The first of the streaming services being added to Sky TV has arrived.
Disney+ Standard with Ads is now free to all Sky Q customers, as well as Sky Glass and Sky Stream with an Ultimate TV subscription.
Sky recently announced that it was expanding its Ultimate TV package with some great, free extras – namely the HBO Max, Disney+ and Hayu streaming services.
That means Sky Glass, Sky Stream and Sky Q customers are getting standard membership to each of them at no extra cost. And that's on top of Netflix, which is already included.
But in a surprise move, the first of the trio of new additions has already arrived. Disney+ Standard with Ads is now available to Sky Q customers, plus those with Ultimate TV on Sky Glass or Sky Stream. It's also free for Sky customers with the Essential TV package and the Sky Cinema add-on.
Many (us included) didn't expect Disney+ to arrive so soon. It was thought that it would be added when HBO Max launches next week – on 26 March. So it comes as a very pleasant shock.
How to get Disney+ for free on Sky
If you are a Sky Glass or Sky Stream customer, you should see a new Disney+ rail on your TV with details on how to activate your subscription. It will give you the £5.99 Standard with Ads tier at no cost, which includes access to all of the shows and films on the platform (with advertising support).
However, if you want to upgrade your subscription, you can do that at a reduced rate too – you'll pay the difference between the new tier's cost and the £5.99 of the Standard with Ads fee.
For example, if you want 4K HDR (Dolby Vision) streaming and Dolby Atmos sound, you can upgrade at £9 extra per month, rather than the usual £14.99 price.
Also, if you have an existing Disney+ subscription, you can move your account over to Sky and continue with your account with the saving applied.
HBO Max will be slightly different when it launches next week as it'll be completely new to the UK. We'll update you on details closer the time.
With Disney+ now added, the Sky Ultimate TV plan is formidable – all of the UK's Freeview channels, plus all of Sky's own live and on demand, Netflix and now Disney+ too. That's many 1,000s of hours of TV shows and movies to watch immediately.
HBO Max and Hayu will add to that soon – all for just £24.99 per month, which even includes a Sky Stream puck to stream it on.
And if you also want an internet deal to go along with that, Sky is currently offering a discount on its TV and 300Mbps full fibre broadband bundle. You can get Ultimate TV plus the broadband plan for just £39 per month (down from £41). That's without an upfront fee, too.
