Reviewed by

Linda Davis | Last tested: 12 June 2026

Linda Davis founded Best IPTV UK in 2019 to cut through the noise around UK streaming subscriptions. A former BBC…

EE TV vs Sky Stream UK EE's TV box is, underneath the rebrand, an Apple TV 4K running a custom EE skin — the same hardware Apple sells for around £150, given to EE broadband customers as a £10-a-month bolt-on with a fistful of streaming apps preloaded. Sky Stream's Puck is Sky's own EntOS hardware, sold on its own merits to anyone with broadband for an 18-month contract. The pricing model, the underlying philosophy, and the buyer profile diverge from the first decision a household makes — am I tying my TV to my broadband bill, or am I keeping them separate? — and the answer to that question shapes which box ends up under the television. This guide breaks down what each box delivers, where the bundle savings really hide, and which household profile each service actually wins. The Which is cheaper for sport question is, at heart, a question about who owns your broadband contract and how loyal you are to Sky's own channel grid.

New to IPTV? IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) streams live TV, on-demand films, and sports directly over your broadband connection — no satellite dish or cable required. Read our complete What is IPTV guide → EE versus Sky comparison.

Further Reading #

• EE TV and broadband bundles
• Sky Stream official product page

What each service is in 2026 #

EE TV is the post-BT TV product, rebranded after EE absorbed BT's consumer brand in 2024. It bundles into EE Full Fibre broadband packages and ships as one of two boxes: the EE TV Box Pro (a Humax-built recorder with 1TB of storage and an aerial socket), or the newer EE Smart Box (an Apple TV 4K in EE clothing, no aerial, app-aggregator only). The Smart Box is the route most new EE TV customers take. It pulls iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, My5, Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, Apple TV+, NOW and YouTube into a single search and adds Sky Sports, TNT Sports and Sky Cinema as paid add-ons via NOW and Discovery+ apps. For the official spec sheet, see EE's official EE TV page, which lays out the broadband tiers each box ships with.

Sky Stream is Sky's IP-delivered Sky service. The Puck plugs into HDMI on any TV, connects to any home broadband, and pulls the full Sky channel lineup — Sky Atlantic, Sky Max, Sky Showcase, Sky Sports, Sky Cinema and the rest — into Sky's own EntOS interface. Add-ons (Sports, Cinema, Multiroom Pucks) sit on top. Base contract is 18 months. The detail of what each pack includes lives on Sky's official Sky Stream overview, which is the cleanest reference for live channel counts and add-on pricing as Sky updates them.

What is IPTV? #

What is IPTV, and why does the EE or Sky streaming box debate sit squarely inside it? IPTV — internet protocol television — is the delivery model where television channels and on-demand content reach your screen over a broadband line rather than through a satellite dish, an aerial, or a coaxial cable from the street. Both boxes in this comparison are pure IPTV products in the technical sense: neither needs a dish, neither needs an aerial socket on the Smart Box version, and both rely on whatever broadband line happens to be in the house to do the heavy lifting. Where they diverge is in who controls the pipe. EE's Smart Box assumes EE is your broadband provider and quietly tunes the experience around that bundled relationship; Sky Stream's Puck is broadband-agnostic by design and will run identically on a BT line, a Virgin line, a Hyperoptic line or a Community Fibre line.

That broadband independence matters more than most buyers realise. A few practical IPTV traits worth keeping in mind:

• Picture quality scales with line speed — 4K HDR sport on Sky Stream wants at least a stable 25 Mbps to the puck, ideally over Ethernet.
• Latency on live sport is roughly 30 to 60 seconds behind broadcast on both services, which matters if your neighbour has Sky Q satellite.
• Outages move from the satellite dish to the broadband router — when EE or your ISP has a hiccup, the TV blinks too.
• Multiroom on IPTV is a second puck or box, not a second cable run, so adding a bedroom screen is a software decision, not a builder visit.

Both products sit alongside other UK IPTV options — see the Sky Stream vs NOW comparison and the Virgin TV Stream vs Sky Stream breakdown for sister IPTV products that solve adjacent versions of the same problem.

