SKY Q viewers are celebrating as a long-awaited streaming app finally lands on their boxes – and it won’t cost a penny.
The new UKTV Play app – home to channels like Dave, W, Yesterday and Drama – is rolling out across the UK from today as part of a free upgrade.
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Fans have been calling for the service for months, wanting easy access to comedy classics, documentaries and hit dramas without leaving their Sky set-top box.
The on-demand platform offers catch-up TV and boxsets from favourites including Taskmaster, Emma Willis: Delivering Babies and Abandoned Engineering.
Sky says the launch means customers can: “enjoy even more of the shows they love in one place”.
It’s the latest in a string of recent updates for Sky Q owners.
The broadcaster has added Discovery+, Apple TV+ and Paramount+ apps over the past year, giving viewers even more choice without needing extra devices.
Voice search has also been improved to make it easier to find programmes across live TV, streaming apps and recordings.
UKTV Play’s arrival means Sky Q now matches Sky Glass and Sky Stream, which have offered the app since launch.
It’s a welcome move for customers who didn’t want to switch hardware but still wanted access to UKTV’s growing catalogue of shows.
To find the app, customers should press the Home button on their remote, scroll down to the Apps rail and select UKTV Play.
Some households may need to restart their Sky Q box or check for software updates in the Settings menu if it doesn’t appear straight away.
UKTV Play is completely free to use, though viewers can register for a free account to unlock extra boxsets and personalise their watchlist.
Industry experts say the addition will be a boost for UKTV, which has seen a surge in streaming demand as more viewers shift away from traditional TV schedules.
The broadcaster has been investing in more original shows for Dave and W, including new comedy series and celebrity-fronted factual programmes.
What to expect from the new 5 streaming service
Analysis by Jamie Harris, Assistant Technology and Science Editor at The Sun
Channel 5 is owned by US media giant Paramount, which also owns free streaming service Pluto TV.
And I believe Pluto TV offers some hints of what we can expect from the new 5 app.
Given Paramount’s extensive family of brands, there’s a lot of good quality archive content to use.
My5 already does this with some shows like Geordie Shore but not others like Catfish, 16 and Pregnant, South Park and many more.
So I’m sure we can expect more of this.
And let’s not forget Paramount’s extensive back catalogue of movies, some of which may well make an appearance – though the lion’s share will no doubt remain paid on Paramount+
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