Sky Sports Plus launch date, fixtures and all you need to know (2024)

Ever been spoiled for choice with Sky Sports content? Well, you're about to get a lot more, because the broadcaster is launching Sky Sports+ next month.

Sky Sports+ will exist as a dedicated linear channel at no extra cost to sports subscribers, but customers will also be able to access additional live streams in a move that Sky is saying will bring customers "over 50% more live sport this year".

Here's what we know so far about the service – from its launch date, to how to get it. And if you're interested, check out where Sky and its streaming-only sibling NOW currently sit in our best streaming services roundup before reading on...

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Sky Sports Plus launch date

It's now been officially confirmed that Sky Sports+ launches this Thursday, August 8.

In a previous announcement to the press, Sky had announced an August release window and stated customers would get the benefit on the opening weekend of the men's EFL Championship football season.

Sky Sports' website had previously promised "a first in broadcasting history" with a live stream of "every game from across all three divisions – the Championship, League One and League Two" on that opening weekend.

Shop Sky Stream bundle with Sky Sports and UHD pack for £43/month

The EFL Championship, League One and League Two start on Friday, August 9, with 30 matches from across the three competitions broadcast on Saturday, August 10 across Sky Sports linear channels and Sky Sports+ streams.

Before the leagues kick off, an EFL season preview show airs on Thursday, August 8 at 6pm hosted by David Prutton, Don Goodman, Jobi McAnuff and Andy Hinchcliffe.

Further launch weekend content includes early access on Sky Sports+ to the second season of documentary Mission to Burnley, which premieres in full on Friday, August 9.

Sky Sports Plus fixtures and content

Sky Sports+ will broadcast content on its linear channel and live streams. The broadcaster has said this setup will give it the ability to air "up to 100 events concurrently" if required and has promised customers an increase of 50% on its existing live sports offering, as mentioned above.

The EFL will be at the heart of Sky Sports+ coverage, and the broadcaster's new five-season deal with the league will see it air over 1,000 games from the Championship, League One and League Two throughout the season.

Each team will feature a minimum of 20 times – and every Championship club will feature at least 24 times. You can find out more about what it means in this explainer from the EFL.

One important aside: there is a blackout period between 2.45pm and 5.15pm on Saturdays, when matches kicking off in that period will not be aired. This is allowed under Article 48 of the UEFA Statutes, where member associations such as the FA can choose a two-and-a-half-hour period where live football cannot be broadcast on TV.

This rule has the aim of protecting attendance at games at all levels of the footballing pyramid (so if you've ever wondered why they don't show any actual football pitches on Soccer Saturday, now you know why).

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Sky Sports+ will also feature expanded coverage of the ATP and WTA tennis tours and US Open, plus the PGA tour in golf. It will air every match from the top tier of men's rugby league, the Super League, too.

Sky Sports subscribers will get early access to Sky original sports documentaries such as Darts and the second season of Mission to Burnley via Sky Sports+.

Some technical changes are coming, too. Live pause and rewind will be available on streams that are running at the same time. League One and Two games shown on the Sky Sports+ broadcast channel will also get the same Recap feature that is used for Premier League and EFL Championship matches.

The Sky Sports app will also relaunch when Sky Sports+ lands, with new features including dark mode, personalisation options and dedicated event centres housing multiple streams.

The multisports scores section of the app will also be improved to offer "fixtures, live scores and an extended view beyond the usual seven-day football calendar".

Is there an extra cost for Sky Sports Plus?

Sky's announcement said that Sky Sports+ "comes at no extra cost". However, you will need the basic Sky package and a Sky Sports subscription, of course. It's also worth bearing in mind that Sky doesn't usually commit to fixed pricing for a contract term and reserves the right to amend pricing.

Customers can choose between the traditional Sky Q satellite and set-top box package, a Sky Glass TV set where programming is delivered over a broadband connection instead, or Sky Stream, a streaming box that plugs into your existing set and again delivers content via the internet.

Pricing for these packages (on minimum 24-month contracts) starts as follows:

• New Sky Stream customers: £43/month for Sky Entertainment + Netflix Basic and Sky Sports with UHD & Dolby Atmos (usually £52/month), with £39.95 setup fees waived. Offer ends on Wednesday, August 21.

• New Sky Q customers: £31 (Sky TV base package) + £20 = £51/month, plus one-off setup fees from £20

Sky Glass pricing will depend on the TV set you choose and the length of contract you choose for your hardware.

Additionally, Sky Glass and Sky Stream customers can pay a little extra per month to place their programming contracts on a 31-day rolling agreement instead of a 24-month contract.

In addition to Sky Sports+, a Sky Sports subscription opens up several dedicated channels:

• Sky Sports Main Event – home to Sky's biggest programming from around the world of sport and across its numerous channels.

• Sky Sports Premier League – the home of Sky's coverage of Premier League men's football – it will have exclusive live coverage of 128 fixtures this season, going up to 215 games per season from 2025/26 to 2028/29.

• Sky Sports Football – the place to go for coverage of the EFL and Scottish Premiership, plus Germany's top flight of men's football, the Bundesliga. Sky will also broadcast the Women's Super League – it has the rights to air up to 44 matches from the top flight of women's football during the 2024/25 season.

• Sky Sports Cricket – a dedicated channel featuring Sky's live coverage of the England men's and women's international home tests, one-day internationals and international T20 fixtures, plus The Hundred. It also has the rights to men's and women's World Cup competitions at ODI and T20 level.

• Sky Sports Golf – a dedicated golf channel including coverage of all five men's golfing majors and all five women's golfing majors, plus the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour and DP World Tour (aka the PGA European Tour). Its coverage includes the Ryder Cup, too.

• Sky Sports F1 – featuring live coverage of Formula 1, Formula 2, Formula 3, the IndyCar Series and more.

• Sky Sports Tennis – with action from the ATP and WTA tennis tours, plus exclusive coverage of the US Open grand slam.

• Sky Sports Action – a mix of sports including coverage of both rugby union and rugby league, boxing, NFL and darts.

• Sky Sports Arena – another multisports channel with a similar programming mix to Sky Sports Action.

The package also includes Sky Sports News, Sky Sports Racing and Sky Sports Mix, which are available as part of the basic Sky subscription.

Is Sky Sports Plus available for NOW customers?

Sky Sports+ will be made available to NOW Sports members from day one. With NOW, you don't need to take a basic Sky package – you can just subscribe to sports programming if that's all you want.

Sports membership on NOW costs £14.99 per day, £34.99 per month, or if you're happy to commit to six months, you can pay a discounted price of £26 per month. You can cancel at any time, but note that you'll lose the £26/month offer pricing if you cancel within that six-month period.

When Sky Sports+ launches, NOW customers will get access to every stream on the service, plus on-demand content to catch up on their favourite sports. At the same time, NOW members will be given access to pause and rewind live sports content.