Is Sky Cinema worth the money?

While we’d all like to claim that we’re not completely dependent on TV or streaming services, it’s hard to deny that watching the television has massively shaped our lives, especially during lockdown.

With more and more TV plans, streaming platforms and providers to choose from, you might be spending more than you should be on things you don’t use. That’s why as Deals Writer and Shopping Expert for T3, I’ve been looking for ways to save money on streaming services and other platforms like Sky TV.

Sky TV is incredibly popular and its multiple package options are incredibly varied with options for Sport, Cinema and Kids channels. While I’ve already covered how to save money on Sky TV, I often see many questions regarding whether Sky TV plans are worth the money, especially the Sky Cinema plan.

One of the TV plans from Sky includes Sky Cinema which is £38 a month for 18 months. This plan comes with much more than just the Sky Cinema channels which I’ll get to shortly but if you’re trying to save money,  you should consider whether you need the Cinema plan or not, particularly if you have streaming services. 

To help you save money or cut back on your TV spending, below I’ve looked into what you get from Sky Cinema and if it’s worth the money. P.S. A sure-fire way to save money on Sky TV plans and packages in looking at the best Sky deals. 

What is Sky Cinema?

There are five Sky TV packages to choose from, all of which are on an 18 month contract and come with Netflix as standard. I’ve already put together a guide on which Sky TV package offers the most value so make sure to check that if you want more details on all Sky TV plans.

As I’m tackling whether Sky Cinema is worth the money or not, I’m going to quickly break down how much the Sky Cinema plan is and what additional services you get from it before we jump into what films and channels you can find. The Sky TV, Netflix & Cinema plan is £38 a month for 18 months with a one-off setup fee of £20. If you already have a Sky TV plan, you can upgrade to Sky Cinema for £11 extra a month.

Other than the Sky Cinema channels, you also get access to Netflix (you’ll need to already have a Netflix account and add it to your Sky plan to pay for it under one bill) and all the Sky channels (apart from Sport). The Sky TV channels you can find are: Sky Atlantic, Sky Max, Sky Showcase, Sky Comedy, Sky Documentaries, Sky Arts, Sky Crime, Sky Witness and Sky Nature.

What films do you get on Sky Cinema?

Now that you know how much it is and the standard TV and streaming you get, let’s dive into what films you can find on Sky Cinema. Firstly, with a Sky Cinema plan you get access to 11 Sky Cinema channels. These channels include: Premiere, Hits, Greats, Family, Action, Comedy, Romance, Disney, Thriller, Sci-Fi and Horror and Select. During the holiday periods, you’ll also find seasonal channels like Sky Cinema Christmas and Sky Cinema Harry Potter. All of these channels play movies back to back, so you can click into a movie and watch it from where it is or play it from the start. With Sky, you can also record any movie you want and most can be downloaded on demand.

So, what kind of movies can you expect to find? There are thousands of movie options so I’m not going to go into all of them or I could be here for months! I’m going to start off with Sky Original films. Sky Originals do what they say on the tin: they’re original programmes and movies made or commissioned by Sky. While you’ll find more Sky Original TV shows than movies, there are still many films to choose from and many are in the works. The following films are all Sky Originals: Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil & Vile, The United States vs Billie Holiday, A Boy Called Christmas, Unhinged, Mass, Promising Young Woman, The Secret Garden and Dragon Rider.

Sky Cinema has plenty of revolving categories and collections to watch all year round. For example, you can currently watch the Tom Cruise collection which is (unsurprisingly) full of Tom Cruise films and The Best of Brits which features British actors and directors. You can also find the entire Jurassic Park series, films based on a true story like The Social Network and tons of throwback films like Clueless, Ghost and The Bodyguard.

Finally, if you’re a Sky Cinema customer, you get 20% off at the Sky Store. The Sky Store has all the latest film releases which you can buy or rent. Depending on the month or year, you’ll get access to the newest films a mere few weeks after they were released in the cinema. This is similar to the Virgin Media Store and streaming services like Disney+ are starting to do this too but Sky Store takes the crown for their new releases and offers.

VERDICT: Should I sign up to Sky Cinema?

The ultimate question: Should you sign up to Sky Cinema? As I say in all my guides, it completely depends on what you want from your TV plan but if you’re a fan of films and want access to new releases, Sky Cinema is definitely worth signing up for. It’s not the cheapest plan from Sky TV but it’s also not the most expensive. At £38 a month for 18 months, you’ll be paying £684 for the full contract length which means you’re paying just over £1 for each Sky Cinema channel which is pretty affordable and impressive.

However, if you have a streaming service subscription, you might want to consider whether you need Sky Cinema or not. Netflix has a wide range of movies, Disney+ is the home of Marvel, Star Wars and Disney films, and you can easily rent or buy any film you want on Amazon Prime. If you enjoy the films you get from your streaming service, you might not need Sky Cinema and it can be cheaper if you have a Sky TV standard plan with a streaming subscription.

For example, if you have the Sky TV & Netflix plan, you’re only paying £26 a month which is £12 cheaper than the Sky Cinema plan. If you’re thinking of adding Prime Video or Disney+ into the mix (both of which are £7.99 a month respectively), you’re paying £33.99 a month which is £4 cheaper. If you’re on a budget, it might be worth sticking to the Sky TV & Netflix plan but if you want more films, you can upgrade to Sky Cinema for just £11 a month.