Sky Ultimate on Demand is a match made in heaven. The package brings together the UK’s best pay-TV platform and hardware (Sky Q), with our favourite TV streaming service, Netflix for £29 a month (that's for 18 months).
The Sky Ultimate on Demand (or Sky Ultimate TV) package, means Sky’s movie line-up and original programming joins forces with Netflix’s own shows and movies. This turns any Sky box into a one-stop entertainment hub.
This guide will walk you through what Sky Ultimate on Demand is and what it offers. We'll also cover how to get your Sky and Netflix accounts linked up and playing nicely with each other.
What is Sky Ultimate on Demand?
Also known as Sky Ultimate TV, Sky Ultimate on Demand is a package for Sky's premium Sky Q customers that integrates Netflix programming within Sky’s own EPG.
It introduces a single monthly bill that combines your Sky costs and Netflix subscription fees. This starts at £25, which is for Netflix Basic. If you want to upgrade to Ultra HD on the Netflix Premium plan, you need the Ultra HD add-on. This brings you Ultra HD viewing as well as Netflix on four screens at the same time for an extra £10 per month.
It's the huge range of content that's available with Sky Ultimate on Demand that's really appealing. You'll get access to all of Sky’s own TV boxset content and originals, which includes top-notch shows like Big Little Lies, Parks and Recreation, Chernobyl, Brassic and Catherine the Great. And you'll get everything Netflix has to offer, including its huge back catalogue of content and originals, like Stranger Things, Sex Education and Tiger King.
Let's not forget all of the benefits that already come with Sky Q. Including live TV, Catch-Up TV, BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub and All 4. As well as apps like YouTube, Spotify and XITE. Sky Go is also included as standard, which allows you to watch all your favourite TV shows and movies on your mobile, tablet and laptop.
Being a connected box, anyone with a Sky Q set-top box can link an existing Netflix account to the hardware’s Netflix app. But those that opt for the Sky Ultimate on Demand package get some plan-specific benefits that you can’t get elsewhere.
Not only does it offer Netflix at a discounted rate, but it also integrates Netflix recommendations throughout the Sky interface, letting you see new content, suggested shows based on your viewing history and half-finished shows, ready to be resumed, alongside Sky’s own programming.
All your potential viewing options live side-by-side, rather than being siloed off into an individual Netflix app (though you’ve still got the standard Netflix app to browse too, should you choose to do so).
How to get Sky Ultimate on Demand
The Netflix-integrating Sky Ultimate on Demand package is an upgrade add-on to other Sky Q packages. It’s not available to Sky+ viewers, so you’ll have to make the jump to Sky’s superior Q platform if any of this sounds of interest to you.
So, first things first, you’ll need to be a Sky Q customer, with the associated hardware that Sky provides. Once you’re committed to Sky Q, you’ll first need to be signed up for a Sky Q Entertainment subscription, which costs £22 a month (and that’s on a minimum 18-month contract).
Ultimate TV then costs an additional £12 per month, for a £34 total. Note however that Sky’s currently running a promotion that brings both packages together for £25 a month.
Things get a little more complicated if you want to watch in 4K, however. To do this, you’ll need to also upgrade to Sky’s top-of-the-line Sky Q Experience package, with a Sky Q 2TB box. For an additional £13 per month, this opens up Netflix and Sky TV viewing on 4 devices at once, UHD high resolution playback and multiroom possibilities with a Sky Q Mini box.
Note that, even if you have a UHD-ready existing Netflix Premium account, you’re going to need the Sky Q Experience package either way if you intend to use Sky’s hardware to stream in 4K. Of course, there are multiple other devices with which to get Netflix in 4K if you don’t fancy going the Sky Ultimate on Demand route.
Linking your Sky and Netflix profiles
Whether you're signing up to Netflix for the first time, or are looking to link an existing Netflix account to your Sky subscription, there are two routes to take (and, if you are already a Netflix subscriber, both retain any profiles and watch lists you’ve already got associated with your account.
The first is achieved simply through your Sky Q box. Once you’ve signed up for the service, you simply fire up the Sky Q box’s Netflix or click on any Netflix content within the interface, and it’ll point you towards activating your Netflix account. You’ll be prompted to either create a new Netflix account or link your pre-existing Netflix account to your Ultimate on Demand package. From there on in, your Netflix recommendations and shows in progress will appear in the Sky interface, too.
If you can’t get to your Sky box for whatever reason and still want to set up the Ultimate on Demand package, you can complete a similar process online. After sign-up you’ll receive a Netflix Activation email that contains a link that points you to sky.com/activatenetflix. Here you’ll log into your Sky account, and then be redirected to Netflix to either activate a brand new Netflix account or tie an existing Netflix subscription to your Ultimate on Demand package.
From here on in, you’ll receive a single bill for both services, rather than having to keep track of a separate bill for Netflix streaming.
- Not sure you want Netflix? Check out our guide to the best streaming service in the UK