Hardware — the EE TV box vs the Sky Stream Puck #

The EE Smart Box is Apple TV 4K hardware: A15 Bionic SoC, 64GB or 128GB storage, HDMI 2.1, 4K HDR with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, dual-band Wi-Fi 6, Ethernet, Bluetooth, Thread radio. The remote is the EE-branded version of the Siri Remote with a touch-enabled clickpad and a dedicated Apple/EE button. Underneath the EE skin, tvOS is still there — apps install from a selected list, Siri search works, AirPlay works to and from any Apple device.

The Sky Stream Puck is smaller and simpler. Quad-core SoC running Sky's own EntOS, 8GB internal storage (it streams everything), HDMI 2.1, 4K HDR with HDR10, Dolby Vision and HLG, Atmos passthrough, dual-band Wi-Fi 6, Ethernet. The remote is Sky's own with a voice button, dedicated buttons for Sky, apps and a numeric pad for channel jumps. The Puck doesn't run apps in the way the Apple TV does — Sky's EntOS surfaces specific partners (Netflix, Disney+, Prime, Apple TV+, BBC iPlayer, ITVX, All 4, My5) but you can't sideload anything else.

Pricing — bundled vs standalone #

Indicative prices, subject to change at ee.co.uk and sky.com. EE TV is sold only alongside EE broadband. The Smart Box adds around £10 a month on top of the broadband bill, with no separate contract — the TV bolt-on inherits the broadband contract length, typically 24 months on EE Full Fibre. The headline saving lands when you bundle a sport add-on: Discovery+ TNT Sports through EE TV is sometimes £5 cheaper a month than buying it standalone, and EE periodically runs Apple TV+ at no cost for the broadband contract length, which is a real £100+ saving over two years. In the wider Which is cheaper for sport pricing picture, that bundled-only structure is the single biggest reason an EE customer ends up on the Smart Box rather than on a Puck.

Sky Stream's base is around £29 a month for Entertainment + Netflix on an 18-month contract, with Sports adding roughly £30, Cinema £13 and TNT Sports another £30. The Puck itself is included; you pay only the subscription. Sky doesn't bundle broadband — your existing line stays where it is — so the comparison maths must include whatever you currently pay your broadband provider. For an EE broadband customer adding TV, the bundled EE TV route is structurally cheaper than EE broadband + standalone Sky Stream by roughly £15 to £25 a month at like-for-like content, before any promotional discounts.

Channel lineup and Sky add-ons compared #

Sky Stream carries the full Sky channel lineup natively in the EPG — Sky Atlantic, Sky Max, Sky Showcase, Sky Witness, Sky Crime, Sky Documentaries, Sky Nature, Sky Comedy, Sky Cinema (eleven channels), Sky Sports (eight channels), the Pick channels, plus the free-to-air PSB channels and a unified Netflix integration. It is a single interface for the whole household.

EE TV does not carry Sky's channels natively. Instead, you get Sky's content via the NOW app (Entertainment, Cinema and Sports memberships) and TNT Sports via Discovery+. That means Sky Atlantic and the Sky originals appear inside the NOW Entertainment app rather than in a numbered channel grid. The picture caps at 1080p with NOW Boost, not the 4K you'd get on Sky Stream. So for Sky channels specifically, EE TV is the lower-resolution, app-routed path; for everything else (Netflix, Apple TV+, Prime, iPlayer, ITVX), EE TV's universal search arguably handles them better. This is the cleanest single illustration of the EE versus Sky comparison trade — Sky's own content is first-class on Sky Stream, second-class through NOW on EE TV.

Apps and aggregator experience #

EE TV shines as an app aggregator because tvOS underneath is among the cleanest streaming OSes on the market. Universal search returns episode-level results across Netflix, Apple TV+, Prime Video, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, My5, Discovery+ and NOW. Continue-watching tiles unify across services. AirPlay support means a guest can throw their iPhone screen onto the TV without a fuss. Apple Fitness+, Apple Arcade and Apple Music all run natively if anyone in the house uses them.

