Sky customers will soon be able to watch TV without a satellite with the new 'Sky Glass' service

While you can buy TVs for a lot more or a lot less than Sky's Glass offering, bear in mind the overall package with Sky is likely to be far more expensive than a basic TV and a basic TV package. We haven't done the full cost analysis, but Sky is a premium product.

It might, however, be particularly appealing to those unable to put up a satellite dish on their homes, such as those living in some flats.

The new TV, which is built in-house by Sky, will be available from 18 October, and can be bought for an upfront fee or as a monthly subscription. You'll also still need to take out a Sky TV package on top at the usual rates. Below we explain how it works and compare how much it costs. 

See our Digital TV Package Deals guide for help on how to pick the right deals for Sky, Virgin and TalkTalk.

How Sky Glass works

Here are the key features of Sky Glass: 

• The Sky Glass TV will be available in three sizes: small (43-inches), medium (55-inches) and large (65-inches). The price of the television will increase depending on the size of the screen you pick (See table below). 

• Sky Glass will also be available in five different colours from ceramic white to anthracite black.

• The television has an Ultra HD 4k display and contains a built-in sound bar with six individual speakers and a subwoofer to provide improved picture and sound quality.

• The TV won't restrict you from connecting your own devices to it, and you'll still be able to plug in a games console or DVD player through three HDMI ports.

• Sky has also reassured customers that in the event of a broadband drop out the TV is fitted with a Freeview tuner so you'll have access to live TV.

• You can continue to use Sky Glass to watch TV with another provider if you later leave Sky, or if you simply pay for the TV upfront and don't take out a Sky package on top.

Sky adds that it plans to launch a 4K smart camera in 2022 that will allow customers to make video calls via their TV. It also said there will be a major software update each year and a major hardware update to the TVs every two years.

Customers can purchase Sky Glass outright or pay for the TV in monthly instalments

You can pay for the device outright or in monthly instalments over a 24- or 48-month period. The table below shows the cost for Sky Glass. The prices are indicative of what you'll pay for the TV only - so expect costs to increase as you'll need to pay for a Sky TV package on top.

The cheapest channel package offered is the Sky Ultimate TV package, which costs £26/mth, meaning the smallest TV will cost £52/mth with Sky's basic TV package over a 24-month contract, and the largest will cost £68/mth with the 24-month contract. Those who pay for Sky Sports, Sky Movies and other additional channel groups should expect to pay more.

You do not, however, need to take out a broadband contract with Sky to purchase Sky Glass. This means that you'll be able to stream all of Sky's content no matter which internet service provider you use, as long as you have a minimum connection speed of 10Mb per second.

You can pay an extra £10p/m to add Sky to other TVs in your household without a satellite dish

Sky has also introduced the multi-room 'Sky Stream Puck', which costs £50 upfront to add Sky to other televisions in your household. These boxes rely on the same streaming technology as Sky Glass - so all you need is a broadband connection, not a satellite dish.

But be aware that you could get more for your money elsewhere

Before you sign up to Sky Glass, make sure you compare prices elsewhere first to ensure you're getting the best deal for your needs - see our Deal and Vouchers page for the latest offers.