for a monthly sub equivalent to just a couple of Friday night cocktails, it delivers surprisingly balanced, refined and thoughtfully tuned picture and sound – as well as a full version of Sky’s renowned operating system. All wrapped up in a premium-looking design that even gives you a trio of colour options to choose from.

SCORES

• Picture 4
• Sound 4
• Features 4

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Sky has announced the return of one of its most iconic channels, and it's heading back to UK screens later this month.

Sky One is coming back to the channel guide on Sky Glass, Sky Q and Sky Stream, and it's slated to be the new one-stop shop for the broadcast and streaming giant's biggest original content.

This includes The Office spinoff The Paper, as well as the UK version of Saturday Night Live when it premieres later this year.

It's replacing both Sky Showcase and Sky Max, combining the two with the goal of "bringing together a rich slate of entertainment in one place, making it easier than ever for viewers to find must-watch telly", according to Sky.

Originally phased out in 2021 after launching back in 1982, Sky One has previously held the title of the oldest non-terrestrial TV channel in the UK.

It was replaced by Sky Showcase, which has since become home to a long list of high-profile shows, including The Last Of Us, House Of The Dragon and The Day Of The Jackal.

It has decided to reverse this change five years on by welcoming Sky One back to the channel guide on 24th February.

Sky One is claiming Channel 106 on the EPG (the position currently held by Sky Showcase) when it launches later this month, and its inclusion, as well as the removal of Sky Max, will cause a few channels to shift around.

We've detailed them below so you can find your favourite channel if it has moved place:

Sky Q channel changes:

• Sky Comedy moves to channel 113
• Sky Documentaries moves to channel 114
• Sky Crime moves to channel 121
• Sky Arts moves to channel 122
• Challenge moves to 130
• Sky Sci-Fi moves to channel 145

Sky Glass and Stream channel changes

• Sky Comedy moves to channel 109
• Sky Documentaries moves to channel 110
• Sky Crime moves to channel 111
• Sky Arts moves to channel 112
• Challenge moves to channel 116
• Sky Sci-Fi moves to channel 114

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Read our full Sky Stream review

As well as our Sky Glass Gen 2 review

And find the best streaming devices here

Sky Q, the company’s satellite TV service, is officially off the market for online customers.

This was confirmed by ISP News as well as a Sky employee on the brand’s community site, who says the service is “no longer available to buy online”.

That doesn’t mean Sky Q will be switched off for existing customers, as the brand says they can still “manage their package online or through the My Sky App”. It’s also available to buy by calling Sky directly or in-store.

New customers are now being directed to choose Sky Stream, the company's streaming service, which gives you access to Netflix and a variety of Sky channels.

There are also plenty of add-ons you can choose to pay for on top of the base price of £15 per month for 24 months, including Sky Kids, TNT Sports, and Disney+.

This is all provided via just a streaming puck and can be controlled via a remote control, making it easy and fuss-free to set up.

That option certainly sounds tempting when compared to Sky Q’s requirement for a satellite dish and associated cabling to be installed on your house by an engineer.

We gave both Sky Stream and Sky Q five-star reviews when we tested them, although we did call the Sky Q "a bit old-fashioned in some ways" due to its design and dish requirements.

With the wider rise of streaming, though, it's hardly a surprise that Sky is starting to phase out its satellite TV offerings. We don't know how much longer the brand will keep Sky Q running for, but it's certainly looking like the end could be near.

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Here is our Sky Stream review

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HBO Max is coming to the UK and Ireland early next year. The streaming service will launch on these shores in March 2026, HBO has announced. But Sky customers will still be able to watch HBO content under the terms of the current deal.

Currently, Sky carries HBO content like Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, The Last Of Us, Succession, House Of The Dragon and The White Lotus via its Sky Atlantic and Sky Comedy channels. The two broadcasters also work together on joint productions like George McKay's forthcoming legal thriller War.

Sky customers will still be able to watch this existing content once HBO Max launches. HBO is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, which also owns Warner Bros. Pictures and the DC Universe – giving Sky (and HBO Max) customers access to films like the Harry Potter franchise, Superman, The Batman and Dune.

For the first time in the UK, non-Sky customers will be able to subscribe direct with HBO Max to enjoy all this content.

So it's good news for Sky customers, right? This being streaming, it's not quite that straightforward.

Once HBO Max has launched in the UK, Sky customers will still have access to existing HBO shows – and any future series – on the same Sky channels as now. But new series – like the forthcoming Harry Potter show – will have to be watched through the standalone HBO Max service, the ad-supported tier of which will be bundled free for Sky customers.

So it won't cost Sky customers any extra. But they will have to watch through a different service, much as they do with Netflix content currently.

Complicating matters further, HBO is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, which plans to split into two separate companies. HBO will be part of the 'Studios & Streaming' business, which is currently seeking a new owner. Bidders include streaming big hitter Netflix, Paramount Skydance (owner of Paramount+) and Comcast (which owns Sky).

The deal is hoping to conclude by the end of December. So by the time HBO Max launches in the UK, it could have a completely different owner, and hence be a very different proposition.

If Comcast wins, it could simply offer all the content as part of its Sky offering. This would mean either retiring the HBO Max service soon after it launches on these shores, or even not launch it at all.

The same could be said for Netflix – and as Netflix is bundled with most Sky subscriptions, Sky customers would get the same access to all the HBO content they do now.

Paramount could merge HBO Max with its Paramount+ service, but what would it call it?

As you can see, there are a lot of moving parts to this deal. HBO Max's UK tiers and pricing information are also yet to be confirmed.

The UK launch is the latest part of HBO Max's international rollout. In January, the service will expand to Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein.

HBO Max launched in 2020. It was briefly renamed Max, but then changed its name back following widespread derision.

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Read our Sky Stream review

Sky Stream vs Sky Q: what are the differences?

Live is dead, or will be very soon. Sky Live, the motion-sensing camera that attaches to the Sky Glass TV, is being shut down next month. But Sky isn't doing a Bose – it's issuing full refunds to anyone who bought one, either outright or on a monthly payment plan.

If you missed it, Live is a Kinect-style camera that launched in 2023. It attaches to your TV using magnets to unlock video calls, virtual watch-alongs, and even motion-sensed fitness programs and games (hence the comparisons to the Xbox's Kinect).

And now it's going the way of Kinect. Sky will shut down the device on 4th December – that's one month from today. That means all its functionality (including video calls and motion-sensing games) will no longer work from then.

Here's everything you need to know.

How to get a refund

The good news is, you don't have to do anything in order to get a refund. If you paid for your Sky Live upfront, you should get your money back within three weeks via the same payment method you used to buy the device.

Paying for it monthly? Sky will cancel your ongoing payment and refund those you've already made. If your account is in arrears, Sky will pay that first and then return the balance to you.

How to return your Sky Live

You don't need to return your Sky Live in order to get a refund. But seeing as it won't work anymore, you may well want to send it back to Sky. Doing so is free.

Just visit Sky Live Returns to get a prepaid label. You can use the original packaging if you still have it, otherwise you'll have to package it up yourself.

If you bought your Sky Live from Currys, you can still send it back to Sky using the same process.

Mvmnt free subscription

If you used the Mvmnt app before today, Sky will give you 12 months' free access starting on 4th December (though of course the Body Tracking feature won't work).

To start the free trial, go to the Fitness section of the Apps rail on your Sky Glass TV and log in to Mvmnt using the same details as on Sky Live.

Zoom Premium will no longer work

Once Sky Live is shut down, Zoom Premium will no longer work. To cancel your subscription, you'll have to contact Zoom.

But games will

Games will still work on Sky Glass, but again, they won't have the motion-sensing aspect that Sky Live enabled.

Our view

Sky hasn't said why it's shutting down Sky Live. Its statement says it's "going to be focusing our investment where it matters most to customers: faster, simpler products, unbeatable content and brilliant service."

Which suggests customer uptake wasn't as high as Sky had hoped.

It's always a shame when a product fails, especially when it genuinely adds functionality. We tried Sky Live for ourselves, and enjoyed its seamless integration into the TV as well as how well it performed.

"I still don’t know whether Sky Live will be a hit," wrote our TV and AV Editor Tom Parsons. "I just know it’s better than I expected – and probably better than you’re thinking."

Well now we know.

At least Sky is doing right by its customers. Bose recently decided to remove the smart skills from its SoundTouch speakers without offering customers so much as a bean in compensation. Admittedly the SoundTouch speakers have been around for a decade longer than Sky Live. But still, Sky's compensation scheme looks positively saintly in comparison.

MORE:

Our verdict: I tried the Sky Live camera for Sky Glass, and it’s better than you’re thinking

Here's our Sky Glass review

And you can get Sky Glass without the TV with Sky Stream...

The best video streamers category has ballooned from a single winner last year to a whopping three this year. All jokes aside, we're pleased to see a budget pick return to this category, as the Apple TV 4K (2022) spent a year on its own after the discontinuation of the Google Chromecast with Google TV.

Now, with company from Amazon and Sky by its side, the Apple TV 4K is once again amidst some Award-winning company. Despite being over three years old at this point, it remains on the list as Apple is yet to unveil a successor despite the escalating rumours of a new model launching this year.

That being said, it's still a great streamer for all-round picture and sound performance, offering a crisp, rich and sharp picture which supports both Dolby Vision HDR and HDR10+. It's stood the test of time and fended off competitors such as the Google TV Streamer to remain as our best video streamer over £100.

A superb streaming stick for half the price

For those who are looking for a top-notch streaming experience under £100, we direct you towards the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2nd Generation). The name is a mouthful, but the performance speaks for itself, as the picture is nicely balanced and it supports all of the same HDR formats as the Apple TV 4K.

It's feature-packed, too, with a superb selection of apps that covers the mainstream and niche options for all kinds of movie and TV fans. And while Fire OS is a bit ad-heavy for our liking, we can't deny that it's come on leaps and bounds over the years to become a pretty intuitive system to use.

This plug-and-play solution is an easy and cheap way to upgrade your 4K streaming experience, whether you're replacing your TV's built-in operating system or breathing new life into an ageing 4K TV.

Sky Stream dethrones a long-running favourite

Here's a new contender in the video streamers category. We finally felt that it was time to let Sky Q go, as the service nears its 10th anniversary and with Sky Stream now being the company's main focus when it comes to delivering Sky TV to the masses.

This plucky little puck has been moved to the video streamers category, as it's an internet-enabled streaming device that allows users to stream live TV without the need for a dish to be affixed to their house. It also features a wide array of streaming apps built in, including Netflix, which is included in the monthly subscription price; nifty.

Much like the Apple TV 4K and Amazon Fire TV 4K Max, it also supports Disney Plus, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video and many, many more apps and services. This is bolstered by Sky's huge content library, which includes a wide array of blockbuster movies, TV shows and sports programming depending on your subscription level.

Picture and sound quality are on par with Sky Q from our experience and testing, with a sharp 4K experience on the various TVs we tested with it. HD content, in fact, often looks better on Sky Glass, as it forgoes the relatively higher amount of compression that's present on Sky Q.

A more versatile streaming box that's virtually plug-and-play seals the deal for us; henceforth, we bestow Sky Stream with the best TV subscription title.

Of course, only one member of this trio of streamers will take home to coveted Product of the Year title, but which one will it be?

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As well as our full Google TV Streamer review

I have spent the last three days measuring TVs.

That's obviously not unusual for a TV reviewer, but this time I wasn't measuring dimming zones, input lag or peak brightness – I was measuring energy use.

It's something I've wanted to do for a long time, and the plan is to introduce power draw figures to some of our reviews in the future, but our first annual Sustainability Week was the kick up the backside that I needed to actually make a start.

Now, measuring the energy use of something like a TV is a very time-consuming process – you need to connect an energy meter and let it run for a while, and I wanted to test various different aspects – so this is only the start of the research, but it has already produced some results that surprised me.

SDR vs HDR

I first wanted to find out whether different content types affected power draw, so I played seven different 10-minute clips through the 65-inch LG G5 and Sony Bravia 8 II in our test room, and the 65-inch Sony A95L that I use at home.

Those clips were the 4K Blu-ray of the super-bright Pan, which I ran in HDR10; the far-less-bright Blade Runner 2049 on 4K Blu-ray, also in HDR10; Toy Story 4 in 4K and Dolby Vision from the integrated Disney Plus app; the 1080p, SDR Blu-ray of True Grit; an episode of the latest series of QI from BBC iPlayer in HD; the very first episode of the Mr. Bean TV show, in standard-def from Amazon Prime Video; and 10 minutes of Sky Sports News, sent from a Sky Stream puck.

That gave me a lot of data, but I'm not going to go into that in detail now, partly because I'm saving it for a future feature, but mostly because it's only really interesting because of where it sent me next.

You see, the measurements suggest that the source and resolution make little difference to the amount of power the TV uses – the only thing that really makes a difference is whether the content is in HDR or SDR, with HDR content using less power when in the least processed modes, but more power in modes such as Dynamic or Vivid.

That makes sense when you think about it. It's brightness that uses power, and in modes such as Filmmaker (or Professional in the case of Sony), HDR will be brighter than SDR.

But in broadly brighter modes, particularly Standard or Dynamic/Vivid, the TV will bring SDR content up to HDR-like brightness levels, and will employ additional processing for that task (as well as all of the additional processing those modes tend to involve), hence SDR content will then use more power than HDR.

Filmmaker Mode (or equivalent) can save energy (and money)

What I really got obsessed by, though, was the overall power draw of different picture presets.

It was clear that the brighter modes would use more power, but how much more? And how much more would that extra energy cost?

So, I did yet more testing on my Sony A95L at home, as well as some research on how much the average household uses its TV, what the HDR/SDR content split is like, and how much electricity currently costs.

First up, the power draw of the four main presets, which are, from least to most processed, Professional, Cinema, Standard and Vivid:

According to Ofcom, in 2024, the average Brit spent just over 4.5 hours watching TV and video content per day.

Of this 4.5 hours, 84 per cent was through the TV set (as opposed to a smartphone, tablet, etc), so about 3.75 hours (3 hours and 45 mins) of watching content through the TV per day.

So, in a normal year, we're looking at 1369 hours of TV viewing.

Ofcom doesn't produce figures on HDR vs SDR (at least, not that I've seen), but Philips last year told me that its data shows that only 4-8 per cent of viewing through its "high-end" range, which includes all of its OLED models, is in HDR.

Let’s say, because the What Hi-Fi? audience is undoubtedly more passionate than average, that our readers watch 8 per cent HDR content. That would be 110 hours of HDR viewing per year, and 1259 of SDR.

Let's look at the energy use figures for the different modes on an annual basis, then, based on 110 hours of HDR and 1259 hours of SDR:

I don't know about you, but kWh mean very little to me – what I wanted to know is how this translated to monetary cost.

For the purpose of the UK energy price cap, the current average electricity cost is 25.73p per kWh.

So let's turn those above energy figures into pounds and pence by multiplying them by £0.2573:

As you can see, over the course of a year, the Professional preset of my 65-inch Sony A95L (which, again, is very similar to the Filmmaker Mode of other TVs) will cost roughly 25 per cent less than the Standard preset that many people will default to.

But spare a thought for those people who think they need to turn everything up to 11 and choose the Vivid mode: they could save £25 a year by switching to Professional.

As an aside, this testing reminded me just how horrible modes such as Vivid and Dynamic are. Garish, blinding and horribly noisy, you couldn't pay me £25 to use it on my TV for a week, let alone a year.

Professional/Filmmaker is where you get the most cinematically authentic delivery with most TVs. So, to my mind at least, it's better as well as cheaper.

But is your TV cheaper to run than your kettle?

Now, while I know I should be, I'm not someone who really has much idea of how much energy is used by the various appliances around my home, so I was taken aback when Ketan Bharadia (What Hi-Fi?'s Technical Editor) suggested that a TV only uses about as much power as a kettle.

Well, I set about doing another round of testing, and he's broadly correct.

While the data doesn’t seem terribly reliable, it’s suggested that Britons boil the kettle an average of 4 times per day, so that would be 1460 times in a typical year.

Let’s say (optimistically) that they’re boiling just 500ml each time – that’s the minimum for a lot of kettles and generally considered enough for two mugs of tea or coffee.

My kettle (a Kenwood Mesmerine ZJM811OR, if you must know) uses 0.069kWh to boil 500ml of tap water.

Multiplied by 1460 hours, that’s 100.74kWh per year, at a cost of £25.92 using the price cap average.

That's less than running my Sony A95L in Professional mode for a year, but only by £4.

The A95L is a 65-inch, flagship-grade OLED, too, so will use more power than most. There's every chance that many people are spending more each year running their kettle than their TV.

That's something that will require lots more data to prove, though, so expect more energy usage data on our TV reviews in the future.

In the meantime, give Filmmaker Mode (or your TV's equivalent) a go – it might save you some money as well as give you the best, most authentic picture quality.

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Freely is expanding its streaming offerings with a “simple and affordable” puck that gives you access to live and on-demand TV on televisions that do not have the platform built-in.

The free streaming platform gives you access to a range of different streaming services, including BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, and PBS America.

It was launched on a variety of next-generation smart TVs in April last year, providing access to over 40 channels without the need for an aerial dish or wires. That includes models from the likes of Hisense, Panasonic, and TCL.

This should allow audiences to ‘plug-in and stream’ live and on-demand TV all in one place.

Freely has teamed up with French entertainment technology company Netgem as its device partner. It says the puck is a “small and modern device” that will provide a “seamless and intuitive user experience.”

The device will include the same interface as seen on Freely Smart TVs, including a TV Guide with seven-day forward and backwards functionality, plus the ability to bookmark your favourite shows.

CEO at Everyone TV, Jonathan Thompson, said, “Freely was created to make free TV work for everyone. Expanding to ‘plug-in and stream’ devices is an important and natural next step to ensure even more homes can enjoy the full Freely experience without the need for a TV upgrade or paid subscription.”

We don’t yet know how much the puck will cost, but we are expecting to get more information in the coming months.

With more pricey competitors such as Sky Stream and Apple TV 4K also on the market, Freely’s first streaming puck could be a great alternative for those on a budget looking for a simple, straightforward offering.

It’s set to come out later this year, and we’ll keep you updated.

