It doesn’t matter where you live—cable TV is expensive. That’s especially true in the UK, where Sky and BT’s monopoly on the Premier League broadcast rights has driven up the monthly costs to unfathomable amounts.
But did you know there are ways to still get your football fix and save a load of money in the process? Keep reading to learn more.
1. Now TV
Before we look at some of the free options, a quick nod to Now TV. Now TV is a Sky service that lets you choose the packages you want to watch on an a la carte basis. You can only stream Now TV online; there’s no cable box.
Packages are available for sport, entertainment, movies, and kids’ TV. You can buy plans by the day or by the month. A Sky Sports plan is $34 per month or $10 per day.
2. Paid IPTV
The high cost of Sky has led many people to look for cheaper (and arguably less legitimate!) Sky TV alternatives.
In 2020, one of the most popular solutions is to use a paid IPTV service. Some services offer thousands of channels from around the world, while others specialize in a particular country or type of content.
For live UK TV, we think the best IPTV alternative to Sky is BBTV. To learn more, read our article on the best IPTV providers available today.
Make sure you understand exactly what IPTV is before you sign up.
3. Live Sports Streaming Sites
If you only want to watch the live action itself and are less concerned with being able to tune into a specific sports network 24/7, a cheaper solution than IPTV is to use a free sports streaming site.
For example, FootyBite has live soccer games from around the world (including the Premier League), SportsSurge has MMA, boxing, basketball, motorsport, and NFL, and Bilasport is ideal for live hockey, NFL, and baseball. All these sites will let you watch Sky Sports streams for free.
The downside of using sports streaming sites as a long-term alternative to Sky is the propensity for their streams to buffer and/or go down, especially during high-demand fixtures and events.
4. Ace Stream
Ace Stream is a peer-to-peer multimedia streaming protocol. Think of it as being like watching a torrent, but for live TV instead.
To use Ace Stream, you will need to download the official app on your computer or mobile device. Then, when the action is about to begin, paste a URL into the app to load a stream. Ace Stream links are available in lots of places, including acestreamsearch.net and Reddit.
(Note: Check out our list of torrent resources to learn more about how torrenting works.)
5. Free IPTV
Both paid and free IPTV services are available. For a free service, all you need is an M3U playlist URL and an IPTV app that can read the file.
Obviously, free IPTV streams are less reliable than paid IPTV streams, but if your main reason for looking for a Sky alternative is to save money, they are worth checking out.
To learn more, read our list of the best free IPTV subscriptions elsewhere on the site.
6. Freeview
If you are based in the UK, check out Freeview. It’s a perfectly legal way to watch some of the biggest UK channels for free. The service, which is a joint venture between the BBC, ITV, and Channel Four, has been a hit since its release in 2002.
Some of the free UK TV channels on Freeview include BBC, Film4, Sony Movies, HGTV, FreeSports, and PBS America.
Or Use a VPN?
Lastly, UK readers could try signing up for a US-based sports service like FuboTV. It broadcasts an extensive list of global sports, including soccer, NFL, NBA, boxing, cycling, and more.
Because the service is US-based, you will need to use a VPN to unblock the site when you sign up, and every time you want to watch.
