From August, Sky Q and Sky Glass viewers will have access to the BT Sport Ultimate UHD channel. But the service won’t be directly accessible from the channel list.
Instead, Sky Q and Sky Glass users with the relevant subscription will be able to press red during selected live events on BT Sport to access the UHD feed from BT Sport Ultimate.
BT Sport Ultimate joins BT Sport 5-10 – the former BT Sport Extra channels – as being available through the red button on Sky’s TV platforms from this season.
The opening day of the Premier League on Saturday 6th August 2022 will provide Sky Q and Sky Glass users the first opportunity to access BT Sport content in UHD. In addition to providing a higher resolution image, BT Sport Ultimate also offers High Dynamic Range (HDR) images.
BT Sport first launched a 4K Ultra HD service in 2015. The channel was originally exclusive to BT TV viewers. It was later also rolled out on Virgin Media. A long-term dispute between Sky and BT meant Sky viewers initially had no chance of getting BT Sport in UHD. But in recent years, both companies have struck new deals opening up their channels on each other’s TV platforms.
With BT Sport about to be combined into a joint venture with Eurosport-owner Warner Bros Discovery (WBD), Sky could become the smaller of the two sports broadcasters.
Meanwhile, Sky has launched Sky Sports Main Event Ultra HDR as a standalone UHD channel on both Sky satellite and Sky Glass and is no longer reliant on the red button.
Other changes
BT Sport ESPN becomes BT Sport 4 from Monday (1st August). This follows the end of the nine-year co-branding deal. The name change is expected to be temporary, as BT and WBD have said they will relaunch their combined channel offering under a common brand in the future.
At the same time, BoxNation, which can also be accessed as part of a the BT Sport package, will move to a new channel number. In the UK, BoxNation moves to channel 427 (from 429). In the Republic of Ireland, the channel moves to 429 (from 435).
Subscribing to BT Sport on Sky Q
Sky currently bundles BT Sport and its own TV service for £53 a month for 18 months for new subscribers. Set-up fees may apply. Existing subscribers may be on other legacy or retention plans.
BT currently still offers a standalone plan allowing Sky satellite viewers to add BT Sport for £29.99 on a one-month or 12 month contract. A £35 upfront fee applies. This reduces to a £20 upfront fee if you commit to 12 months. HD access costs extra after three months. Currently, the plan bought directly from BT doesn’t include UHD, but this may change.
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Sky Q channel guide (UK)
Subscribing to BT Sport on Sky Glass
To watch BT Sport on Sky Glass, you need to take BT Sport with Sky. The exception to the rule is if you’re switching from Sky+/Q and already have a BT Sport subscription with BT. In that case, you can carry on using your BT subscription and don’t need to cancel with BT.
Accessing all BT Sport channels directly from the channel guide
At the present time, only BT TV allows viewers to access every BT Sport channel directly from the channel list (EPG). Virgin Media allows viewers to directly select BT Sport Ultimate, in addition to BT Sport 1-4.
Iain Hatton, features writer, RXTV
Updated 21:48