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Steven Soderbergh's suspenseful spy drama Black Bag, Ryan Coogler's rollicking deep-south horror Sinners and Walter Salles' shattering political drama I'm Still Here all deservedly feature in Rotten Tomatoes' 'Best New Movies of 2025' list.

But topping the Tomatometer-ranked round-up is Rungano Nyoni's follow-up to her BAFTA-winning feature directorial debut, I Am Not a Witch (2017).

On Becoming A Guinea Fowl is another critically acclaimed hit, carrying a 100 per cent Rotten Tomatoes rating. Film critic Roger Ebert called Nyoni's latest "an entrancing watch," while The New York Times wrote that the main protagonist "keeps you tethered throughout".

More than a year after its premiere at Cannes Film Festival, On Becoming A Guinea Fowl is currently available to rent on the Sky Store (UK) and Amazon (UK/US) for only £3.49 and $5.99 respectively, but from Friday it will be available to stream on Max (US).

That means it should be available to stream on Sky's Now TV service in the UK, if not also this weekend, then presumably very shortly after, following the recently renewed deal between Sky and Warner Bros Discovery.

The movie opens with Shula (Susan Chardy) finding her Uncle Fred dead on the road on her way home from a fancy dress party, and follows her experience over the ensuing days during the traditional Zambian funeral rites, when a dark family secret is revealed that causes tensions in the tight-knit family.

On Becoming A Guinea Fowl is an enlightening and somewhat damning exploration of a society whereby cultural traditions overpower morals, and silence takes precedence over justice, as through Shula and the other generations of women in her family we witness the emotional weight of hiding shame and suppressing trauma.

Indeed, the symbolism behind its surreal title unfolds as we learn the value of the vocal behaviour of the native African guinea fowl.

What Nyoni does so compellingly, as she did in I Am Not a Witch, is weave in flourishes of magical surrealism, here to illustrate Shula's actual frame of mind in contrast to her outwardly impassive and dutiful demeanour. Its poetic, dream-like quality keeps you hung in an absorbed state.

There are thought-provoking contrasts everywhere – the searing, heavy narrative undertow peppered with sporadic, sly moments of absurdist humour; the way the stoic Shula, her drunk, party-hard cousin Nsansa (Elizabeth Chisela) and the grief-stricken female elders wear their grief; and in the utterly captivating cinematography by David Gallego as he paints vivid pictures of the stark reality alongside abstract art that speaks the unsaid words of Shula.

Nyoni has become one of the most distinctive voices in cinema, and with On Becoming A Guinea Fowl, she manages to sink her hooks into you once again.

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The original Sky Glass caused quite a stir when it first launched, introducing a TV subscription concept to the masses. And now, Sky has expanded its Glass TV lineup with two distinct models targeting different audiences.

The first of these is the Sky Glass Gen 2 – the more premium offering with enhanced brightness and audio capabilities – while the Sky Glass Air strips back features to achieve a remarkably affordable entry point. Both TVs centre around Sky's integrated streaming service approach, but which one deserves your money?

Before diving into our detailed comparison, it's important to note that while we have fully reviewed the Sky Glass Gen 2 in our dedicated test rooms, our Sky Glass Air assessment remains based on our hands–on experience with it at Sky's launch event.

Rest assured that we'll update this feature with a definitive winner once we've received a Sky Glass Air review unit and put it through our rigorous testing process.

Sky Glass Gen 2 vs Sky Glass Air: price and release date

The pricing structures for both models (which are now on sale) follow Sky's established subscription approach, with significant differences in monthly costs.

The Sky Glass Gen 2 maintains the same pricing as the original Glass model – £699 for the 43-inch version, £949 for the 55-inch model, and £1199 for the 65-inch variant when purchased outright. On Sky's 48-month payment plan, these translate to £14, £19, and £24 per month respectively (plus a £20 upfront fee).

The Sky Glass Air delivers genuinely surprising affordability. The 43-inch model costs just £6 per month on a 48-month contract, while the 55-inch version is £10 per month and the 65-inch model £13 per month. Outright purchases cost £309, £509 and £649 respectively.

However, both TVs require a Sky TV subscription to function properly, with packages starting at £15 per month for Sky Essential. This means the true entry cost for the Glass Air is £21 per month for the smallest model, still representing substantial savings over the Gen 2.

How do the Sky Glass Gen 2 and Glass Air designs compare?

Both models share Sky's distinctive chunky, angular aesthetic, but the Air makes notable compromises to achieve its lower price point.

The Sky Glass Gen 2 features an aluminium construction with a matte finish that we found to almost unintentionally mask the premium look of the material. It's available in three colours – Volcanic Grey, Arctic Silver and Atlantic Blue.

On the plus side, its improved low-profile stand slots directly into the chassis without requiring assembly – a welcome upgrade from the original Glass model's cumbersome mounting system.

The Sky Glass Air, meanwhile, maintains the same front-facing appearance and easy-assembly stand system as the Gen 2, but cost-cutting becomes apparent from other angles.

The premium colour-matched rear panel and refined side profile of the Gen 2 are replaced with a standard black plastic rear panel, and less sophisticated side construction. However, the Air introduces new colour options: Carbon Grey, Cotton White and Sea Green.

Most significantly, the Air lacks the integrated soundbar section that characterises the Gen 2, resulting in a slimmer overall profile but fundamentally different acoustic approach. More on that in a bit.

Sky Glass Gen 2 vs Sky Glass Air: what are the feature differences?

Both the Sky Glass Gen 2 and Sky Glass Air are powered by Sky OS, delivering the same content discovery capabilities, voice control functionality, and seamless integration across Sky's services. The interface remains user–friendly once you're accustomed to its particular approach.

Sky OS excels at content discovery and app integration, letting you add shows to a playlist regardless of which streaming service hosts them. A nice touch for serial binge-watchers.

Voice control represents a key feature on both models too, with far-field microphones built into the TVs enabling hands-free operation. The Gen 2 specifically features Voice Zoom 3 technology for enhanced dialogue clarity, while both models support Sky's voice-powered system for navigation and content search.

Both the Sky Glass Gen 2 and Glass Air are rocking three HDMI sockets each, including an HDMI eARC port for hooking up external audio solutions. The latter is particularly valuable for Sky Glass Air users, given its more basic internal speaker set-up.

On the gaming front, advanced features such as 4K/120Hz support or VRR are out the window, with both sets managing only 60Hz refresh rates apiece. If you’re a keen gamer looking to make the most of your consoles and/or PC with 120Hz+ refresh rates, you’ll likely want to look elsewhere.

Lastly, both models also support Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG, with integrated ambient light sensors for automatic picture adjustment.

Does the Sky Glass Gen 2 or Glass Air have a better picture?

Panel technology represents the most fundamental distinction between these two models, with potentially significant implications for picture performance.

Let's kick off with the Sky Glass Gen 2.

It has an upgraded Quantum Dot LED backlight system featuring an increased LED count and additional local dimming zones (104 zones in our 55-inch review sample), compared to the original Glass model.

This enhanced backlight architecture enables more precise control over brightness and darkness across different areas of the screen simultaneously.

Our full review confirms improved contrast ratios, reduced blooming around bright objects in dark scenes, and better overall dynamic range. We found it to deliver a super-bright and punchy picture, significantly outperforming the similarly priced Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini LED.

The Sky Glass Air, meanwhile, uses a more basic Quantum Dot panel implementation with global dimming rather than local dimming zones.

Global dimming means the entire backlight adjusts uniformly rather than in independent zones, which can limit contrast performance when scenes contain both very bright and very dark elements simultaneously.

However, Sky emphasises that the Air remains directly lit rather than edge-lit, which should still provide better black levels and uniformity than the cheapest LED TVs on the market.

In practical terms, the Gen 2's local dimming should deliver punchier highlights in HDR content, deeper blacks in dark scenes, and less light bleed around bright objects.

The Air's global dimming approach, while more limited, keeps costs down while still providing the colour benefits of Quantum Dot technology and the improved contrast of direct LED backlighting over edge-lit alternatives.

Our full Glass Gen 2 testing with Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One in Dolby Vision showed the Gen 2 delivers a terrifically bright and dynamic image with excellent highlight brightness, natural colour warmth and impressive three-dimensionality thanks to strong contrast and sharp detailing.

The picture proved balanced, consistent and downright cinematic, with natural skin tones and subtle shading.

The Auto Viewing Mode intelligently switches between different picture and sound settings, depending on the content type, delivering a warmer, cinematic presentation for movies and cooler, brighter settings for sports, with enhanced commentary clarity.

Dolby Vision content looks excellent in both Bright and Dark settings, with the Bright mode offering a punchier delivery that works well across different viewing conditions.

Testing with Civil War on 4K Blu-ray confirmed the picture is superbly striking – bright, sharp, vibrant and dynamic, making for a really exciting and engaging delivery.

During testing, a close-up of Lee (Kirsten Dunst) during the battle for DC looked beautifully striking as well, with light shining off her sweaty forehead contrasting superbly against the near-black backdrop, demonstrating excellent shadow detail without black crush.

Despite these impressive results, our Gen 2 review also revealed some limitations – the TV cannot achieve true black levels, managing only very dark grey even when displaying pure black content.

Additionally, it slightly exaggerates reds, though this remains pleasant rather than garish.

Viewing angles proved good rather than great, with noticeable drop-off just a few degrees off-axis.

There's also a specific HDR 4:4:4 chroma banding bug that can be resolved by switching source devices to 4:2:2 output.

The Sky Glass Air, meanwhile, showed competent performance for its price bracket across varied content in our hands-on experience. During demonstrations of The Last Of Us, the opening scene appeared natural, if slightly washed out in some aspects.

Formula 1's brake lights appeared appropriately bright and clear, while a hovering bee in David Attenborough's nature documentary looked crisp and detailed. The animated Despicable Me 4 also benefited from the Extra Vivid mode, with colours kicked into overdrive and brightness significantly increased.

However, contrast appeared noticeably weaker on the Air than the Gen 2, with limited depth or dynamism to the image – likely due to the global dimming implementation rather than local dimming zones. Motion handling appeared adequate during both the F1 and football demonstrations, though comprehensive testing awaits our full review.

Overall, the picture quality gulf between these models is significant based on our testing so far – although we stress once again that only the Glass Gen 2 has had the full review treatment.

The Gen 2's local dimming, superior brightness, and impressive contrast delivery make it a genuinely compelling performer that punches above its weight, despite some black level limitations. The Air, from our hands-on experience, delivers respectable performance for its price point but clearly makes compromises in contrast and dynamic range to achieve its affordability.

While we'll need our full Air review to make definitive comparisons, the Gen 2's proven picture quality suggests it's worth the extra cost for those prioritising visual performance, whereas the Air appears to serve as a capable entry point for less demanding viewers.

Sky Glass Gen 2 vs Sky Glass Air: which one sounds better?

Screens aside, the sound set-up makes for one of the most significant differences between these Glass siblings.

The Sky Glass Gen 2 incorporates a comprehensive 3.1.2-channel Dolby Atmos system with two diagonally-firing drivers, a centre speaker, upgraded subwoofer, and two up-firing drivers for height effects.

Our full review found this delivers good sound for a TV at this level, with clear dialogue, decent room projection and impressive spatial presentation. However, there's a surprising lack of bass depth despite the subwoofer set-up.

The hidden Bass Boost setting (off by default) helps with bass presence and voice weight, so we recommend activating this. Even so, the sound remains lightweight overall and can't compete with even the fairly basic £120 Sony HT-SF150 soundbar.

As for the Sky Glass Air, it delivered a noticeably thinner and more two-dimensional sound during our demonstration. Neither of the clips played (Secret World Of Sound and A Star Is Born) provided much sense of bass weight or atmospheric presence.

The two-channel downward-firing system managed clear vocals, but appeared to struggle with the broader soundscape, delivering what we'd expect from a budget TV's built-in speakers.

Despite this, Sky's reasoning for this pared-back speaker set-up makes sense when viewed through a cost-cutting lens – especially if users plan on bolstering the system with one of the best soundbars via the HDMI eARC port.

Early verdict: Sky Glass Gen 2 vs Sky Glass Air – which should you buy?

Based on our full Gen 2 review and hands–on Air experiences, Sky's new models serve distinctly different audiences within the company's ecosystem.

The Sky Glass Gen 2 represents the more complete package, with improved brightness, better contrast through local dimming, and substantially more sophisticated audio capabilities.

Our testing awarded it four stars, confirming it builds meaningfully on the original Glass concept while maintaining the same pricing structure. Picture quality genuinely impressed despite some limitations, such as the raised black floor, while the integrated audio provides good TV sound but can't match dedicated soundbars.

The Sky Glass Air prioritises affordability above all else, making genuine compromises in display technology and audio to reach its remarkable price point. However, it retains the core Sky OS experience and delivers respectable picture quality for casual viewing.

While contrast limitations were apparent and audio performance basic, the overall package remains admirable for the price. From what we've seen so far, at least.

The choice ultimately depends on your priorities and budget. The Gen 2 suits those wanting Sky's full vision realised with decent performance across picture and sound. The Air serves as an affordable entry point to Sky's ecosystem for those with limited budgets who can accept its basic audio and reduced contrast performance.

We look forward to conducting a full Air review to determine which represents better value in their respective price brackets, and how they compare to traditional TVs at similar prices.

MORE:

Read our Sky Glass Gen 2 hands–on review

Check out our Sky Glass Air hands–on impressions

Here are the best TVs you can buy right now

Even though we (obviously) all love movies here at What Hi-Fi?, there is still quite the range of interests in our team, and nothing makes that more clear than when we discuss our favourite test discs.

Some of us immediately reach for a terrifying horror, whereas others prefer to ease themselves in with a wholesome period drama.

If you have ever been curious about exactly what films we use to test out the latest tech, then boy are you in for a treat.

This entry for ‘Now Showing’ really lays out our huge range of tastes of the table, so strap in for a melange of genres, time periods and hot-takes. Let's get cracking!

Barbarian

There are more than a few Shudder subscribers in the What Hi-Fi? team. So when a horror movie arrives with scenes so bad even we have a collective “sweet-zombie-jeebus” moment, it is either doing something very right, or very wrong.

Barbarian managed to do just that. The 2022 directorial debut from Zach Cregger tells the tale of a creepy Airbnb house in Detroit and has all the trappings of a classic horror.

Hammer Horror tongue-in-cheek elements, that are nicely played up by Justin Long (previously of Jeepers Creepers and Tusk horror fame)? Yep. Expert timing that leaves you in a constant state of dread? Check. Gore galore and a story where the big bad is way worse and creepier than anything you came up with in your head? You bet.

This, plus its stellar use of audio, which genuinely makes you feel slightly sick in certain scenes and “bump in the night” use of shadow to leave you constantly feeling threatened make it a fantastic title for fans of the genre.

If you are a fan of great films including Hereditary, Midsommar and Sinister, I’d strongly recommend giving it a watch.

Words by Alastair Stevenson

Watch Barbarian on Netflix

Little Women

What's that noise? Ah yes, it's the sound of your necks cracking from the tonal whiplash of this entry. But bear with me here, because this is a go-to for both testing and when I just want to watch a bloody good movie.

When I heard that Greta Gerwig (the director of Lady Bird and Barbie) was making an adaptation of one of my favourite books, I was the first in the queue to see Louisa May Alcott's novel brought to life for a new generation.

Luckily, it did not disappoint.

If you are unfamiliar, Little Women follows four sisters in the 1860s during the American Civil War. It charts their journeys from childhood to womanhood, from first loves to dealing with life-threatening illness.

The film has a timeless feel from the first frame with a limited colour palette of blues and pastel shades. Paired with a soundtrack that has the same nostalgic feel as the 2005 iteration of Pride And Prejudice, it is an ideal watch to see how a home cinema system handles more subtle audio and picture.

Words by Robyn Quick

Watch Little Women on Amazon Prime Video

Buy Little Women on Blu-ray at Amazon

Sinners

In my youth, I knew the ins and outs of more or less every movie long before it came out, having avidly devoured every trailer and every bit of news in the pages of Empire and Total Film.

Too many times, though, films that I was all hyped up for turned out to be a disappointment (or were spoiled by a review or the trailer itself), so these days I intentionally keep myself in the dark.

Even so, Sinners was a real surprise. It just sort of appeared out of nowhere and was then everywhere, and the very short clips that I couldn’t avoid looked very good indeed.

And then my movie-obsessed colleague Robyn Quick wrote this piece about their experience seeing the movie at the cinema and predicting how good it would be as a home cinema tester.

Well, Sinners is now available to watch at home – not on 4K Blu-ray, unfortunately, but as a premium rental or purchase through services such as Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video and the Sky Store – and I can confirm that it is indeed an awesome film and an incredible tester.

I really don’t want to give anything away about the movie (that would be unfair given what I wrote above), but suffice to say it’s a terrific mix of action and horror with a smattering of comedy and some excellent gore.

It’s achingly cool, too, and the largely night-time setting gives your TV plenty of high-contrast imagery to deal with (it looks great on an OLED). But, as Robyn predicted, it’s the Dolby Atmos soundtrack that is most thrilling, particularly during the genre-melding, time-travelling, spirit-awakening musical number led by the excellent Miles Caton.

Words by Tom Parsons

Watch Sinners on Amazon Prime Video

I have just published my Sky Glass Gen 2 review, and overall I'm really impressed by how good it is.

The picture, in particular, is very good, with lots of brightness and vibrancy, but still with a natural balance overall.

It works really well out of the box, too, so you can get a nice, authentic picture without having to dig into the settings.

Honestly, it's so much better than I was expecting, and if all-in-one neatness and simplicity matter to you, I highly recommend it. In fact, I have already recommended Sky Glass Gen 2 to several friends and family members.

However, if you're prepared to sacrifice a little bit of convenience and put up with a couple more boxes and HDMI cables, you can get a much better performance for the same money.

Before I get to my alternative system, though, a quick reminder that the 55-inch Sky Glass Gen 2 will set you back £949 (without the Sky subscription) if you pay for it upfront, so that's the budget I'm working with.

And if you want to pay monthly for Sky Glass, here are the latest deals:

Consider a system based around Sky Stream instead

I'm going to work on the assumption that you do actually want Sky in some capacity. Why would you even be looking at the Sky Glass otherwise?