Sky Stream's app strategy is selected rather than open. The same major streamers are present (Netflix, Disney+, Prime, Apple TV+, iPlayer, ITVX, All 4, My5) and they integrate into Sky's universal search at the title level. What you can't do is sideload an app outside Sky's approved partners — no Plex, no MUBI, no niche services. The interface is busier because Sky's own EPG is the priority surface; for a household that lives mainly inside Sky channels, that's the correct ordering. For a household that splits time across Netflix, Apple TV+ and a couple of niche apps, EE TV feels less cluttered.

Sport — TNT Sports, Sky Sports, what each delivers #

Sky Stream with the Sky Sports add-on gives you the full eight Sky Sports channels in 4K HDR on Premier League, F1 and Sky Cinema premieres. Multiview lets you watch up to four feeds at once for Saturday afternoon football. TNT Sports comes via Discovery+ and pushes you into the app when you select it.

EE TV with the NOW Sports membership gives you the same eight Sky Sports channels but capped at 1080p with Boost — no native 4K. TNT Sports through Discovery+ is the same app you'd get on Sky Stream. The headline is that EE TV's sports stack is the NOW-tier picture quality, even though the box hardware itself supports 4K. If you're a heavy Premier League and cricket viewer who wants 4K, Sky Stream is the better-equipped box for sport. If you watch TNT-led football (the Champions League is on TNT) more than Sky, the difference between the two boxes shrinks. For households weighing the EE or Sky streaming box sport question alone, that 4K gap on Sky Sports is usually the deciding factor.

Universal search vs voice remote #

EE TV's Siri remote is the better remote on paper. It has a clickpad rather than a directional ring, a Siri button for natural-language search, and the build quality of an Apple peripheral. Search returns are fast and unified across the apps you have installed. It also doubles as a HomePod for tvOS audio output, which is a fringe but pleasant feature.

Sky's voice remote is functional rather than premium. The voice button works for content search, channel changes ('Sky Atlantic'), and playback controls. Search is unified across Sky channels and approved apps. The remote is plastic and noticeably lighter than the EE/Apple unit. Where Sky's voice search edges ahead is in episode-aware results — say 'House of the Dragon season two episode three' and the Puck jumps directly to that episode regardless of whether it's in your Playlist or fresh on Sky Atlantic. tvOS's Siri does the same on titles it recognises, but the depth of integration with Sky's own metadata gives Sky Stream an edge inside its own content.

Broadband bundle savings — where they actually appear #

EE bundles Apple TV+ free for the contract length on selected broadband packages, which saves £8.99 a month — roughly £108 over a year, £216 over a two-year contract. EE also occasionally bundles a Netflix tier or a TNT Sports discount as promotional incentives. The Smart Box itself is £10 a month bolted onto the broadband bill, which is comparable to buying an Apple TV 4K outright over the same period (about £150 spread over 24 months equals £6.25 a month, but you get free upgrades and the EE skin's universal search).

Sky Stream offers no broadband bundle because Sky doesn't sell broadband at scale (Sky Broadband exists but isn't aggressively bundled with Sky Stream — the Puck is broadband-agnostic by design). What Sky does offer is multi-product loyalty: Sky Mobile customers sometimes get loyalty discounts on Sky Stream packs. The structural saving on EE TV is therefore real for an EE broadband household and effectively nil on Sky Stream. For a non-EE broadband household (BT Full Fibre, Vodafone, Hyperoptic, Community Fibre), the EE TV saving disappears because you'd have to switch broadband to access it. Households who were considering ditching Sky entirely should also weigh the cheaper alternatives to Sky TV route before locking into either bundle.

Contract terms #

EE TV inherits the broadband contract, typically 24 months on EE Full Fibre. Cancelling broadband mid-contract carries the standard early-termination fee. Cancelling just the TV bolt-on outside the broadband can be done at the next billing date with thirty days' notice. The Smart Box hardware is yours to keep at end of contract — no return needed.

Sky Stream is an 18-month contract on the base. Cancelling early triggers an early-termination fee calculated on remaining months. The Puck must be returned within 30 days of cancellation or you're charged about £20. Add-ons added later as rolling extras can be cancelled with thirty days' notice without affecting the base. The April price-rise formula (RPI plus 3.5%) applies during the contract.

