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Quick Facts
- Sky Stream needs a small puck device and typically a 12-month term for the best price
- NOW is fully contract-free, pay only for the passes you want, cancel anytime
- Sky Stream Essential TV is €31/month standard pricing in Ireland
Both Sky Stream and NOW get you Sky content without a satellite dish — but they’re built for completely different viewing habits, and picking the wrong one means either overpaying or missing what you actually wanted.
The core difference
Sky Stream is a proper Sky subscription delivered via a small streaming puck instead of a dish. You get an always-on package of channels, live TV, on-demand, and a smart interface — the full Sky experience, typically with a 12-month commitment for the best pricing.
NOW is Sky’s contract-free alternative — instead of one all-in package, you buy individual “Memberships” (Entertainment, Cinema, Sports, Sports Extra) for just the content you want, and can cancel anytime with no long-term commitment.
Sky Stream pricing in Ireland
Based on current pricing directly from Sky Ireland:
- Essential TV: standard pricing €31/month (the current offer is €18/month for 12 months, or €25/month on a 31-day rolling plan — check sky.ie for current offers)
- Ultimate TV: standard pricing €41/month, includes Netflix Basic, Disney+, HBO Max Basic with Ads and Hayu
- Sky Sports add-on: standard pricing €45/month
- Sky Cinema add-on: standard pricing €20/month
Sky Stream in Ireland includes RTÉ, Virgin Media One/Two/Three, and TG4 in HD alongside the full Sky channel lineup — so you’re not losing your free-to-air channels by switching.
NOW pricing in Ireland
NOW is officially available in Ireland at nowtv.com/ie, with separate Memberships for Entertainment, Cinema, Sports and (in Ireland only) Sports Extra, each cancellable anytime with no contract. Our NOW and Sky hub has set-up guides and fixes for both.
Standard Irish NOW prices (checked 7 October 2026; the streaming prices tracker has the latest):
- Entertainment: €8.99 a month
- Entertainment & HBO Max: €11.99 a month
- Cinema: €11.99 a month
- Boost add-on: €5 a month (Full HD, no ads on demand, two streams)
- Sports (Sky Sports): €38.99 a month or €14.99 a day
- Sports Extra (Premier Sports and TNT Sports): €33.99 a month or €14.99 a day
- Sports and Sports Extra together: €27 a month on the 12-month Sports Saver
Six-month intro offers often bring Entertainment down to €5.99. Irish and UK prices are set separately, so always check nowtv.com/ie rather than UK pricing.
Which one actually fits you
- Choose Sky Stream if: you watch TV daily across a mix of channels and want one always-on setup — the per-month cost works out better than stacking multiple NOW Memberships if you’d want more than one anyway
- Choose NOW if: you only want sport for part of the year, or want to dip into Sky Cinema for a month and cancel — the lack of a contract is the whole point
- A practical middle ground: some households use NOW’s Sports memberships just for the Premier League season and skip Sky Stream entirely the rest of the year, since NOW never locks you into paying when you’re not watching
Related guides: How to Fix Common Sky Stream Remote and Pairing Issues · Sky Sports+ Explained: More Live Streams at No Extra Cost
Complete Your Setup
Sharp HT-SB121 Compact Soundbar
TV speakers rarely do streaming audio justice. This 55 cm soundbar connects by HDMI ARC, so the TV remote can control the volume.
One For All Streamer Remote
Cuts down on juggling three remotes to switch between your TV, streaming box, and soundbar.
JBL Go 5 Portable Bluetooth Speaker
A flexible alternative to a fixed soundbar if you want to move audio between rooms or take it outside for a match.
LG LED AI,32 inch HD Smart TV
A 2026 32-inch LG smart TV with webOS apps built in, plus Google Cast and AirPlay 2 for casting from your phone.
Wireless TV Headphones
Lets one person turn the volume up without disturbing the rest of the house — a favourite for late-night viewing and anyone hard of hearing.
Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer
A bigger upgrade than a compact soundbar — the separate subwoofer adds the depth that films and match-day crowds need.
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Related: see our full guide to legal streaming services in Ireland and where to watch GAA legally.
Pricing on streaming and TV packages changes often — the Sky Stream and NOW figures above are standard pricing from sky.ie and nowtv.com/ie, checked 7 October 2026, but always confirm live pricing on the provider’s own site before subscribing.
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