In that case, Sky Stream is the way to go. It provides exactly the same over-the-internet Sky service that you get with Sky Glass, with the same subscription costs, but in the form of a puck rather than a TV.

You only pay for the subscription, too – there's nothing to pay upfront.

Next, I suggest buying an LG B4 OLED TV while you still can

While the Sky Glass Gen 2 performs really well in most regards, it's not up there with an OLED TV when it comes to picture quality.

In fairness, Sky knows that, and the Gen 2 doesn't really have to match an OLED TV, because OLED TVs are usually way more expensive.

Right now, though, you can pick up the 55-inch LG B4 for just £579 from John Lewis.

That's a TV that launched last year at £1700. It's available for so little now because retailers are shifting the last of the stock to make room for the new model.

Now, we haven't reviewed the B4, but I did review the preceding B3 (that's it in the photo above), which was superb for the money; and the B4 looked even better when I saw it at a launch event.

So, while I can't be 100 per cent sure, I am confident it will be a big upgrade on the Sky Glass Gen 2.

The finishing touch: a Dolby Atmos soundbar

Having spent £579 on our TV, we now have £370 left to spend on audio in order to match the £949 price of the Sky Glass Gen 2.

Actually, though, we're going to stretch the budget just a little bit and buy the Sony HT-S2000, which is currently available for £399, also from John Lewis.

(As a happy coincidence, buying both items from John Lewis removes the delivery charge you would have to pay if buying the TV alone.)

Now, I would have preferred to put the Sonos Beam Gen 2 here, and it's usually available for £399 or less, but right now I can't find it for less than £449.

The Sony HT-S2000 is a great alternative, though, and a five-star Dolby Atmos soundbar in its own right.

And while the Sky Glass Gen 2 has a built-in Dolby Atmos sound system of its own, and sounds good for a TV, it's no match for even the £120 Sony HT-SF150 soundbar I compared it to during testing, particularly in terms of bass weight, detail and spaciousness.

The Sony HT-S2000 will, therefore, be a huge step up.

Conclusion

I don't want any of this to seem like a slight against Sky Glass Gen 2. As mentioned right at the start, I think it's a really good solution that will absolutely thrill the people at whom it's aimed.

But a little more effort will get you a markedly better performance: perfect OLED blacks and pixel-level contrast control, vastly better sound and all the gaming features you could need, all while getting the same Sky experience via Sky Stream.

Quite remarkably, it’s been three and a half years since Sky Glass first launched.

It was a big deal for Sky: not only the brand’s first TV, but also the first time Sky was made available without the satellite dish with which it was synonymous.

A couple of high-profile service outages aside, it’s fair to say that Sky-over-internet – both in Sky Glass and Sky Stream forms – has been a success, and there’s no doubt it is the future of the service, with the satellite-based Sky Q seemingly destined for eventual discontinuation.

But three and a half years is a long time in TV land, and the original Sky Glass, which was already somewhat behind the TV tech times when it launched back in October 2021, is creaking a bit.

Good news, then, that Sky Glass Gen 2 is here.

The concept is unchanged – it’s a TV with a soundbar and the Sky service built in – but Sky has upped the specs and improved usability.

Overall, it’s a big improvement on the previous generation, but just a few little niggles hold it back from five-star greatness.

Price

Sky Glass Gen 2 is priced the same as the now discontinued original model, which is £699 for the 43-inch version, £949 for the 55-inch version, and £1199 for the 65-inch model. So far, so simple.

But one of the most appealing aspects of Sky Glass has always been that the cost can be split, interest-free, over 24 or 48 months. Opt for the 48-month contract and you’re looking at £14 per month for the 43-inch Sky Glass Gen 2, £19 per month for the 55 incher and £24 per month for the 65-inch model (you also have to pay a £20 upfront fee with any of the pay-monthly options).

That only covers the cost of the hardware, though, and you will also need to subscribe to the Sky TV service to get the intended Sky Glass experience. Subscriptions now start at £15 per month but can quickly balloon to much higher figures once you start adding sport and/or movie channels.

You still also have to pay an extra £6 per month if you want to add 4K and Dolby Atmos, which seems like a bit of a mickey-take when you consider they are key elements of the Sky Glass hardware, plus £5 for the privilege of being able to skip more adverts.

So, at the time of writing, the 55-inch Sky Glass Gen 2 we’re reviewing costs £19 per month, then it’s £22 per month for Sky Ultimate TV, £20 per month for Sky Sports, £10 per month for Sky Cinema, £6 for Sky Kids, £6 for 4K and Dolby Atmos and £5 for ad skipping.

So that’s a cool £88 per month for the full Sky package, and if you want to add the ability to watch Sky in a second room via one of the Sky Stream pucks, that’s an extra £12 per month.

TNT Sports is an extra £20 per month, too, and should you wish to upgrade the Netflix Standard with Ads subscription that comes with Sky to Netflix Premium, that’s another £11 per month.

So, if you tick every box while placing your order, you’ll be committing to spending £131 per month and £20 upfront.

Of course, you don’t have to tick all of those boxes, but it feels as though 4K and Dolby Atmos are essential. Once added to the standard Sky Essentials subscription of £15 and the £19 cost of the TV, you get a kicking-off price of £40 per month.

Design

While Sky Glass Gen 2 has a broadly similar chunky, angular design to its predecessor, some sensible changes have been made.

The first and most useful of these is the stand, which is now a low-profile little number that simply slots into the bottom of the chassis.

The stand for the original Sky Glass was heavy, chunky, a pain in the backside to assemble, and it gave the impression that the TV could swivel – which it could not – so this change is very welcome indeed.

The construction is aluminium, but the matte paintwork actually masks this in a way that seems surely unintentional, as it makes everything look more like plastic.

The number of finishes has been distilled to just three – Volcanic Grey, Arctic Silver or Atlantic Blue. Sky says that dark grey, silver and blue were the most popular colours for the original Sky Glass, which is why it has gone with those for the new model.

As before, the bottom couple of inches of the chassis are for a speaker bar. Said speaker bar, which Sky itself refers to as a Dolby Atmos soundbar, now contains two drivers that fire out diagonally from the ends, plus a centre speaker and upgraded subwoofer.

There are also now two up-firing drivers mounted within the top edge of the set to boost Dolby Atmos delivery.

While some people simply want the slimmest TV possible, we’re rather fond of the angular, monolithic design of Sky Glass, especially in the Atlantic Blue of our review sample.

Features

As before, this is a Quantum Dot TV with an LED backlight (what many brands refer to as ‘QLED’).

Sky has made the somewhat controversial decision not to switch to Mini LED backlighting, but while Mini LED tech certainly has the potential to improve contrast and brightness, it’s no guarantee of quality, and we’ve seen plenty of very impressive TVs with standard LED backlights in recent years. Better to judge on actual performance than specs.

And while the underlying panel technology hasn’t changed, the number of dimming zones has been increased (we count 104 independent zones in our 55-inch Sky Glass Gen 2 sample). Sky says that the big improvements for Sky Glass Gen 2 are increased brightness, increased contrast, reduced blooming and far better viewing angles. All good stuff.

Like the previous model, Sky Glass Gen 2 has just three HDMI sockets, which is one fewer than most modern TVs. That’s perhaps no great surprise when you consider the all-in-one nature of the TV, though.

The main external source we can see many people looking to connect to a Sky Glass TV is a games console, and the TV does support ALLM, so the low input lag Game mode will be automatically selected when a gaming signal is detected.

Unfortunately, this is as far as the advanced gaming specs go – there is no support for 4K/120Hz (the TV has a 60Hz panel) or VRR. Again, this is perhaps to be expected given the price and intentions of the TV, but there’s no denying that it will be a deal-breaker for some potential buyers.

There’s another problem on the gaming front, too, in that there’s no way to manually switch the Sky Glass Gen 2 into its low-lag game mode. That’s fine if your console or PC supports ALLM, as most do, but it’s no good for users of, for example, the original Nintendo Switch, which doesn’t, as they will have to struggle with the TV’s standard input lag of almost 70ms.

Of course, the real purpose of the Sky Glass TV is to deliver the full Sky TV experience in the simplest and most enjoyable way possible.

Other than the tweaks and updates that have been made since Sky Glass first launched, this is the same Sky OS experience that many of us are now pretty used to – bright, sharp and fairly user-friendly once you’ve got used to its foibles. It certainly makes Sky Q look rather anachronistic at this point.

Sky OS is also very strong on content discovery, app integration and voice control (the TV has far-field microphones built in). Every streaming app you’re ever likely to need is integrated into the platform and delivers its content in the optimal picture and sound formats that your subscription level allows.

On the subject of formats, Sky Glass Gen 2 supports Dolby Vision as well as the HDR10 and HLG formats of HDR, plus Dolby Atmos sound.

Rather than separate picture and sound presets, the Sky Glass Gen 2 has ‘Viewing Modes’ that adjust picture and sound together. By default, the TV is set to its Auto Viewing Mode, which is designed, as the name suggests, to automatically adjust picture and sound to the type of content being watched.

This is nothing new in the realm of TVs, but Sky is better placed to get it right as it produces and broadcasts so much of the content itself. The way this Auto mode has been implemented is much more intelligent than it was with the original Sky Glass, too, with the set seemingly switching modes on a per-program rather than per-channel basis.

The most striking difference in delivery comes when switching from a TV show or movie to watching sport. With movies and most TV shows, you get the warmer, cinematic presentation you would expect, but when watching sport, the set adheres to the cooler colour temperature that’s standard for sports broadcasting and opts for a crisper and brighter picture overall.

The sound changes, too, with the voices of the commentators being pushed out more clearly and crowd noise being sent up and out more broadly. It’s really quite atmospheric.

All told, most of the people who buy the Sky Glass Gen 2 will be very happy with the Auto viewing mode and the set’s other default settings, but home cinema buffs might want to switch to the most cinematically accurate Movie mode, and either leave that on all the time or manually switch to the Sport mode when appropriate.

Said home cinema buffs might also want to look at the Dolby Vision and HDR settings in the picture modes. By default, these are both set to Bright, but they can be switched to Dark for more accurate viewing in a dark room.

And, on the subject of accuracy, the Auto Backlight Adjustment setting, which is the sort of thing we would ordinarily switch off on a TV, actually appears to get both more brightness and more authenticity out of the Sky Glass Gen 2, so we recommend leaving this on.

Picture

We line the Sky Glass Gen 2 up alongside the Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini LED, which costs a little less than Sky’s TV but doesn’t feature a hefty soundbar or the integrated TV service.

First up is Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One in Dolby Vision from the Netflix app, and it’s fair to say that the Sky Glass Gen 2 pretty much smashes the Amazon set.

Sky’s claims of increased brightness and contrast for its new set are clearly accurate: this is a terrifically bright and dynamic image that makes the Amazon look flat, grey and a bit jaundiced by comparison.

It’s clear from the black bars at the top and bottom of the picture that the Sky Glass Gen 2 isn’t going completely black (an issue we’ll return to later), but there’s far more black depth than the Amazon set provides.

Highlights are brighter, too, and there’s more natural warmth to the colours.

What’s most surprising is how balanced, consistent and downright cinematic the picture is. While there’s lots of pop and vibrancy, skin tones are also natural in terms of hue and subtle in terms of shading.

There’s an impressive sense of three-dimensionality to the picture, too, thanks to the strong contrast and sharp, but not over-sharpened, edges.

This is all with Dolby Vision set to Dark, but Dolby Vision content looks really good when set to Bright, too – a touch over-exposed in the highlights, but not terribly so, and there’s something to be said for the punchier delivery.

If you can’t be bothered to switch between the Bright and Dark Dolby Vision settings for different viewing conditions, there’s no great harm in leaving the set in Bright so that you get a decent presentation in a bright room and a pleasantly punchy delivery in a dark room.

The Sky Glass Gen 2 has no active motion processing, as such, but it handles 24fps fairly well. There’s a bit of blur and judder, as you would expect, but it’s at least consistent and relatively cinematically natural, and there’s less of the smearing or jankiness than is common with affordable LCD TVs.

Over two days of testing, using various content types and formats, these picture performance traits remain consistent, but we do encounter a couple of disappointing flaws.

As hinted at, the Sky Glass Gen 2 appears to be incapable of going entirely black, even when there’s nothing to display on the screen.

In mixed brightness images, this generally isn’t noticeable. In fact, the TV goes black enough to combine with the excellent brightness to produce impressive contrast. But when a movie or TV show fades to black, or features a small highlight on an otherwise black background, the Gen 2 can only go as far as very dark grey, which is both noticeable and disappointing.

We also find that the Sky Glass Gen 2 tends to slightly exaggerate reds. This isn’t noticeable with a lot of content, including the Mission: Impossible movie we with which we began our testing, but with movies that already have a very vibrant palette (Alex Garland’s Civil War, for example) or those that are very subdued (such as Blade Runner 2049), a touch of excess rosiness is detectable. It’s worth noting that this is not unpleasant or garish, though.

Viewing angles, meanwhile, are good rather than great. There’s a noticeable drop-off in contrast and colour vibrancy when you move just a few degrees off-axis, but it doesn’t get significantly worse as you make the angle more extreme. In other words, there’s a definite sweet spot, but at least the not-sweet spots (the sour spots?) are consistent and far from terrible.

FInally, the Sky Glass Gen 2 also has a specific bug in the way it handles HDR content in the 4:4:4 chroma format. Most buyers will never see this, as it doesn’t affect streaming, but it is the default format in which most 4K Blu-ray players output HDR content.

The bug results in very noticeable banding, or ‘posterisation’, usually in large areas of subtle shading (the inside of the interview room near the start of Blade Runner 2049, for example).

Luckily, this can be fixed by switching your Blu-ray player's chroma output to 4:2:2, but it’s a shame that this is necessary. We understand that Sky is working on a fix for this issue.

Those niggles are a shame, but it’s worth reiterating how impressive the Sky Glass Gen 2’s picture quality is overall. With chroma subsampling set to 4:2:2 on our Oppo UDP-203 Blu-ray player, the Civil War 4K Blu-ray looks fantastic.

Yes, you can see that slight exaggeration of the colours, but only when you have a more authentic reference to hand, and the picture is superbly striking. Bright, sharp, vibrant and dynamic, it makes for a really exciting and engaging delivery.

And despite the raised black floor, contrast is excellent. A close-up of Lee (Kirsten Dunst) during the battle for DC looks murky on the Amazon Omni Mini LED but beautifully striking via the Glass Gen 2, with the light shining off her sweaty forehead contrasting superbly against the near-black backdrop.

Shadow detail is good, too, with none of the black crush seen from many TVs at this level, and bright highlights are both striking and information-packed.

Sound

How you feel about the sound of the Sky Glass Gen 2 will very much depend on your expectations. If you’re expecting sound to rival a standalone Dolby Atmos soundbar, you’ll be highly disappointed, but if you’re just expecting good sound for a TV, you will be pleased.

Chapter 2 of Blade Runner 2049 is nicely controlled, with no obvious distortion, but there’s a surprising lack of bass depth. The set makes very little attempt to reproduce the deep frequencies, despite the apparent presence of a dual subwoofer.

The Bass Boost setting, which is hidden fairly deep in the TV’s menus and is off by default, does increase the volume of the bass and gives it a little more presence, but it doesn’t extend it significantly deeper, and the audio is still surprisingly lightweight overall.

Even so, Bass Boost does lend a little more weight to voices, which otherwise sound a little reedy, so we recommend you turn it on and leave it so.

Despite the surprising lack of bass weight and depth, this is very good sound for a TV, particularly one at this level. Voices are clear and emotive, there’s very good projection into the room, lots of space and atmosphere, and it goes pretty loud.

There is some nice directionality to the sound, too. It’s much wider, taller and more spacious than all but the most specialist flagship TVs, and effects such as whizzing bullets move through the soundstage effectively.

But there’s really no contest between the Sky Glass Gen 2’s built-in speakers and a good dedicated soundbar – even a very affordable one, such as the Sony HT-SF150, which is widely available for just £120.

The little Sony soundbar lacks Dolby Atmos support, yet it sounds even more spacious than the TV. It’s much weightier, more precise in terms of timing and spatial placement, and smoother, too, without the hard edges that you get from the TV’s own speakers, particularly at high volumes.

Verdict

While you can beat the Sky Glass Gen 2 for sound by spending just £120 on a soundbar, beating it for picture quality is much tougher.

Really, getting something significantly better will involve going for an OLED, and while getting a 55-inch OLED TV for under £1000 isn’t impossible if you get your timing right, the launch prices for such TVs tend to be closer to £2000.

And the Sky Glass Gen 2 isn’t really aimed at the sort of person who's happy to buy a TV, soundbar and TV box separately anyway. It’s aimed at those who want a super-slick and attractive all-in-one that’s easy to use, brings in all of the content from the many services to which they might subscribe, and delivers it all really effectively.

It very much delivers all of that, and while a few niggling issues mean it falls short of a five-star rating, in most ways it exceeds our picture quality expectations.

SCORES

• Picture 4
• Sound 4
• Features 4

MORE:

Read our review of the Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini LED

Also consider the Samsung Q80D

Read our Sky Stream review

Best TVs flagship OLEDs and budget LED sets tried and tested

I've made no secret of the fact that I love the Apple TV 4K.

There are various devices in my system that could take care of my streaming needs, including my TV, Sky Stream Puck, PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X, but the Apple TV 4K is nicer to use than all of them and generally delivers better picture and sound quality, too.

The other advantage of using the Apple TV 4K for streaming is that when the rest of my family goes to bed, I can switch from using my speaker system to using my AirPods Max for sound.

I and several of my colleagues have written many times about how good Apple's Spatial Audio is, particularly through the AirPods Max.

To reiterate, though, it really does get disarmingly close to the cinematic experience you get from listening to a very good Dolby Atmos system out loud – to the extent that I rarely feel aggrieved when I have to make the switch at the behest of my long-suffering wife and son.

In fact, Spatial Audio via the AirPods Max is so good, it puts to shame the Dolby Atmos / 3D Audio headphones processing you get from the Xbox Series X and PS5.

That got me thinking: wouldn't it be great if the next Apple TV 4K had a load of HDMI inputs so that you could connect all of your sources to it and use Apple's Spatial Audio for the whole lot?

I certainly think so.