Verdict by buyer profile #

EE broadband loyalist who watches a wide mix of streamers and casual sport: EE TV Smart Box. The Apple hardware, the Apple TV+ bundle, the universal search and the £10/month bolt-on are all reasons. Add NOW Sports for football season and drop it for the summer.

Sky channel completionist whose evening starts on Sky Atlantic and ends on Sky Cinema: Sky Stream. The full EPG, the 4K Sky originals, the Playlist and the Multiview for sports all matter once Sky channels are the household's centre of gravity.

App-aggregator household — heavy on Netflix, Apple TV+, Disney+, Prime, light on traditional channels: EE TV is the cleaner pick because tvOS is the better app OS. Sky Stream is over-engineered for this household and the contract penalty isn't worth the broader Sky integration you won't use.

Sports fan who wants Premier League in 4K and watches every Sunday: Sky Stream with Sky Sports. The 4K coverage and Multiview win on a 65-inch screen. EE TV's NOW Sports route can't match it, even though the underlying Apple hardware is technically capable. That, in a single sentence, is the Which is cheaper for sport sport verdict.

Frequently Asked Questions #

Is EE TV cheaper than Sky Stream? #

For EE broadband customers, yes — by roughly £15 to £25 a month at like-for-like content, before promotional bundles like the Apple TV+ free tier. For non-EE broadband households the comparison flips, because you'd need to switch broadband to access the EE TV pricing, which usually costs more than the saving on the TV side. The honest answer to the EE versus Sky comparison pricing question is bundle-dependent: stay on EE for the saving, leave EE and the saving evaporates.

Can I get all of Sky's channels on EE TV? #

You can get most of Sky's content, but not as native channels. EE TV routes Sky channels through the NOW app — Entertainment, Cinema, Sports — which means you watch Sky Atlantic, Sky Max and Sky Sports inside an app surface rather than a numbered EPG, and the picture caps at 1080p with NOW Boost. Sky Stream is the only route to Sky's full channel lineup as a unified live EPG with 4K originals.

Do I need EE broadband for EE TV? #

Yes. EE only sells the EE TV bolt-on alongside an EE broadband package — there is no standalone EE TV subscription for a third-party broadband line. If you want a similar Apple TV-based experience without EE broadband, you can buy an Apple TV 4K outright (around £150) and subscribe to NOW, Netflix and the rest separately, but you won't get the bundled discounts.

Which has the better remote and search? #

The EE TV/Apple TV remote is the better hardware — clickpad, Siri button, premium build, doubles as a Find My device. Sky's voice remote is plastic and lighter but its search is more deeply integrated with Sky's own metadata, so episode-aware queries inside Sky channels return faster. For app-heavy households the Apple remote wins. For Sky-channel-heavy households Sky's remote is the better fit even though the build feels cheaper.

Is the EE TV box really an Apple TV inside? #

The EE Smart Box is Apple TV 4K hardware with EE's custom skin layered on top of tvOS. The chip is the same A15 Bionic, the ports are the same, the remote is functionally a Siri Remote in EE colours. The skin changes the home screen layout and surfaces EE-specific content tiles, but tvOS app compatibility is essentially intact. EE has confirmed this in its product pages, and the practical upshot is that you get Apple's hardware reliability and software updates inside an EE bill.

Related reading #

• Virgin TV Stream vs Sky Stream — the cable-line alternative compared
• EE TV review — the Smart Box and Box Pro in everyday use
• Sky Stream review — Puck performance, packs and the Playlist verdict
• Sky Stream vs NOW — when the cheaper sibling is the smarter buy
• Virgin TV Stream review — what the cable refugees actually get
• How to set up the Sky Stream Puck — step-by-step from box to first stream
• Cancel Sky TV — the cheaper IPTV alternatives that actually replace it

Disclosure: this article is editorially independent. Prices and pack details were correct at time of writing and are subject to change at ee.co.uk and sky.com. We may earn a commission on some links at no extra cost to you.