It wouldn't just benefit games, either, but also the watching of 4K Blu-rays via a dedicated player, plus late-night / early morning F1 races and NFL games.

It might be that Apple could achieve a similar result using the Apple TV 4K's existing eARC support, which already allows sources to be routed through a TV and out to the Apple TV, which then sends the audio to HomePods, but my understanding is that making this work with AirPods is surprisingly tricky.

Besides, having an Apple TV that worked as an HDMI hub would be useful in other ways, too, not least in how much it would reduce cable spaghetti.

One of the things I miss most about my old AV receiver is that it handled all of my HDMI switching, leaving just one cable going up to the TV.

A compact Apple TV device that did that (as well as everything else that the Apple TV 4K already does) would be even better.

In truth, though, I just don't think there's any way that Apple will ever go down this route.

The thing is, cables just aren't sexy.

Maybe one input with passthrough is a possibility, but can you imagine Tim Cook on stage, flashing a load of HDMI sockets? Me either.

But if Apple doesn't do something nerdy like that with the next Apple TV 4K, I don't know what it can do.

Almost three years on from launch, the current, third-generation Apple TV 4K is still the best standalone streamer available, and it's hard to think of ways it could be improved.

More processing power could be added, of course, but do people really use their Apple TVs for power-hungry tasks? I don't know a single person who even plays games on theirs.

Rumours have been around for ages about Apple working on a Dolby Atmos soundbar that has integrated Apple TV streaming smarts, but the chances of that ever seeing the light of day seem to dwindle with each passing year.

So, go on, Apple. Give me the nerdy HDMI inputs I want so I can use Spatial Audio for everything. You might as well.

MORE:

Check out our Apple TV 4K review

This Apple TV 4K Dolby Atmos hack has been a game-changer for my system

I ditched my Apple TV 4K for Sky Stream – here are 3 things I love and 2 things I don't

A damning report by Enders Analysis has called on big tech companies to crack down on piracy issues.

The research, written by Gareth Sutcliffe and Ollie Meir, says that Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft are all enabling “industry scale theft” of video services.

According to the report, the sports broadcasting industry is the biggest contributor to this issue. That’s because it is becoming more and more expensive to access legally.

Much of the piracy can be attributed to users buying illegal Amazon Fire TV Sticks sold via Meta’s platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp.

According to data for the first quarter of this year, provided to Enders by Sky, 59 per cent of people in the UK who admitted to watching pirated material in the last year while using a physical device said they had used a Amazon Fire product.

But illegal streaming sticks are not the only problem here.

Fire TV Sticks can run sideloaded Android apps, as the Fire TV operating system is based on Android; so users can install apps not found in the official app stores.

This is also possible on Android TV and Google TV devices.

The research adds: “Big tech is both friend and foe in solving the piracy problem. Conflicting incentives harm consumer safety by providing easy discovery of illegal pirated services, and reduced friction through low-cost hardware such as the Amazon Firestick.”

An Amazon spokesperson told the BBC: "Pirated content violates our policies regarding intellectual property rights, and compromises the security and privacy of our customers."

The company has made changes to its Fire devices to make it harder for people to stream pirated content, they added.

Another development that could improve the problem is Amazon's promise to switch to its in-house Vega OS for Fire TV Sticks. This transition will require developers to rebuild all apps and would stop the ability to sideload Android apps.

Google and Microsoft are also in the firing line of the report, which says that the Digital Rights Management solutions provided by the companies “are in steep decline”.

MORE:

Here are the best streaming devices we recommend

This is our review of the Amazon Fire Stick 4K

Check out our review of Apple TV 4K

Sky has officially launched Glass Air – its budget-friendlier TV model, first announced alongside the Glass Gen 2 in February.

As with the original Sky Glass and Gen 2 model, the Glass Air delivers the full Sky service built directly into the TV with no additional boxes or setup required.

It’s the price though, that might steal headlines. The new 4K Glass Air will land on 10th June, and can be yours from £6 per month.

That undercuts the existing Glass Gen 2 by £8, making it the company's most accessible television offering to date. Though you might still find a better bargain from our pick of the best budget TVs.

So what’s the main difference? In short, the audio. The Glass Air abandons the seven-speaker Dolby Atmos system found in the Glass Gen 2, and instead uses conventional built-in speakers with Dolby Audio processing.

This change results in the Glass Air having a notably thinner profile, with a trimmed price to match. Landing in 43, 55, and 65-inch sizes, the Glass Air is available in Cotton White, Carbon Grey, and Sea Green finishes.

On the display front, it’s rocking a 4K HDR Quantum Dot panel with global dimming and contrast enhancement.

The specs suggest a different implementation compared to the Glass Gen 2's full-array LED backlight with enhanced local dimming zones.

Sky hasn't disclosed brightness levels or detailed backlight configurations though, which means we’ll have to wait for our full review to see how they compare.

Both models are powered by Sky OS software, with hands-free voice control through "Hello Sky" commands. Connectivity details remain undisclosed, though we don’t expect to see anything as robust as, say, four HDMI 2.1 ports.

Pricing follows Sky's established structure across multiple payment options. The 48-month interest-free terms offer £6 monthly for 43-inch, £10 for 55-inch, and £13 for 65-inch models.

Those preferring shorter commitments can opt for 24-month contracts at £12, £20, and £26 monthly respectively.

Outright purchase pricing stands at £309 for 43-inch, £509 for 55-inch, and £649 for 65-inch models, with upfront payments starting from £20 required for finance options.

New customers can also combine the Glass Air with a Sky Essential TV subscription at £15 monthly, creating a £21 total entry point.

Sky Essential includes Sky TV programming alongside Netflix and Discovery+ access, though existing customer pricing may differ.

Glass Air will be available through Sky's direct channels and Currys online from 10th and 19th June, respectively. Stay tuned for our full review to see if it’s worthy of your attention.

MORE:

Hands on: Sky Glass Gen 2 review

Best TV 2025: flagship OLEDs and budget LED sets tried and tested

Best 8K TV 2025: two of the top next-generation TVs tried and tested

You're all probably sick of me banging on about the Apple TV 4K, so you'll be happy to hear that I've swapped it out as my primary streamer.

Yes, the device that I called "comfortably the best streamer" is no longer attached to one of my TV's HDMI sockets – but it's for a good reason, I promise.

As an avid AV enthusiast who's expected to stay up to do with all of the latest products and services for my daily reporting and reviewing, I've been trialling Sky Stream.

And you know what? So far my experience has generally been positive.

While detaching my beloved Apple TV was a tough pill to swallow, and signing into all of my apps again was rather tedious, I could immediately feel the benefits of Sky Stream.

Now, I know comparing a £149 / $130 / AU$219 streamer for a subscription package that starts at £15 a month (or much higher depending on how you decide to spec your package) might not seem like a fair comparison, but there is some logic in it.

Let's stick with Sky Stream Essential, which is £15 a month for 24 months. This includes the streamer, access to Sky TV, the entry-level Netflix subscription (which is £5.99 per month usually), and access to Discovery+.

That comes to £360 in total for those two years, which is just shy of double the Apple TV's price.

Take into account that the Apple TV doesn't come with any included services (not even Apple TV+), and then it makes even more sense.

Regardless, the Sky Stream puck has filled the Apple TV 4K-shaped hole in my TV setup and after browsing through the interface, flicking through channels and resisting the urge to sob at the latest episode of The Last of Us, I can confidently say that I've been converted.

During my week with Sky Stream, I've picked out three things I like about the service and a couple of things I would like to see improved or added. So without further ado, here's what I like and dislike about Sky Stream:

Like: Everything in one place

If there is one thing that Sky has absolutely gotten right with Stream, it's that all of your content is superbly easy to access.

Regardless of whether it's on Sky's own service or on a third-party streaming platform such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video or BBC iPlayer, it will be featured on the Sky OS home screen.

This has practically eliminated that awful wild goose chase of trying to find which service a TV show or movie is on once you've decided to watch it.

Integration is pretty seamless too. After plugging in all of my login details to the various services, I can now just click on a film or show, and it will take me straight to the app it's featured on.

In contrast, the Apple TV 4K is a more traditional streamer. While I am a huge fan of tvOS (especially compared to other streaming operating systems out there), I did find myself having to cycle through the apps to track down what I wanted to watch.

The Apple TV app did negate that somewhat, as certain services could be linked to it to create an all-in-one streaming hub, but it is nowhere near as cohesive as Sky OS's ambivalent approach.

Dislike: It's a bit glitchy

While I certainly have no qualms regarding Sky OS's feature set, there are a few performance hitches that I've encountered in my week with the streamer.

The main home screen of Sky OS can sometimes stick and I've encountered a couple of endless loading wheels that have resulted in me having to restart my puck.

Another more frustrating incident involved me having to factory reset and log back into my puck, as the volume controls refused to work and the setup process to allow the puck to recognise my Philips OLED907 TV broke entirely.

These are by no means dealbreakers, and I can handle a bit of lag here and there. But, coming from the Apple TV 4K – which hardly ever stuttered and worked seamlessly with my TV and soundbar straight away – I did notice the teething issues.

Like: Playlists are my new obsession

I'm familiar with playlists on Spotify and Apple Music, but, I've never really paid much attention to them on my TV. Sure, Netflix, Disney Plus and the rest all have watchlist features in which you can bookmark content, but Sky's playlist feature is a step above.

First and foremost, it comes down to that service ambivalent approach, as I can add whatever I like to my playlist to watch later; regardless of where it's located.

Secondly, Sky makes a much bigger deal of this feature and actively encourages you to use it thanks to a dedicated playlist button on the remote.

The big plus icon that's highlighted in red is hard to miss, and I've gone rather trigger-happy with it, adding whatever I like the look of to my playlist with the press of a button.

It's the first widget you see when you turn Sky Stream on as well, which makes it easy to jump back into and continue what you're watching. Overall, I'm a big fan of playlists.

Dislike: A couple of apps are missing

While the Sky OS ecosystem is mostly well-equipped, there are a couple of apps missing that I would like to see on the platform.

All of the larger streaming services are covered, however some of the niche services including MUBI and Shudder are absent.

This isn't a major gripe by any means, but it would be good to see Sky incorporate some of the smaller players in the streaming world especially as Apple, Google and Amazon's streamers have them.

Furthermore, the Apple TV app is purely for streaming on Apple TV+, which means you can't buy or rent movies directly, instead need to do so on a phone or tablet separately.

Music apps are the bigger issue for me, as the two services I'm signed up for aren't supported.

Apple Music and Tidal are both absent, and while you can cast to the Stream puck, I prefer a dedicated interface that allows me to play my music directly from the device without having to faff around with wirelessly linking my phone.

This won't be a dealbreaker for many, however, I like to queue music up on my TV to play through my soundbar when I'm doing a spot of cleaning, or when I have friends around.

Like: The remote is excellent

I've reviewed plenty of TVs, projectors, soundbars and streaming devices at this point, so trust me when I say I know a good remote when I see one.

The Sky Stream remote (which it shares with the Sky Glass) is an absolute doozy, with superbly tactile buttons that make clicking around the interface a joy. It's also responsive and features one of my absolute favourite features for any remote.

Yes, it's backlit. I tend to watch my TV in as dark a room as possible (asking our TV and AV editor Tom Parsons what he thinks about ambient light), so having a remote that illuminates to make operation easier in my preferred viewing environment will always score brownie points.

While I do miss the aluminium casing and iPod-style touch wheel on the Apple TV remote, and it has the advantage of having a charging port so I don't have to go out and buy batteries when my controller runs low on juice, the Sky Stream's superb remote has softened the blow.

MORE:

Read our full Sky Stream review

Check out the best Sky TV deals

And check out our picks for the best media streamers

The Indy 500 live stream is set to be a fascinating race after Robert Shwartzman became the first rookie to secure pole position for IndyCar's crown jewel event in 42 years. The Prema Racing driver finished ahead of a field full of veterans to secure top spot in final qualifying and will be aiming to cause another seismic shock when the race gets underway on Sunday.

The 25-year-old posted a four-lap average of 232.790 miles per hour at the iconic 2.5-mile Indianapolis oval to grab pole but will expect to come under huge pressure from fellow front-row sitter, and two-time Indy 500 winner, Takuma Sato.

The other shock came in the form of Top 12 Qualifying last Sunday where it was found that the seams of the attenuator component in both Team Penskes cars had been filled in. This is strictly forbidden and means that Josef Newgarden and Will Power will line up from 32nd and 33rd respectively.

Elsewhere, there are also plenty of other contenders in the 33-car field, including Mexican sensation and outright favorite Pato O'Ward, the hugely experienced New Zealander Scott Dixon, and Swedish ace Felix Rosenqvist.

Below we have everything you need to watch an Indy 500 live stream from anywhere with a VPN.

Indy 500 schedule 2025

• Final Practice – Friday, May 23: 4pm BST / 11am ET
• Pit Stop Challenge – Friday, May 23: 7.30pm BST / 2.30pm ET
• Indy 500 race – Saturday, May 24: 5.30pm BST / 12.30 ET

Watch 2025 Indy 500 live from anywhere

Most Indy 500 live streams are location-sensitive. So, you won't be able to access your home service when travelling abroad. A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a small but powerful app that lets you select your preferred location and thus unblock your usual Indy 500 live stream.

NordVPN is our pick of the best VPN services. It's affordable, fast, and easy to use. Try it risk-free for 30 days and see for yourself.

2025 Indy 500 live streams in the USA

In the USA, the 2025 Indy 500 is being shown live on FOX, with streams available on the FOX Sports website and the FOX Sports App.

For those without cable, there are live-streaming services that carry FOX, FS1 and FS2, including YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo and our favorite Sling TV.

Don't forget, if you're not in the US right now, you'll need a VPN to ensure you can watch you regular subscription without being geo-blocked. NordVPN is our favourite.

Indy 500 live stream in Australia

For Indy 500 fans Down Under, you'll love the all-inclusive service provided by the Stan Sport streaming service.

The basic Stan package is $12 per month and you add the necessary Stan Sport add-on for an $15 extra per month.

Remember, if you're not in Australia right now, you'll need a VPN to ensure you can watch you regular subscription without being geo-blocked. NordVPN is our favourite.

Watch Indy 500 live stream in the UK

Every minute of the build up to the race itself of the Indy 500 will be broadcast on Sky Sports F1 in HD, with the race starting at 5.30pm BST on Sunday. That means you can catch all the Monaco Grand Prix action just beforehand.

You can also watch on your smartphone, tablet web browser or other streaming devices via Sky Go. Not currently a Sky subscriber? Then take a look at the best Sky TV deals to watch this game and the rest of the massive range of events that Sky shows.

If you don't wish to commit to any of those plans, there's also the Now Sports Membership option that offer daily and monthly passes.

Remember, if you're not in the UK at the moment, you'll need a VPN to ensure you can watch you regular subscription without being geo-blocked. NordVPN is our favourite.

Watch Indy 500 live stream in Canada

In Canada, TSN has the rights to the IndyCar Series, including the Indy 500.

The streaming service grants access to everything TSN has to offer on an $8/month or $80/year subscription basis.

Use a VPN to watch TSN from abroad while travelling outside Canada.

What is the weather forecast for the 2025 Indy 500?

The early forecast for Sunday's race is that it will remain dry, despite there being a chance of rain showers on the days leading up to the main event.

This would be a marked improvement on last year when severe weather caused the race to be delayed by roughly three hours.

Indy 500 Outright Winner odds

Top 5 in the market

• Pato O'Ward - 5/1
• Alex Palou - 11/2
• Scott McLaughlin - 17/2
• Scott Dixon - 17/2
• Takuma Sato - 9/1

• Feast your eyes on the best TVs
• Splash the cash on these cheap TV deals
• Vroom service: F1 live stream

Sky Q customers might want to check their set-top boxes. An overnight outage has left Sky Q boxes all over the country stuck in standby mode.

The Sky Help Team tweeted about it this morning.

But not to worry – a fix is at hand. The same Sky Help Team account followed it up with these instructions: "If your Sky Q box is still stuck in standby please switch off your Sky Q box at the power socket for 30 seconds and back on again which will restore service."

Your correspondent was one of those affected – and I can confirm the fix works.

Sky Q is Sky's satellite service, but the firm offers TV via the internet too, courtesy of Sky Stream and Sky Glass. The former involves buying a new TV, while the latter is a box you plug into your existing telly.

Sky Glass Gen 2 launched this year with upgraded screen technology. A more affordable model is also coming this year, called Sky Glass Air. Now where have we heard that name before?

MORE:

Sky Q vs Sky Stream: what's the difference?

Sky Q vs Sky Glass: which should you buy?

Check out the best Sky deals around

Welcome to Absolute Cinema – a new monthly column where we highlight the very best custom install systems that have caught our eyes.

Yes, we know that very few people can afford such systems, including those of us writing about them, but who doesn't like to dream about the system they would build if that lottery ticket came in?

And who knows, perhaps you can get a little bit of inspiration for your own setup, maybe in the form of a specific component or even a unique solution to a problem presented to the installer of the system.

Anyway, enough of the preamble. You want to read about – but, most importantly, see – this month's system, which certainly doesn't disappoint if you love movies, music and incredible views of London.

The project

Zak Vracevic, owner and director of M.E.G.A. AV Installations, provides a tour of this award-winning project, which mixes audio-visual high performance, the customer’s passion for music and movies and a wildly inventive approach to acoustic treatment.

Zak explains, “When the client bought a large two-floor penthouse with the aim of having more space for entertainment and music, we decided to ‘go all the way’ and make the project special.

"The main room on the 8th floor was 40 per cent glass windows and doors, but it had very good height, which allowed us to install everything above the windows and in the ceiling.”

The front of the room was the biggest challenge as that was where the screen and the main left, centre and right speakers were supposed to be, but all the structure was made up of a massive glass wall.

Zak says, “We decided to design a large MDF bulkhead and suspend it from the ceiling to allow precise height adjustments.

"The bulkhead was home to a number of Bowers & Wilkins speakers and subwoofers. The same space was used to house the 130-inch Screen Excellence drop-down screen and two pairs of Lutron shades (sheer and blackout).

"Altogether, the bulkhead was approaching 400kg and required a full structural study and report.”

Ademir Volic, Principal Designer at Volume 3, architects, also working on the apartment, had the idea to take the iconic album artwork from Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures album – flip it upside down and use it as a statement for the room. It also works as an effective acoustic treatment.

Zak reveals, “We worked together on choosing materials and deciding how to make the ceiling work best for the room acoustics and all the services built into it.

"In between the veneered MDF ceiling ribs, we used semi-rigid compressed felt with acoustic properties, helping to dampen any room reverb and excess high frequencies resulting from the amount of glass present in the room.

“We were left with 175mm between the ribs to house the surround and back surround speakers as well as the speakers for the library at the back of the room. By pure luck, the Bowers & Wilkins CWM7.4 S2 speakers are exactly 175mm wide and were thus chosen.”

The team still had to cut the B&W metal back boxes smaller and use black spray for the white trim around the speakers, as they were to be installed without grilles and needed to be all black.

For projection, a Sony VPL-XW7000 native 4K laser projector mounted inside a Future Automation projector lift combination was chosen.

Video sources include Apple TV 4K, Sky Stream and a Blu-ray player. Presets for these different sources are fed into the Control4 automation platform, which controls the cinema via a Halo Remote.

The room’s audio is taken care of by a Marantz AV-10 and AMP-10 combo.

The audio configuration is 7.2, with both the surround and back surround speakers positioned on the ceiling, one subwoofer in front and one 15-inch sub at the back of the room.

As there were no major room peaks or dips, Audyssey room correction from the Marantz AV-10 was sufficient for minor tweaks.

The subwoofers are powered by Bowers & Wilkins CDA-2HD network power amps, which allow setup and DSP (not used here) via network/laptop.

The client’s high-end hi-fi rig includes a handmade Quasar Signature turntable for vinyl playback, plus a networked Innuos ZEN Mini music server via a high-end Weiss DA converter.

Audio can also be played through the cinema sound system using Marantz’s feature to utilise subwoofers for music.

A Lutron HomeWorks system that includes shades allows the customer to control light throughout the day, depending on what the room is being used for.

The system can also be accessed remotely by the install team so they can adjust performance and settings without visiting the apartment.

A pretty cool project all round.

The full kit list

Hi-fi equipment:

• David Berning ZOTL Pre One preamplifier
• 2 x David Berning 845 ZOTL HiFi One Edition Gen 3 monoblock valve amplifiers
• 2 x Audience ClairAudient 16+16 Mark II speakers (32 drivers, 9 passive radiators)
• Hand-made Quasar Signature Turntable with Lyra Etna MC cartridge and Graham Engineering Phantom III tone arm
• Weiss Medea D/A convertor
• Innuos Zen Mini music server / ripper
• 2 x Bowers & Wilkins CTSW12 12-inch subwoofer
• Bowers & Wilkins CDA-2HD DSP amplifier
• 2 x Audience aR2-T power conditioners (for mono blocs)
• Audience aR12-T4 power conditioner (for everything else)
• Audience Au24SX interconnect & speaker cables
• 6 x Audience Au24 powerChord power cables

AV equipment:

• Apple TV 4K
• Panasonic DMP-BDT460 Blu-ray player
• Sony VPL-XW7000 4K laser projector
• Screen Excellence Media Time 130-inch motorised projection screen
• Marantz AV-10 Reference preamp / processor
• Marantz AMP-10 Reference power amp
• 2 x Bowers & Wilkins CDA-2HD DSP amplifier (for subs)
• 3 x Bowers & Wilkins CWM7.3 S2 L / C / R speakers
• 4 x Bowers & Wilkins CWM7.4 S2 surround speakers
• Bowers & Wilkins ISW-8 12-inch in-wall subwoofer
• Bowers & Wilkins CTSW15 15-inch subwoofer
• Control4 Core 5 system controller
• Control4 Halo Touch remote control
• Van-Damme speaker cables

It's a great time for TV. 2025 is serving up fresh delights in the form of new shows for viewers to get their teeth into, alongside new seasons of established shows that we've been eagerly anticipating.

There are loads of notable shows that we could mention. The White Lotus' third season has proven popular, while the poignant and thought-provoking Adolescence (which can be found on Netflix) has occupied headlines since its release last month, and for good reasons too.

However, it's these three shows, which are currently releasing weekly and streaming in 4K HDR with Dolby Atmos, that I'm currently fixated on.

As someone who spends the majority of their time putting OLED TVs and soundbars through their paces with a wide range of reference material in our dedicated testing room, I know what content can truly make your AV equipment shine.

It's not all about picture and sound, though, as these shows are also narratively compelling, and feature some spectacular performances too.

They offer up scares, laughs and sci-fi action, meaning there should be something for every taste – so look no further if you're seeking a new show to get stuck into.

The Last of US (Season 2)

The Last of Us has been a fan-favourite title amongst gamers since it launched on the PlayStation 3 back in 2013.

A decade later, we saw it grace our TV screens as a live-action adaptation, starring Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian, Game of Thrones) and Bella Ramsey (Game of Thrones) as Joel and Ellie, respectively.

The first season offered up action, scares and some intense emotional sequences which, in my humble opinion, truly did the game justice.

We were especially excited when HBO announced that a second season based on the second game in the franchise had been greenlit.

The two-year wait for season two has been excruciating, but so far we've been rewarded with a second season that dials all of what we loved about the first season up to 11.

We're three episodes in at the time of writing, and season two is yet to disappoint. There's been action, tragedy, and – a personal favourite aspect of mine – snapshots of humanity persevering through the apocalypse.

Those looking to catch up on the action can find The Last of Us season one on Sky and Now (formerly Now TV) here in the UK, or Max (formerly HBO Max) in the United States.

HBO has also released the first season on 4K Blu-ray, which is my proffered way to watch. Season two is currently streaming with episodes dropping weekly on Mondays.

If you're hoping to catch all of the gory details in the highest fidelity, we'd recommend opting for Sky's "UHD and Dolby Atmos" upgrade, or Now TV's equivalent Boost package.

This series features some truly excellent audio design, which heightens the horror elements, so we'd recommend it for anyone who has invested in one of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars.

Viewers in the US get the benefit of Dolby Vision HDR support on Max, while viewers in the UK have to make do with HLG instead.

Stream The Last of US Season two on Now

The Studio

You can always count on Apple to pull out all of the stops on its original programming. The Studio, a new series starring Seth Rogan and Catherine O'Hara on Apple TV Plus, is no exception.

This riveting and bombastic show centred around a studio executive that gets promoted to the head of the studio is packed with jabs at the industry, though its pin-sharp writing and engaging performances ensure its got plenty to say.

Each episode features cameos from Hollywood heavyweights and riffs on a different genre or film motif in clever ways. Moreover, the comedy is yet to fall flat (in my opinion) as Rogan exerts his usual comedic charm in every scene.

Best of all is how the show looks; considering its centred around the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, it should come as no surprise that a lot of care and attention has gone into how the show looks.

Shots of the Los Angeles skyline bathed in golden sunsets look sublime in Dolby Vision (a perk of Apple TV Plus, of course), while the shadowy third episode that riffs on detective dramas is certain to be well suited to an OLED TV.

Stream The Studio on Apple TV Plus

Andor (Season 2)

Being a Star Wars fan in recent times has been... difficult. Disney has taken some gambles with the franchise, which, in most cases, haven't worked for a variety of reasons.

So, when it announced that a series based on one of the less memorable characters from the excellent Rogue One: A Star Wars Story would be getting their own show, I rolled my eyes alongside many of the other fans.

However, in a shocking twist, 2022's Andor proved to be not only the best Star Wars content in roughly 40 years but also the best original series to debut on the Disney Plus streaming service.

Opting to swap lightsabers for politics and espionage, this gripping series gave us a fresh perspective on a galaxy far, far away.

Season two has just launched on Disney Plus, with episodes dropping in three-episode batches weekly.

This might sound random, but there is a good reason for it. The show follows a unique story structure in which each three-episode cluster acts as a contained story arc, while also feeding into the wider narrative.

The first season is available in its entirety on Disney Plus, or there is a limited edition 4K Blu-ray release if you can get your hands on it.

The streaming version is still a solid way to watch, as the stunning sci-fi vistas look dazzling in Dolby Vision. Furthermore, the screeches of Tie Fighters soaring overhead sound spectacular in Dolby Atmos.

Stream Andor Season 2 on Disney Plus

MORE:

Check out our picks for the best streaming devices

As well as the best TVs

Check out Now Showing to see what we're currently watching

The new LG OLEDs are fresh in the shops, and, therefore, fresh out of the What Hi-Fi? test rooms.

As has become expected over the past few years, they are strong contenders in an extremely competitive marketplace.

This shouldn’t be a massive surprise, given that LG still makes the majority of OLED panels out there no matter the badge on the TV itself, but it is always reassuring to discover, each year, that eyes haven’t been taken off the metaphorical ball by the Korean giant’s fine engineering department.

With the LG ranges over the years, it’s the C-series that tends to hit the sweet-spot for us for providing the best bang for your buck.

The range-topping LG G5 is a remarkable piece of televisual technology, but – inevitably – you must pay a heavy price for the privilege of owning the very best.

The C5 may not feature the flashy new Primary RGB Tandem OLED panel of the G5, nor indeed the MLA OLED technology of last year’s G4, but it does sport more than enough of its premium sibling’s capabilities to make up for most of those tech shortfalls; and, of course, at a far more affordable price.

The C5, then, is the hub around which we centre this amazing home cinema system.

The system

• TV: LG C5 (£1900 / $1999 / AU$3299)
• Soundbar: Sonos Arc Ultra (£999 / $999 / AU$1799)
• Console: Sony PlayStation 5 (£430 / $450 / AU$800)
• 4K Blu-ray player: Panasonic DP-UB820 (£349 / $400 / AU$665)
• Set-top box: Sky Stream (from £15 per month / not available in US or Aus)
• Total price: £3678 / $3848 / AU$6563

LG C5

One of the joys of LG C5 ownership is the ease of set-up.

Quite a few of the best OLED TVs from other brands (we may be looking at you here, Philips) really give of their best only after a thorough rummage around in the settings menus.

While the results are undeniably spectacular once you get things just so, not everyone has the time or inclination to get so hands-on with their TV – and so never benefit from the best it has to offer.

No such worries with this LG.

If you are watching content in 4K (and why wouldn’t you be, whenever possible?), just stick the C5 in Filmmaker mode and you will be set up for some stunningly cinematic images – it’s as easy as that.

Of course, you can tweak things to fine-tune the image, but for most people, most of the time, there is little need.

Our verdict in our review of the C5 says it all really (as one would hope…): “It's probably the best TV for most people, as its exceptional picture quality and uncompromising feature set are certified crowd pleasers. It remains an excellent choice for gamers, too, and its Dolby Vision Filmmaker mode is a major bonus for film buffs.”

We do, however, go on to say, “We wish it had better built-in audio…” This is by no means an unusual complaint for a modern TV, and is still a major issue as far as getting a home cinema set-up to do the name justice.

A flat-panel TV’s sound, in our experience, simply cannot meet the standards of its excellent picture. Which is why you will see in pretty much all our TV reviews the recommendation to invest in a soundbar.

Sonos Arc Ultra

The Sonos Arc Ultra we propose for this system is, simply, the best soundbar on a performance-per-pound basis available. It trumps its multi-Award-winning forebear in every department, which is saying a lot.

If you want Dolby Atmos surround capabilities without having to go down the bulky separates route, this is pretty much the best option now available to you.

The Arc Ultra performs impressively on its own, but there is also scope for upgrading the package by adding a pair of Sonos Era 300s to act as rear surround speakers, and a Sonos Sub in the (relatively unlikely) event that you feel the need to boost the bass performance.

It is the Ultra’s improvements over its illustrious predecessor that really impresses. We wouldn’t have said that the original Arc’s bass was at all a weakness, but the Ultra takes things to a new level, with a tight, tuneful and expressive performance that makes the original sound fairly woolly in comparison.

The extra drivers over the original (the Ultra boasts a 9.1.4-channel configuration, up from the Arc’s 5.0.2) really pay off, with the spatial sound-effect placement particularly impressive.

As we say in the verdict of our full review of the Arc Ultra, when comparing it with the Arc: “It really is quite amazing how much more crisp, spacious, precise and detailed the Ultra sounds.”

The two central parts of this system work brilliantly together, with the sonic abilities of the soundbar beautifully complementing the images of the OLED screen. But what to feed this dynamic duo?

Sony PlayStation 5

It would be remiss not to take advantage of the C5’s gaming capabilities; its full complement of HDMI 2.1 sockets mean it will be future-proofed for many years to come, and can – for the hardcore gamer – deal with both of the current-generation console big boys.

We have selected the PS5 here over the Xbox Series X for a couple of reasons.

First, we think it pips Microsoft’s offering as an overall package; but second, the C5 has a handy trick up its sleeve: you can play Xbox games through the LG’s Xbox app – no console required.

You won’t quite get the performance of a full console, but it’s a really handy and fun way of getting some Xbox action without a large up-front cost.

Panasonic DP-UB820

While streaming is gaining in both popularity and 4K picture quality, we stand by our assertion that the very best performance comes from physical software; so we recommend investing in a Blu-ray player to get the best from this set-up.

If you have a PlayStation 5 with a disc drive, you might be tempted to use the console’s Blu-ray capability. We feel compelled to steer you away from this course of action.

The PS5’s drive is competent, but not up to the standards of the Panasonic DP-UB820 – and it can get almost intrusively noisy in action as well.

Better, we feel, to buy a digital-only PS5, and then invest the savings made towards the Blu-ray player – your TV and sound package deserve the best sources you can give them.

As we conclude in our review of the Blu-ray player, the Panasonic DP-UB820 delivers a hugely immersive and impactful picture, and backs it up with a strong audio performance.

Sky Stream

The final piece of our brilliant home-cinema package comes in the form of the Sky Stream puck.

If you are at all interested in viewing live sports, this is the cheapest way to view them in top 4K HDR quality; if the ultimate picture quality isn’t of such importance to you, you could quite easily forego the Sky Stream, and access Sky Sport and other packages via the TV’s Now app.

Our system verdict

Regular readers will, perhaps, be wondering where the Apple TV 4K – a product that regularly features in our home-cinema systems – has got to.

While the Apple streamer is still the option of choice for the very best video streaming quality you can get, the LG C5’s in-built apps (and it has pretty much everything you could wish for) are very well optimised for quality and perform excellently.

An Apple TV 4K, then, might be an upgrade to be considered in the future, but it is by no means a necessity for this wonderful set-up.

This, then, is a superb home-cinema set-up in its own right – and one that will stand you in good stead for years to come; but, crucially, it is also upgradeable in a number of ways, should the funds and desire arise. And that’s a win/win in anybody’s book.

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Looking for alternatives to any of the components in our system? Then check out our guides to the best TVs, best soundbars and best Blu-ray players

If you typed something along the lines of “Sky Glass Gen 2 vs Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED” into Google and found yourself on this page, welcome. The magic of SEO has directed you to the right place.

Chances are, you’re looking for a new TV – perhaps even one of the best TVs – and Sky and Amazon’s offerings have caught your eye. That’s why we’ve compared both models below, to try and help your decision-making process.

Note, that while we’ve reviewed Amazon’s Fire TV Omni models and the original Sky Glass TV, we’ve yet to put the Sky Glass Gen 2 through its paces. As a result, the below comparison is being made based on our experience and known specs, and you can rest assured in the knowledge that we’ll be updating this feature with a final verdict once the Sky Glass Gen 2 has been given the full review treatment.

With that in mind, let’s see how they currently shape up…

Sky Glass Gen 2 vs Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED: price and release date

Launching on 12 February, Sky's latest TV maintains its predecessor's prices, while once again letting users pay for the unit outright, or opt for a monthly subscription. Currys is also due to stock the TV later in February, for those who prefer a more traditional brick-and-mortar experience.

If you're looking to pay in one go, prices start £699 for the 43in model, bumping up to £949 and £1,199 for the 55in and 65in models, respectively. If you'd rather go down the 24-month agreement route, then you're looking at £28, £38, or £48 per month, for the 43in, 55in, and 65in models. And if you want to knock those costs down even further, you can choose a 48-month agreement for £14, £19, or £24 a month, respectively.

As for the Fire TV Omni QLED, official prices start at £549.99 for the 43in model, which goes up to £649.99, $749.99, and £999.99 for the 50in, 55in, and 65in models, respectively. Having said that, frequent discounts make these sets more appealing though – at the time of writing, each of those models is currently on sale at Amazon for £319.99, £399.99, £449.99, and £849.99, respectively.

Sky Glass Gen 2 vs Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED: design and build

Sky’s Glass TV has stood out from the plethora of standard TV designs, thanks to its prominent bottom speaker setup, and range of alluring colour options. The Sky Glass Gen 2 has refined its design approach, introducing a welcome tool-less stand installation system alongside universal wall-mount compatibility. Buyers can choose from three finishes – Volcanic Grey, Arctic Silver or Atlantic Blue – with the TV's fabric-covered soundbar seamlessly integrated beneath the screen as before. While design is subjective, we rather like this approach, as it offers something a little different.

As for the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED range, the build quality varies, with the 65in model sporting premium silver metal accents, while the smaller variants opt for a simpler black plastic affair. Setting up the 50in and 65in variants might be a little tricky for some given their wide-set feet, though wall-mounting remains an option for those after a cleaner look.

Sky Glass Gen 2 vs Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED: picture quality

At the business end, both TV’s panels harness the power of Quantum Dot technology in the form of a 4K, 60Hz panel. Sky has stated that the Glass Gen 2 has an increased number of LEDs with a higher number of local dimming zones, though the exact numbers remain a mystery for the time being. While this should result in improved brightness and potentially better viewing angles on paper, our final review will be the judge.

While we do have solid figures for Amazon’s corner, it’s important to note that things are far from equal across the different TV sizes. The 65in model, for example, features 80 dimming zones and delivers balanced picture quality, though with some limitations in shadow detail and motion handling. The 50in version, equipped with 48 zones, earned our praise for its more consistent performance. On the other end of the spectrum, the 43in variant, lacking local dimming altogether, struggles notably with black levels and contrast.

As for HDR, both TVs support Dolby Vision and HDR10, with the Sky Glass Gen 2 also handling HLG content. Amazon’s offering also includes HDR10+, Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive, automatically adjusting picture settings based on ambient light levels.

While we have yet to review the Glass Glass Gen 2, we can, for now, predict that the Sky Glass Gen 2 will likely offer better performance in the 43in battle. Watch this space.

Sky Glass Gen 2 vs Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED: features and connectivity

A peek at the rear of the Sky Glass Gen 2 will present you with three HDMI 2.1 ports, with HDMI CEC functionality, and with one also acting as an eARC port – particularly useful if you're planning to connect multiple devices like consoles and soundbars.

The Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED features three HDMI 2.0 ports and one HDMI 2.1 port with eARC support. While both TVs are limited to 60Hz operation across all HDMI inputs (ruling out, for example, 4K/120Hz+ gaming), they do offer gaming-friendly features in the form of Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) on the Sky Glass Gen 2, and both Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) and ALLM on the Amazon Fire TV Omni.

And if you’d rather rest your tired hands, you’ll be pleased to know that both TVs support hands-free voice, with Amazon’s unsurprisingly, in the form of Alexa integration. You can also use Alexa voice commands with Sky Glass, which can be handy if you’re already in Amazon’s ecosystem.

Sky Glass Gen 2 vs Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED: sound

Sky has upgraded its integrated sound system for the Glass Gen 2, moving from six to seven speakers in a Dolby Atmos configuration with dual subwoofers. Or, if you want to be more precise, its 3.1.2 channel system features three outward-firing speakers, two upward-firing units, and dual subwoofers, and the 250W system supports Dolby Atmos and includes features such as bass boost, night mode, and enhanced speech quality settings.

The fabric-covered speaker array promises immersive audio right out of the box, and even though we have yet to test it, it’s very likely that it will outperform Amazon’s more traditional built-in TV setup, unless something goes horribly wrong.

The Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED still delivered clear audio that prioritized dialogue clarity over attempts at spatial processing in our review, though it couldn't match the ambition of more sophisticated systems.

Sky Glass Gen 2 vs Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED: smart features and OS

As for the software, Sky Glass Gen 2 runs the newly renamed Sky OS (formerly Entertainment OS), integrating traditional Sky TV services with streaming apps. The platform provides direct access to Sky's full content library without the faff of a satellite dish, alongside apps like BBC iPlayer and Netflix. Sky has built the interface around content discovery, with features like live pause, rewind and restart functionality built-in, and the TV also includes Sky's auto-enhance picture mode, which automatically selects optimal settings based on the content being watched.

Amazon's Fire TV OS also takes a streaming-first approach, providing access to major services including Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video and Now, plus UK catch-up apps. During our testing of the Omni QLED, we found the interface intuitive and well-supported, though Amazon's own content is notably prominent in recommendations. The platform includes comprehensive content aggregation across services, helping users find shows and movies regardless of which service hosts them.

If you’re a long-time Sky user then you’re likely to prefer the service’s familiar interface and feature set, but both experiences offer a robust feature set that should meet the needs of most users.

Sky Glass Gen 2 vs Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED: early verdict

On paper, the Sky Glass Gen 2 looks set to land with a better, brighter picture, with a solid speaker setup (for a built-in set, that is). While we can’t make any definitive judgements, we will cautiously say that if you’re torn between the two models and are after a 43in screen, it’s likely that Sky’s model will be your best bet.

Nothing is set in stone though, and Amazon’s larger screen sizes have plenty going for them, at a rather attractive price point. With that said, stay tuned for our full review and updated comparison.

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The Sky Glass Gen 2 is here, and Sky is promising a major Dolby Atmos upgrade

Read our Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED QL50F601 review

These are the most exciting TVs we saw at CES 2025

Happy Monday and welcome to the latest entry into our weekly Rewind hi-fi and home cinema news digest.

With the Apple launch event happening and Bristol Hi-Fi Show rapidly approaching it was a busy week for our team of hi-fi and home cinema experts. We saw everything from surprise launches from hi-fi heavyweights to a new own-brand TV from Sky.

Here’s everything you need to know.

Esoteric low-powered amp cast a spell on our reviewers

Last week our reviewers had the pleasure of reviewing the Esoteric F-01/PS-01F, which is an incredibly interesting beast, offering 30-watt-per-channel despite costing £22,000 / $18,000 / AU$30,000. But there’s actually a good reason for this, with Esoteric having designed the Class A circuit this way to avoid overheating, and holistically improve audio quality.

Running the unit with our standard reference set-up the move clearly paid off with the Esoteric F-01 amplifier and PS-01F outboard power supply combining to deliver excellent detail resolution, class-leading refinement and wonderfully expressive dynamics regardless of which test track we threw at it.

Read our full Esoteric F-01/PS-01F review

TEAC’s new power amp packs a lot of sonic punch into a tiny package

Last week TEAC launched its new AP-507 power amplifier. The unit is the latest entry into the firm’s Reference 500 series, following the HA-507 analogue headphone amp/preamplifier and UD-507 DAC/preamp.

The main selling point is that it packs a lot of power and features into its tiny frame. Highlights include a new-generation Hypex NCOREx power amplifier module that has been custom-tuned by TEAC's engineers, and a fully balanced circuit. The latter features TEAC's proprietary 'dual-mono buffer amplifier' which aims to lower distortion and improve efficiency.

Read the full story: TEAC's premium power amplifier boasts high performance and flexible modes from a letter-sized footprint

We had an opening play with Sky’s new TV

Last week our home cinema editor, Tom Parsons, fought past the crowds to get an opening look and listen to the new Sky Glass Gen 2 TV. The TV’s an interesting beast as it features a basic QLED panel, rather than a Mini LED, as had been expected. Most of the improvements focus on its 3.1.2 Dolby Atmos sound system, which Sky claims “removes the need for a soundbar”.

Read our Sky Glass Gen 2 hands-on

McIntosh launched an “audiophile-grade” streaming DAC

McIntosh aimed to let hi-fi buyers have their cake and eat it, launching its new DS2000 Streaming DAC last week. The firm claims the unit will offer audiophiles who already have decent power amplifiers and preamplifiers the high-end streaming component they need to complete the set-up. As well as support for all the streaming platforms you’d expect, the unit has some pretty impressive hardware. This is headlined by a quad balanced 8-channel, 32-bit Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC). McIntosh claims the DAC will offer a wealth of benefits when streaming, including "huge dynamic range" and “superior sound reproduction."

Read the full story: McIntosh's new streaming DAC promises audiophile performance with wireless convenience

Apple is set to launch new product

Apple confirmed an event set to take place this Thursday where it will unveil "a new member of the family" to fans. While we'd love to see a new HomePod 3 or HomePod Mini, all signs currently suggest it will be a new iPhone SE 4 that launches at the event.

Read the full story: Apple's next cheap iPhone could launch this week according to new rumours

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Sky has lifted the lid on a new Glass Gen 2 TV, nearly three years after launching the original, an LED TV with Sky built-in and accessed via a broadband connection, thus removing the need for a satellite dish.

And there is plenty to get excited about with the new set, as you can read in our TV and AV editor's opening impressions of Sky Glass Gen 2 from his hands-on experience at the TV’s launch event.

The short version is that, while it doesn’t have a Mini LED, let alone OLED, panel, the set does appear to be a big step up on the entertainment giant’s first offering.

First off, there have been “optimisations” to its local dimming powers, designed to improve black levels, contrast and the Glass Gen 2’s general picture quality. But, more importantly, Sky has completely reworked the set’s speaker setup, loading it with a new 3.1.2 speaker configuration it claims will “remove the need for a dedicated soundbar”.

If, like me, your immediate reaction to that was a cathartic sigh and overt sense of déjà vu, there’s a reason for that. Numerous companies including Philips, Panasonic and more have been making similar claims for years. The only difference here is that Sky has loaded a speakerbar setup onto a cheaper TV than normal, with the new Glass Gen 2 set to retail for as little as £14 per month on a subscription model.

We haven’t tested the sound-system properly yet, so I can’t comment on quality. But after testing plenty of TVs with similar setups for more than a decade, I’m still yet to find one that beats a competent soundbar, let alone speaker package. There are a multitude of reasons for this, but the biggest comes down to the inherent compromises brought about by modern TVs’ dimensions; there’s only so much air that can be moved in such a slim space…

Which is why, while all this was going on, I had the synapses in my aging brain briefly flash back into life and remind me of another key bit of Sky tech I would love to see resurrected: the Sky Soundbox.

This was a short-lived soundbar that Sky built in partnership with French hi-fi brand Devialet, and which we originally reviewed in 2019. The idea was to offer buyers a cohesive soundbar that could elevate any Sky customer's home audio.

It didn’t quite achieve sonic home-cinema greatness, scoring a four-star rating when we reviewed it due to its slight lack of bass definition and the omission of Dolby Atmos audio support; but I still think the idea makes perfect sense, especially with a product such as Sky Glass.

For me, Glass’s appeal is simple: it’s an easy to understand subscription service that takes care of all your home entertainment needs. You pay your money to Sky and for that you get your streaming subscription (content) and hardware needs delivered in one neat package. And while I like the fact that Sky wants to keep it “affordable enough” for normal people, I can’t help but think it needs a more premium tier for more serious home cinema aficionados.

As I said in a previous opinion piece, on why Sky should offer an OLED Glass tier, there are plenty who can’t afford the up-front cost of a top-end TV and soundbar, who might still want something more premium than what Sky currently offers at a hardware level.

A part of this fictional tier for Glass should be a premium sound system that can match the best in the business. And, with a hardware spruce and some needed modernisations, including Dolby Atmos support, a new Soundbox could be that system.

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Today, Sky unveiled its Sky Glass Gen 2 TV and teased a second, more affordable Sky Glass Air set, which is set to get a proper full reveal at an unspecified point later this year.

And, to be clear, the Gen 2 features some notable upgrades on the original Sky Glass, which launched in 2021 and earned a respectable, but not quite perfect four-star rating from our reviewers at the time.

In case you missed the original news, the short version is that the new Sky Glass will be available tomorrow, 12th February, with prices starting at just £14 per month. This is roughly the same price as the original and puts it in the same bracket as the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED.

The key upgrades include an improved 3.1.2-channel Dolby Atmos-ready sound system that, according to Sky, will “remove the need for a separate sound system”. Yes, we’ve heard and poo-pooed this claim before, but considering the fact we flagged average audio as an issue on the original Sky Glass it’s still a welcome move.

While the QLED panel hasn’t been upgraded to having a Mini LED backlight, Sky claims it has more dimming zones and more advanced local dimming powers than the original Glass, allowing it to produce better black levels, clearer colours and generally better performance. Considering how impressive recent FALD sets (including the four-star Panasonic W90A I reviewed at the end of last year) have been, there could well be some truth to this claim – but we’ll need to get the new model in to confirm this.

Despite all of this, throughout the presentation, I couldn’t help but think, 'why didn’t Sky go for bigger upgrades to its new TV’s panel tech?' And, while many would talk about Mini LED, which is established in the mid-range market, my mind went a step further – surely Sky should make an OLED!

Sky representatives at the Glass Gen 2’s launch event, which was attended by our TV & AV Editor, Tom Parsons, made it very clear the firm is not interested in going after the OLED market. This is apparently largely due to the fact it thinks its customers care more about value and don’t want to splurge that much for a TV. Or, if they do, they’ll just buy one from LG, Samsung, Sony or Philips and connect a Sky Stream puck to it.

Specifically, a Sky spokesperson told us: “we wanted to expand the range so that everyone can afford our products. We're really, really thoughtful and want to make sure Sky is accessible and affordable for everyone”.

I agree with the primary point around value. I know plenty of people looking to consolidate and reduce their spending. For them, a holistic package including your content subscriptions, TV and sound system makes sense. But I’d argue that doesn’t rule out OLED. In fact, if anything, it makes a stronger case for it.

In my personal life, I know plenty of people who want an OLED but simply can’t justify paying the four-figure cost for even an entry-level TV with the tech, let alone a flagship model. Look at our LG G5, Panasonic Z95B, Philips OLED910 and Samsung S95F hands-ons and you’ll see that even in 2025 these will set you back a hefty amount of cash...

So, offering one on a subscription model is appealing, especially one where Sky could even potentially sell the hardware close to cost price as it would be making money on a subscription and the content services it provides.

This is why, for me, it would have actually made sense to offer an OLED option alongside the cheaper Glass Gen 2 and Glass Air. This would have given home cinema fans at every end of the market an option and an entry point to the entertainment platform.

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Sky has announced two new TVs today, including an overdue successor to the Sky Glass, which launched in 2021. The new model features a whole host of picture, feature and design enhancements, and owners of the original who are keen to upgrade won't have to wait long at all.

The Sky Glass Gen 2 relies on the unique and clever formula of packaging a 4K HDR TV, integrated soundbar, and Sky TV package into one neat subscription. It's set to cost the same as the existing Glass, with 24 or 48-month subscription options and the same three sizes; 43-, 55- and 65-inches. Sky quotes that a 65-inch model on a 48-month contract will cost you £24 per month, for example.

Upgrades have been made throughout, though the picture enhancements appear subtle on paper. Sky has opted to keep the 4K Quantum Dot panel, with no mention of Mini LED; in fact, Sky is sticking to its guns in how it's positioning this TV to the average consumer, and it is specifically not looking to tempt those who have their heart set on an OLED TV.

However, the second-generation Glass is reportedly brighter, features more dimming zones with more advanced local dimming, and has wider viewing angles. At the same time, the updated auto-picture modes are designed to deliver Sky TV the way it's supposed to be seen. Sky appears to have paid more attention to the built-in sound system, which appears to be a bigger upgrade over the original model.

The built-in Dolby Atmos speaker system gets a major boost, with dedicated upward-firing speakers and a subwoofer, resulting in a seven-speaker 3.1.2 arrangement. The addition of dedicated height channels at this price is impressive and, in theory, it should create "richer 360-degree cinematic sound". Sky has made some bold claims that "with no need to buy a separate soundbar, customers can save at least 30% vs. buying a comparable UHD TV and soundbar"; though as we often come to find out, a separate sound system often trumps a TV's built-in speakers.

The design of the Glass Gen 2 is also upgraded, and while it may look similar to its predecessor to the naked eye, there are some usability and design upgrades to note. The clunky stand system is now easier to assemble, with two prongs that simply slide into the TV with no screws required, or users hoping to wall-mount the new Glass TV can opt for a sleek wall mount that tilts, swivels and can sit completely flush against a wall to compliment the flat back of the TV.

There are three new finishes – Volcanic Grey, Arctic Silver, and Atlantic Blue – which Sky says have been chosen to "compliment modern interiors". The included remote and soundbar fascia have been colour-matched to the matte aluminium chassis.

Finally, the Glass Gen 2 is powered by Sky OS, which is the new name for the existing Entertainment OS that powers the current Glass TV. Sky claims that over 500 new features have been added since launch, including the "Hello Sky" voice commands which utilise the built-in far-field microphones. Sky OS features the full Sky TV experience with live TV and on-demand, as well as a selection of third-party streaming apps including Netflix.

The Sky Glass Gen 2 will be available to order from Sky and Currys respective online stores tomorrow, and it will launch in Currys physical shops soon.

Sky Glass Air

Not only did Sky lift the lid on the Glass Gen 2, it also hinted towards another new model which is set to release later this year. The Sky Glass Air is positioned as "the smarter TV for less", and it appears to offer a stripped-back Glass experience for an even more affordable monthly cost.

Available in three finishes – Carbon Grey, Cotton White and Sea Green – and the same three sizes as the regular Glass (43-, 55-, and 65 inches), the Glass Air offers a 4K Quantum Dot HDR screen with global dimming which will likely impact black levels and contrast. It also trades the seven-speaker Dolby Atmos system for a stereo speaker setup with Dolby Audio.

It runs Sky OS and will reportedly work with "Sky Glass and Sky Stream" – we're not entirely sure what that means, but we're eager to find out how the Glass Air fits into the wider Sky ecosystem. Pricing is set to be revealed later this year.

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Read our full Sky Glass review

And find the best Sky deals here

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Sky has announced that its spin-off streaming service Now (formerly Now TV) will receive a major UI overhaul in the coming weeks. The service, which segments Sky TV offerings into three packages – Entertainment, Sports and Cinema – will get a new user interface that should make navigating the platform on everything from smart TVs and media streamers to mobile phones and tablets smoother and more intuitive.

This is because Sky has opted to migrate Now to NBCUniversal's Global Streaming Platform, which currently powers Peacock in the US, as well as SkyShowtime in Europe and Multichoice in Africa. Sky highlights the platform's capabilities, referencing how it was the "first streamer to exclusively host an NFL Wild Card playoff game, which was the biggest live-streamed event in the U.S. history at the time".

Furthermore, Kali Cerr (Managing Director of NOW & Sky Content) had this to say regarding the upgrade coming to Now: "Migrating to NBCU’s Global Streaming Platform means NOW members will benefit from the ongoing delivery of customer features that enhance the viewing experience and leverage the latest technologies and innovations across the platform".

Despite migrating to a new platform, the service will remain as Now. That being said, Sky promises that the enhanced user interface will "further enhance the viewing experience and deliver a more personalised experience overall".

Overall, Now users can expect to see a slicker menu system with a smoother search function, new content rails including a Top 10 content list, the introduction of kids profiles with access to ad-free children's programming, and Sky Sports+ live streams will now be housed as curated collections in one convenient place.

Now users in the UK can expect to see a phased release of the app update from the 18th of February through to March, while members in Italy can anticipate a Spring update. The update is scheduled to launch in Germany at a later unspecified date.

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Check out our picks for the best streaming services for movies and TV

As well as our picks for the best TVs

And the best media streamers

Michael van Gerwen will make his first appearance since losing in the final of the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship as he bids to defend his Dutch Darts Masters title in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.

Full details on how to watch Dutch Darts Masters 2025 live streams – including any free options – online and from anywhere below.

Van Gerwen will bid to defend his title in front of a passionate home crowd in Maaspoort Den Bosch as he plays competitively for the first time since losing 7-3 to Luke Littler at Alexandra Palace. However, it won’t be easy for the Dutch superstar as he will come up against a talented field that includes eight top-ranking PDC players and eight Benelux representatives.

Among the contenders will be newly crowned world champion Littler who lost last in last year’s final to Van Gerwen. World No. 1 Luke Humphries will also be in action, as will World Championship semi-finalists Stephen Bunting and Chris Dobey.

Gerwyn Price will also be a threat after winning the recent Bahrain Masters, while Dutch ace Danny Noppert and talented Belgian Dimitri Van den Bergh are Benelux representatives with plenty of scoring power.

Read on as we explain how to watch the 2025 Dutch Darts Masters online from anywhere.

Dutch Darts Masters FREE live stream

Lucky darts fans in the UK can watch free live streams on ITV4 and via its streaming service ITVX.

If you're away from home when the darts is on, you'll need to use a VPN to unblock your usual ITVX free stream. Happily, we have a deal for you: Download NordVPN today and you can save up to 70% on the usual plan fees. Bullseye!

Watch Dutch Darts Masters live streams from anywhere

You won't be able to watch your regular Dutch Darts Masters live streams while traveling abroad. The streaming service will spot that you're in a foreign country and block you.

You can use a VPN (virtual private network) to get around this, though. It's a straightforward piece of software that sets your device to appear as if it's in a different country, allowing you to watch your home Dutch Darts Masters live stream from anywhere in the world.

We rate NordVPN as the best VPN for streaming sport. It offers a 30-day guarantee for all your money back if you're not happy with the service.

Watch Dutch Darts Masters live streams in the UK

The great news for darts fans in the UK is that the Dutch Darts Masters will be shown absolutely free on ITV4 and via the ITVX streaming service. You'll need a valid TV licence, naturally.

Away from the UK right now? Use a VPN to watch World Series of Darts Finals free live stream from abroad

Coverage of the tournament starts at 6pm GMT on Friday, 24th January 2025.

If you are indeed watching online, you can do so on your laptop, or via apps for the likes of Android, iOS, PS4, Xbox, Roku, Amazon Fire.

Watch Dutch Darts Masters live streams in Germany, Austria and Switzerland

Darts fans in Germany, Austria and Switzerland can watch Dutch Darts Masters live streams via DAZN, with a subscription costing €19.99 per month with auto-renewal or €164.99 for 12 months.

Watch Dutch Darts Masters live streams in the rest of the world

Unless you're located in the UK, Germany, Austria or Switzerland, you can watch all the Dutch Darts Masters 2025 action via PDC.TV.

You'll need the 'Rest of the World' subscription, which costs around £10 per month and includes throw-by-throw coverage of every session.

Remember: use a VPN to access PDC.TV when traveling away from home.

Dutch Darts Masters field

PDC Representatives

Luke Humphries (England)
Luke Littler (England)
Michael van Gerwen (Netherlands)
Rob Cross (England)
Stephen Bunting (England)
Gerwyn Price (Wales)
Chris Dobey (England)
Nathan Aspinall (England)

Benelux Representatives

Danny Noppert (Netherlands)
Dimitri Van den Bergh (Belgium)
Dirk van Duijvenbode (Netherlands)
Gian van Veen (Netherlands)
Raymond van Barneveld (Netherlands)
Jermaine Wattimena (Netherlands)
Kevin Doets (Netherlands)
Richard Veenstra (Netherlands)

• Fancy an upgrade? Here are the best TVs
• Or save money with these unmissable cheap TV deals

Michael van Gerwen will aim to win a fourth world title tonight when he takes on rising superstar Luke Littler in the PDC World Darts Championships final at Alexandra Palace. It should be a thrilling end to the tournament so make sure you don’t miss a minute of the action which gets underway in less than an hour at 8 pm GMT / 3 pm ET.

Full details on how to watch Luke Littler vs Michael van Gerwen live streams – including a FREE option – online and from anywhere below.

Six years after claiming his third world title, Van Gerwen has another chance to claim the biggest prize in professional darts. The runner-up in 2020 and 2023, ‘Mighty Mike’ is determined to get his hands on the Sid Waddell Trophy and has looked back to his very best at Ally Pally.

The Dutch ace was clinical in the semi-finals as he breezed past Chris Dobey, dropping just one set. Averaging 98.84 and hitting eight maximums, he will likely need to lift his level even further to overcome Littler.

The 17-year-old was the pre-tournament favorite after a spectacular debut year on the tour that saw him win a staggering 10 titles. After showing some nerves in the early rounds, he was sensational in his semi-final against Stephen Bunting, averaging 105.48 during his 6-1 demolition.

‘The Nuke’, who finished as the runner-up last year, will now look to make history and become the youngest winner of the tournament.

Read on as we explain how to watch the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship final online from anywhere.

How to watch Luke Littler vs Michael van Gerwen live stream for free

Watch a FREE Luke Littler vs Michael van Gerwen stream

Lucky darts fans in Germany can watch free Littler vs Van Gerwen live streams on Sport1.de. The commentary is in German, naturally, but the scoring is in English.

No password or sign up required – just click onto the website and watch. It works a treat – but only when located in Germany.

So, if you're a German fan travelling abroad you'll need to use a VPN to unblock your usual Sport1 free stream. Happily, we have a deal for you: download NordVPN today and you can save up to 70% on the usual plan fees. Bullseye!

How to watch PDC World Darts Championship final live streams in the UK

Sky Sports has exclusive rights to the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship in the UK, with the Luke Littler vs Michael van Gerwen match showing on the dedicated Sky Sports Darts channel and on Sky Sports Main Event.

Not a subscriber? Cord-cutters can live stream the darts with a Now Sports Pass (£14.99 a day or £34.99 a month).

If you're a new subscriber, remember to check out the best Sky TV deals.

How to watch Luke Littler vs Michael van Gerwen live streams in Australia

Fox Sports has the TV broadcasting rights to the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship in Australia, which means cord-cutters can live stream the Luke Littler vs Michael van Gerwen match on the brilliant streaming service Kayo Sports.

A subscription starts at $25 per month, though you can pay $35 per month for simultaneous streaming on two devices. Whichever plan you choose, new users get a free 7-day trial.

Remember: use a VPN to access Kayo when traveling outside of Australia.

How to watch Luke Littler vs Michael van Gerwen live streams in the US

DAZN has bagged the rights to show the entire 2025 PDC World Darts Championship, including Luke Littler vs Michael van Gerwen. Darts fans in the States can sign up to DAZN from $19.99 per month for a 12-month contract or $29.99 per month on a flexible pass.

Americans currently traveling can use a VPN – NordVPN is the most affordable, reliable option right now – to access DAZN from abroad.

How to watch Luke Littler vs Michael van Gerwen live streams from anywhere

You won't be able to watch your regular Luke Littler vs Michael van Gerwen live streams while traveling abroad. The streaming service will spot that you're in a foreign country and block you.

You can use a VPN (virtual private network) to get around this, though. It's a straightforward piece of software that sets your device to appear as if it's in a different country, allowing you to watch your home PDC World Darts Championship live stream from anywhere in the world.

We rate NordVPN as the best VPN for streaming sport. It offers a 30-day guarantee for all your money back if you're not happy with the service.

Watch Luke Littler vs Michael van Gerwen live streams in the rest of the world

Unless you're located in the UK, Germany, Austria or Switzerland, you can watch Luke Littler vs Michael van Gerwen via PDC.TV.

You'll need the 'Rest of the World' subscription, which costs around £10 per month and includes throw-by-throw coverage of every session.

Remember: use a VPN to access PDC.TV when visiting the UK, Germany, Austria or Switzerland.

• Fancy an upgrade? Here are the best TVs
• Or save money with these unmissable cheap TV deals

After two weeks of top-class tungsten action we’re down to the final two at the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship. Three-time champion Michael van Gerwen will play teenage sensation Luke Littler in what should be a high-quality final.

Full details on how to watch PDC World Darts Championship 2025 live streams – including any free options – online and from anywhere below.

Luke Humphries arrives as the defending champion and is bidding to become the first man to defend his title since Gary Anderson back in 2016.

‘Cool Hand Luke’ has enjoyed a remarkable 12 months, winning three titles and sitting comfortably at the top of the world rankings. However, he’ll expect a stern challenge in London as there’s an impressive field that includes a host of former world champions and rising superstars.

Perhaps the biggest threat is 17-year-old Luke Littler who since losing in the 2024 final has won the Premier League, World Series and Grand Slam trophies. Other contenders include three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen, second seed Michael Smith and serial winner Rob Cross.

Outside of the top seeds there is a wealth of talent with plenty of players possessing the ability to score heavy and produce big checkouts. These include rising Belgian star Mike De Decker, Scottish ace Anderson, Wessel Nijman of the Netherlands and Welsh star Gerwyn Price.

Read on as we explain how to watch the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship online from anywhere.

Watch FREE live darts stream

Lucky darts fans in Germany can watch free live streams on Sport1.de. The commentary's in German, naturally, but the scoring is in English.

No password or sign up required – just click onto the website and watch. It works a treat – but only when located in Germany.

So, if you're a German fan travelling abroad you'll need to use a VPN to unblock your usual Sport1 free stream. Happily, we have a deal for you: Download NordVPN today and you can save up to 70% on the usual plan fees. Bullseye!

Watch PDC World Darts Championship live streams in the UK

Sky Sports has exclusive rights to the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship in the UK, with each night of the action being shown on the dedicated Sky Sports Darts channel, with the best of the action also on Sky Sports Main Event.

Not a subscriber? Cord-cutters can live stream the darts with a Now Sports Pass (£14.99 a day or £34.99 a month).

If you're a new subscriber, remember to check out the best Sky TV deals.

Watch PDC World Darts Championship live streams in Australia

Fox Sports has the TV broadcasting rights to the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship in Australia, which means cord-cutters can live stream the action on the brilliant streaming service Kayo Sports.

A subscription starts at $25 per month, though you can pay $35 per month for simultaneous streaming on two devices. Whichever plan you choose, new users get a free 7-day trial.

Remember: use a VPN to access Kayo when traveling outside of Australia.

Watch PDC World Darts Championship live streams in the US

DAZN has bagged the rights to show the entire 2025 PDC World Darts Championship. Darts fans in the States can sign up to DAZN from $19.99 per month for a 12-month contract or $29.99 per month on a flexible pass.

Americans currently traveling can use a VPN – NordVPN is the most affordable, reliable option right now – to access DAZN from abroad.

Watch PDC World Darts Championship live streams from anywhere

You won't be able to watch your regular PDC World Darts Championship live streams while traveling abroad. The streaming service will spot that you're in a foreign country and block you.

You can use a VPN (virtual private network) to get around this, though. It's a straightforward piece of software that sets your device to appear as if it's in a different country, allowing you to watch your home PDC World Darts Championship live stream from anywhere in the world.

We rate NordVPN as the best VPN for streaming sport. It offers a 30-day guarantee for all your money back if you're not happy with the service.

Watch PDC World Darts Championship live streams in the rest of the world

Unless you're located in the UK, Germany, Austria or Switzerland, you can watch all the PDC World Darts Championship 2025 action via PDC.TV.

You'll need the 'Rest of the World' subscription, which costs around £10 per month and includes throw-by-throw coverage of every session.

Remember: use a VPN to access PDC.TV when visiting the UK, Germany, Austria or Switzerland.

PDC World Darts Championship schedule

All times are GMT

Sunday, December 15 (7pm)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round

Monday, December 16

Afternoon Session (12.30pm)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round

Evening Session (7pm)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round

Tuesday, December 17

Afternoon Session (12.30pm)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round

Evening Session (7pm)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round

Wednesday, December 18 (7pm)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round

Thursday, December 19

Afternoon Session (12.30pm)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round

Evening Session (7pm)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round

Friday, December 20

Afternoon Session (12.30pm)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round

Evening Session (7pm)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round

Saturday, December 21

Afternoon Session (12.30pm)
4x Second Round

Evening Session (7pm)
4x Second Round

Sunday, December 22

Afternoon Session (12.30pm)
4x Second Round

Evening Session (7pm)
4x Second Round

Monday, December 23

Afternoon Session (12.30pm)
4x Second Round

Evening Session (7pm)
4x Second Round

Friday, December 27

Afternoon Session (12.30pm)
3x Third Round

Evening Session (7pm)
3x Third Round

Saturday, December 28

Afternoon Session (12.30pm)
3x Third Round

Evening Session (7pm)
3x Third Round

Sunday, December 29

Afternoon Session (12.30pm)
3x Third Round

Evening Session (7pm)
1x Third Round, 2x Fourth Round

Monday, December 30

Afternoon Session (12.30pm)
3x Fourth Round

Evening Session (7pm)
3x Fourth Round

Wednesday, January 1

Afternoon Session (12.30pm)
2x Quarter-Finals

Evening Session (7pm)
2x Quarter-Finals

Thursday January 2 (7.30pm)

Semi-Finals

Friday January 3 (8pm)

Final

PDC World Darts Championship seeds

• Fancy an upgrade? Here are the best TVs
• Or save money with these unmissable cheap TV deals

Sky's streaming services have suffered two issues in a week. Last night, the Sky Help Team tweeted that some customers were unable to watch certain channels, while last week, hundreds of Sky Glass and Stream customers reported technical issues, with some unable to even turn on their Sky Glass TVs.

Last night's issue saw customers see a message that read, "To watch this, you need to upgrade your subscription," on certain channels. Sky's service status page has confirmed that "our engineers have resolved this". Sky's satellite TV, broadband and mobile services and TV apps were all unaffected.

Last week saw a similar issue render Sky's streaming services unusable. It started last Thursday night, and carried on into Friday morning, with hundreds of customers affected. Customers whose devices wouldn't switch on were told to restart them by following this guide.

While the issue seemed to predominantly affect Sky Glass, some users reported a similar problem with their Sky Stream pucks. Both devices use the same Entertainment OS operating system.

MORE:

Read our Sky Glass review

And our Sky Stream review

Sky has fixed my main bugbear with Sky Glass

Disney has announced that it has implemented measures to prevent account sharing on Disney Plus. This will prevent users from sharing their login details, and Disney isn’t the first to crack down on the so-called password-sharing trick. 

A system that identifies if someone uses a Disney Plus account that is not registered to their household has been rolled out. It requires that they either sign up for a separate Disney Plus account or that the account owner pays an additional monthly fee to add a new user. It’s worth noting that you can only add one additional user per subscription, though the extra member will gain access to the features of the account depending on the subscription level – for example, the additional member will be able to stream in 4K Dolby Vision with Dolby Atmos if the main account is a Disney Plus Premium subscriber. 

So far, Disney has rolled this system out to a wide range of countries and regions, including the US, Canada, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. Prices appear to vary between each region; in the US it will cost you $7/month on the basic package, or $10/month for premium. Prices are reportedly lower in Europe, though, meaning it’s good news for UK users who will only pay £4/month more on the basic tier, or £5/month for the premium tier. Unlike Netflix’s approach in which the additional user can pay for their portion of the subscription, the main account holder must pay for the additional user alongside the main subscription cost. 

If you don’t want to become an additional user and instead want your own Disney Plus account, then you needn’t worry about losing your viewing history and watchlist. The main account holder can transfer your profile to a new account, provided it’s not a children’s profile. 

Finally, it will still be possible to travel with your Disney Plus account if you plan on logging in on a hotel TV. It will involve an authentication process, including a code being sent to your linked email to authenticate the login attempt. 

With subscription costs rising and password sharing being cracked down on, streaming services are losing their original appeal of offering access to high-quality programming at a fraction of the cost of package TV deals such as Sky. Both Netflix and Disney offer step-down subscription plans to remedy this somewhat, though that means losing out on picture and sound features such as 4K streaming and Dolby Atmos, and it brings back ad breaks – something we once relied on streaming to remove from our viewing experience.

MORE:

Read our full Disney Plus review

Check out our picks for the best media streamers

And for the best streaming services for movies and TV shows

What Hi-Fi? Towers recently had a visit from Danny Tack, the TV industry legend behind Philips TVs. It's probably fair to say that he's obsessed with upscaling low-resolution video to 4K quality and with upconverting SDR to HDR, and during this visit, I got a hint at why: very few people are watching proper HDR content on Philips TVs.

I'm not naive enough to think that HDR makes up most TV viewing, but Tack made it sound like the numbers are tiny, so I asked if he would share them with me. He did just that this week, and I'm genuinely shocked and dismayed by them.

According to Tack, "In our High-End range – effectively OLED and Mini LED – [viewing] fluctuates between 4 and 8% for HDR. The rest is SDR. In the [TV] range below (the core range, say for instance The One LCD range) it is less than 1% for HDR."

Let that sink in for a moment: most people who are spending big money on top-of-the-range OLED and Mini LED TVs are using them to watch an absolutely tiny amount of HDR content. Owners of more entry-level models, which are perfectly capable of handling HDR, are watching only a fraction of that tiny number.

That's just baffling to me. I realise there are plenty of people who just don't really care about picture quality and simply buy a TV for news, soaps and the like (and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that, I might add), but if a person cares enough to fork out for a fancy OLED, why don't they also care enough to seek out the HDR versions of movies and TV shows?

It's not as if HDR content is particularly hard to find these days. Pretty much every piece of original content on Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ and Apple TV+ now comes in HDR; most pay-as-you-go movies from the likes of Apple, Amazon and Sky are available in HDR; Premier League football and the F1 are now broadcast in HDR. The list goes on.

Is it a cost thing? I certainly agree that a service such as Sky is expensive if you want it in HDR, but the HDR versions of each streaming service are only a few quid a month more than the SDR subscriptions. I realise that's not nothing, but we're talking about people who have spent a four-figure sum on their TV.

Perhaps people are still watching loads of broadcast TV, which unfortunately still lags a long way behind when it comes to HDR content. Nine-and-a-half hours of broadcast SDR to just half an hour of HDR, though? On a premium OLED TV? That seems rather at odds with the notion that broadcast TV is in heavy decline.

Of course, these are just the figures of one TV brand; but I don't see an obvious reason those of others would be markedly different. Perhaps the data is skewed by Philips being Europe-only, though, and the global percentages of brands such as LG or Samsung, which sell enormous numbers of TVs in slightly more HDR-saturated regions such as the US and Japan, might be a little bit higher; but I would be somewhat surprised if they were significantly so.

So, if very few people are actually watching HDR, are we going to change our HDR-first approach to reviewing TVs? Actually, no. Our logic is that we are writing primarily for enthusiasts. If someone is researching their next TV purchase by reading the in-depth reviews on our site and in our magazine, we believe that's because they really care about the quality of what they watch: they are more likely to pay that little bit extra for the 4K HDR version of a streaming subscription or pay-as-you-go movie; with any luck they might even own a 4K Blu-ray player; HDR sport could be a fixture of their weekends, too. In short, we think they are contributing a lot to those little HDR percentages.

That isn't to say that non-HDR content doesn't matter. We thoroughly test and report on each TV's ability to upscale and upconvert lower-res, SDR content, from broadcast TV to 1080p Blu-rays and old-school DVDs, because being an enthusiast means watching all of that lovely stuff, too. But HDR is TV at its best, and even if these disappointing figures from Philips suggest it might not quite be the present, it is certainly still the future of TV. And, who knows, if we keep talking about HDR, perhaps a few more people will dig it out and realise just how stunning their TV can be.

MORE:

These are the best TVs you can buy right now

Two flagship TV technologies compared: Mini LED vs OLED

Now (formerly Now TV) has a new subscription option that finally adds some long-awaited picture and sound features that we've been waiting for. Up until now, it's felt like Now's parent company, Sky, has intentionally held the platform back to not compete with its own Sky Stream service; however, this no longer seems to be the case. On the face of it, its new Ultra Boost feature is good news for Now subscribers. However, there is always a catch, and this one is the price.

Before we get into that, we'll dig into what the Ultra Boost feature option offers. The major news is support for 4K HDR streaming, which is a major upgrade over the 720p SDR quality you get as default with Now. We're not sure exactly which HDR formats Now will support (such as Dolby Vision), but we do see a mention of HDR10+ on Now's support page.

Furthermore, Dolby Atmos immersive audio is coming to the platform. This will, of course, require a Dolby Atmos soundbar or suitable surround-sound system, but it's an appreciated upgrade over the stereo audio support that the non-boosted service offers. 

Now is also adding some quality-of-life improvements, such as ad-free streaming and allowing up to three concurrent streams on one account. The existing Boost upgrade also allows for ad-free streaming, but that only supports up to two streams at a time, while video is capped at 1080p and audio is supported up to Dolby Digital 5.1.

It's all looking good for Now so far, but here is where we need to address the price of this upgrade. It's an additional £9 a month on top of Now's standard £9.99 monthly subscription cost; meaning you'll need to be willing to pay £18.99 per month for those picture and sound upgrades. That's also before you add any sports or Sky Cinema content, as Now's basic membership only covers TV shows. 

It seems rather steep, especially compared to other streaming platform prices. Netflix's Ultra HD plan isn't far off at £17.99 per month here in the UK, but Disney Plus and Amazon Prime Video's equivalent tiers only cost £10.99 and £11.99 a month respectively. Sky Stream with the UHD and Dolby Atmos upgrade comes in at £32 per month which is more expensive, but you also get Netflix bundled in at that price and a much more extensive range of live TV shows.

If we're nitpicking here, we would also have liked to have seen this upgrade be added to the service earlier. One of Now's biggest shows, House Of The Dragon, has just concluded its second season, so it feels like a missed opportunity to have not watched the whole series in 4K HDR and Dolby Atmos.

Nevertheless, the Ultra Boost option is available now, and if you're eager to upgrade your account then just look for the "viewing experience" within your membership options, in which you'll find the Boost upgrades.

MORE:

Check out our picks for the best media streamers

As well as the best TVs

Here's how Now nearly ruined House of the Dragon for me

It’s Games time. With the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics’ opening ceremony taking place today, making history by being the first to be held outside of a stadium, we are just hours away from 16 full days of world-class sporting action, with Badminton kicking us off tomorrow (nice and early in the UK), ladies and gentlemen.

If there’s ever a fortnight to be stuck to your TV setup or home cinema, it’s now – but if you have a 4K (Ultra HD) and HDR (High Dynamic Range) TV or projector and perhaps even a surround sound 5.1 or Dolby Atmos audio system, you’ll certainly want to watch all the gold medal glory in those leading audiovisual formats. 

The good news is that the Paris 2024 Olympics is being broadcast in 4K and HDR around the world: the Olympic Broadcasting Service (OBS) is producing the global feed in 4K HDR with 5.1.4 Atmos surround sound, and France Télévisions is leading the broadcaster way for its home games by offering 4K HDR broadcasts through its new digital terrestrial channels. 

So is that quality also available where you live, via your country’s broadcasters?

UK: you can watch the Olympics in 4K and HDR

In the UK, the BBC is the official Olympic television broadcaster, however despite the Beeb’s previous dabbles in live 4K HDR broadcasting via its iPlayer service, it will only be offering HD (1080p) and SDR (Standard Dynamic Range) through its BBC One and BBC Two coverage.

So can you watch Paris 2024 in 4K HDR in the UK at all? Thankfully, yes.

For the past decade, Warner Brothers Discovery (owner of Eurosport and Discovery) have exclusively had the European rights to the Olympics, so it isn’t surprising that both channels will offer a better viewing experience. There will be 4K HDR broadcasts on Eurosport’s main linear UHD channel, which is available via satellite on pay-TV platforms such as Virgin Media, EE TV and BT TV for subscribers.

The Discovery+ service (which currently has a £3.99/month special offer for the duration of the Olympics through Amazon Prime Video Channels or discoveryplus.com) also offers Eurosport 1 and 2, but will deliver the Olympic broadcasts only in HDR – not 4K. (If you have Sky TV or EE TV, you’ll get access to Discovery+ offerings for free during the Olympics.)

As for audio, we cannot yet confirm whether Eurosport or the pay-for platform providers will offer surround sound.

US: you can watch the Olympics in 4K, HDR and Atmos

Comcast NBCUniversal's USA Network channel will broadcast some events in 4K with HDR (Dolby Vision) and Dolby Atmos surround sound, reportedly through all of the following: the Xfinity Stream app, Altice, Comcast, Cox, DirecTV/Stream, Dish, Fubo, Sling TV, Verizon and YouTube TV. (Multiple reports state that NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service will live-stream every event – but not in 4K.)

NBC will actually produce the games in HD HDR, before upconverting it to 4K (it’s calling it ‘enhanced 4K’) for distribution. And on the surround sound front, as reported by SVG, “NBC trucks onsite in Paris will mix a 5.1 production but will pass the extra eight channels of height information [from OBS] untouched to NBC’s primetime-immersive audio-control room” for a mixed 5.1.4 output.

Australia: you can watch the Olympics in 4K

While the Olympics coverage is being shown on the Nine Network terrestrial channel, the Stan Sport streaming service is offering 4K coverage of Paris 2024, with “all medal events and major moments” being available in the superior resolution. So on that basis, the streaming service’s 4K coverage should be very comprehensive. This is the first time Australia will offer the Olympics in 4K, though there’s no mention of HDR or Dolby Atmos.

What devices you need to watch the Olympics in the highest possible quality

So to watch the Olympics in 4K, you need two things: a 4K/HDR TV or projector, and a 4K/HDR-compatible device (a streaming stick or set-top box) that can host the broadcast platform offering 4K coverage, if the TV itself does not via, say, an app. And hey, it's not too late for an upgrade! 

For example, in the UK, you’ll need a 4K/HDR TV or projector and, say, an EE TV Box Pro or Sky Q box/Stream stick with the relevant subscription. 

In the US, you’ll need a 4K/HDR TV or projector and, say, a Xumo Stream Box from Xfinity with the relevant subscription. To get the Dolby Vision flavour of HDR that will be offered on USA Network, both devices must support Dolby Vision too.

And in Australia, you’ll simply need a 4K TV that can access the Stan Sport app, plus the relevant subscription.

For the Dolby Atmos 5.1.4 immersive sound available in the US, you’ll need either a Dolby Atmos soundbar or an Atmos-compatible AV receiver (connected to speakers that can deliver all or some of the available 5.1.4 channels).

MORE:

How to watch the Opening Ceremony: live stream Paris 2024 Olympics in 4K HDR today

Best TV 2024: flagship OLEDs and affordable flatscreens tried and tested

Best Dolby Atmos soundbars 2024: tried and tested by our review team

Did you know you can control your Sky Q box with your mobile? This feature launched as part of an update to the Sky Go mobile app a year ago, so I know I'm a little late to this. But no major publication – this one included – covered it at launch. Cord Busters and Broadband TV News were the only outlets that ran the news, according to my Google search. I use Sky Q daily, and I've only just discovered it.

It's a neat feature, and one I've been using a lot in the few days since I noticed it. There are several reasons for this – and one rather large reason I wish it had never been invented...

Why I love it

1. No more rummaging down the back of the sofa

Our sofa eats everything – remote controls are just the garnish on its steady diet of coins, keys, wallets, errant Lego pieces... seriously, you'd think we never feed it. But now, when the remote goes missing, I no longer have to plunge my hand down the back of the seat cushions (exposing it to god knows what), but just whip out my phone to control the Sky Q box. Unless it's eaten my phone as well...

2. I've taken back control

Any parent will tell you that selective deafness is a real condition, and it affects all children whenever it suits them. With mine, it seems to be triggered by my voice, usually when I'm telling them it's time to turn the TV off. Once the selective deafness has finally lifted, there follows a negotiation on whether they can watch any more, followed by a tug of war over the remote. But not anymore.

Now I don't have to prise it out of their surprisingly strong grip. Instead I just take out my phone, tap the power icon from within the Sky Go app and the screen goes blank. And when they complain, I pretend I can't hear them. Selective deafness is contagious.

3. It doesn't need batteries

The Sky Q remote control takes two AA batteries, like it's the ’90s. It may as well be powered by steam as far as I'm concerned. Batteries are like socks – no matter how many you buy at a time, you never seem to have enough. Why couldn't Sky join the 21st century and fit a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, like with every other device in existence? Now when the batteries go flat I can save myself the trip to the knick-knack drawer and reach for my phone instead. When that dies I can just plug it in.

4. It's more energy efficient

For me, that is. Now if the remote is just out of reach, or out of sight, I don't have to get up, I can just take my phone out and start watching. Come to think of it, this point kind of sums up the other three. It's less hassle overall. My phone is always on me. Which is why it makes perfect sense to stick a Sky TV remote inside it.

And why I don't

The downside is that it gives me yet another reason to reach for my phone while watching TV. Like most people, I already have an unhealthy relationship with my phone. The last thing I need is another reason to reach for it, especially during what's supposed to be some downtime at the end of the day.

I'll already be scrolling the news throughout whatever I'm supposedly watching, then I'll remember an errand I have to run tomorrow so I'll quickly check the weather, and the pollen levels, and my bank balance, and our energy usage while I'm at it, and then the weather again in case it's changed in the 10 seconds since I checked it last, then the HMRC app to see if my tax bill is still the same as it was this afternoon, and then I might flick through some photos just for the hell of it, and by the time I've done that the news cycle has probably moved on so I'd better scan the headlines again...

It's ridiculous. We were halfway through season two of The Traitors US before I spat out my tea and said, "Is that John Bercow?" So anything that prompts me to look at my phone is a barrier to my enjoyment – it ends up getting in the way of the very thing it was meant to facilitate. It's the price we pay for convenience. And it's why I should stop being so lazy and get up and find the remote control instead of reaching for my phone yet again.

MORE:

Sky Q vs Sky Glass: which is better?

Why does my Sky Q box keep deleting my recordings?

Sky has announced a fix for my biggest beef with Sky Stream and Sky Glass

Watch World Matchplay Darts 2024 live streams

From the moment Luke Littler was eliminated, this is the World Matchplay Darts final we all wanted. It's Luke Humphries vs Michael van Gerwen, the world No.1 against the world No.2, a maiden finalist against a three-time champion. Away from home? Use a VPN to pick up your usual stream from anywhere. Full details on how to watch World Matchplay Darts 2024 below.

World Matchplay Darts final

8pm BST

• Luke Humphries vs Michael van Gerwen

World Matchplay Darts 2024 preview

MvG has made no secret of his personal struggles, and his dip in form over the past year has coincided with Humphries' rise. The Dutchman, however, has come out fighting ahead of this showdown at the Winter Gardens, saying he reckons he can still teach the top seed a thing or two.

Humphries is out to become only the fourth player to win the World Championship and World Matchplay Darts in the same year. The others to have achieved the feat? Phil Taylor, Peter Wright, and a certain Michael van Gerwen.

Read on as we explain how to watch World Matchplay Darts online from anywhere.

Watch World Matchplay Darts live streams in Australia

Fox Sports has the broadcasting rights to World Matchplay Darts in Australia, which means cord-cutters can live stream the action on the brilliant streaming service Kayo Sports. 

A subscription starts at $25 per month, though you can pay $30 per month for simultaneous streaming on two devices. Whichever plan you choose, new users get a free 7-day trial.

Remember: use a VPN to access Kayo when outside of Australia.

Watch World Matchplay Darts live streams from anywhere

You won't be able to watch your regular World Matchplay Darts live streams while traveling abroad. The streaming service will spot that you're in a foreign country and block you.

You can use a VPN (virtual private network) to get around this, though. It's a straightforward piece of software that sets your device to appear as if it's in a different country, allowing you to watch any World Matchplay Darts live stream from anywhere in the world.

We rate NordVPN as the best VPN for streaming sport. It offers a 30-day guarantee for all your money back if you're not happy with the service.

Watch World Matchplay Darts live streams in the UK

Sky Sports has the exclusive rights to World Matchplay Darts in the UK, with each night of the action being shown on the dedicated Sky Sports Arena channel.

Not a subscriber? Cord-cutters can live stream the darts with a Now Sports Pass (£10 a day or £34 a month).

Sky Sports Arena is also available on Virgin Media as part of the Bigger + Sport TV bundle. It's £65 per month and includes all Sky Sports and BT Sports channels.

Upgrade to Virgin Media Bigger + Sport

• Save big with today's best Sky TV deals

Watch World Matchplay Darts live streams in the US

DAZN has the rights to show PDC darts in the US, with a subscription costing $29.99 per month or $239.88 per year.

Watch World Matchplay Darts live streams in the rest of the world

Unless you're located in the UK, Germany, Austria or Switzerland, you can watch all the World Matchplay Darts 2024 action via PDC.TV.

You'll need the 'Rest of the World' subscription, which costs around £10 per month and includes throw-by-throw coverage of every session.

Remember: use a VPN to access PDC.TV when visiting the UK, Germany, Austria or Switzerland.

World Matchplay Darts past winners

• 1994 - Larry Butler (92.70)
• 1995 - Phil Taylor (90.72)
• 1996 - Peter Evison (100.51)
• 1997 - Phil Taylor (106.32)
• 1998 - Rod Harrington (95.03)
• 1999 - Rod Harrington (85.95)
• 2000 - Phil Taylor (100.32)
• 2001 - Phil Taylor (99.57)
• 2002 - Phil Taylor (98.76)
• 2003 - Phil Taylor (94.38)
• 2004 - Phil Taylor (100.20)
• 2005 - Colin Lloyd (97.89)
• 2006 - Phil Taylor (100.08)
• 2007 - James Wade (96.83)
• 2008 - Phil Taylor (109.47)
• 2009 - Phil Taylor (106.05)
• 2010 - Phil Taylor (105.16)
• 2011 - Phil Taylor (103.84)
• 2012 - Phil Taylor (98.97)
• 2013 - Phil Taylor (111.23)
• 2014 - Phil Taylor (107.19)
• 2015 - Michael van Gerwen (99.91)
• 2016 - Michael van Gerwen (103.93)
• 2017 - Phil Taylor (104.24)
• 2018 - Gary Anderson (101.12)
• 2019 - Rob Cross (95.16)
• 2020 - Dimitri Van den Bergh (98.31)
• 2021 - Peter Wright (105.90)
• 2022 - Michael van Gerwen (101.19)
• 2023 - Nathan Aspinall (96.21)

• Fancy an upgrade? Here are the best TVs
• Or save money with these unmissable cheap TV deals

Everyone TV has announced that Freely TV is coming to more TV brands, including Panasonic.

Freely launched in April 2024 exclusively to Hisense TVs. It then came to Bush models in May, with the service available on the brand’s 2024 4K smart TVs. Now Toshiba, Panasonic, Sharp, and Metz TVs will also be getting in on the action.  

For those who don’t know, Freely is a new and free streaming service that allows users to watch live TV channels and access on-demand content on smart TVs without needing an aerial. It was developed by Everyone TV, a joint venture between BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5 and only requires an internet connection to access. Freely also offers a few significant upgrades from Freeview Play, the current iteration of free terrestrial TV in the UK. 

Some of the latest additions to the Freely roster include Panasonic’s new line-up of 4K OLED, QLED, and LED TVs. We have reached out for more information on the specific models that will come with support for Freely. There’s also Sharp’s new range of smart TVs, including the GK4 4K and GM6 4K QLED models. Toshiba and Metz are also releasing new models featuring Fleely TV, including some QLED+ models from Metz which will range from 43 to 65 inches in screen size.

We got to try Freely TV out back in April and were impressed with how much of an upgrade from Freeview Play it appears to be. User interfaces and navigational tools are much more streamlined and in line with what you would expect from a full subscription service like Sky or Virgin.

The main goal of Freely is to make free TV more accessible to everyone across the UK. Over four million homes in the country don’t have a TV aerial, meaning watching Freeview is currently impossible for those viewers. Using Freely doesn’t mean you’ll have to ditch your aerial, however, as it can be used to scan channels and assist in the set-up process. 

Freely offers a few functions which are ‘firsts’ for a free TV service. This includes the ability to ‘pause’ and ‘restart’ live content on certain channels. Users will have a 15-minute pause buffer, which should be plenty of time for a quick pit stop. There won’t be any options for ‘rewinding’ or ‘fast-forwarding’ shows yet, however, these functions could be added later as Freely TV is upgradable, unlike the various iterations of Freeview we've seen over the years. 

The network download speed recommended to use Freely smoothly was quoted as low as just 10Mbps, meaning Freely should be a breeze for almost anyone in the UK with an internet connection to access. In April 2023, Ofcom reported the average download speed in the UK at around 70Mbps, for reference. 

MORE:

I’ve tried Freely: here are five things I like and three things that could be improved

Our picks for the best Panasonic TVs: OLED, HDR, 4K, budget, and premium options

OLED vs QLED: which is the best TV technology?