1. Sky Go Extra Sign Up Account

Your Sky account must have Sky Go Extra. This is included with the Sky Mobile, Sky Multiscreen, Sky Q experience, and Ultimate on Demand packages. Alternatively, it can be added to your account for. Sky Go Extra takes Sky Go a few steps further: Stream live and catch up TV from your Sky package on your phone, tablet, laptop, Xbox and PlayStation; Watch on up to three screens at the same time, including your main TV; Download great entertainment in the UK or ROI via Wi-Fi to watch anywhere, without 3G, 4G, 5G or Wi-Fi, and; Out and about?

With a huge selection of entertainment, movie and sports channels to choose from, it's easy to see why Sky TV is so popular. But the prices for a full Sky subscription can be eye-watering.

While the lure of shows such as Westworld and Game of Thrones can be appealing, the thought of being tied in to an expensive contract can feel off-putting. The good news is you don't have to take out a long Sky subscription to watch Sky channels.

Read on for more information on TV services that will let you watch Sky TV without a Sky subscription, including Now TV, Virgin Media and TalkTalk.

Use our round up of the best and worst TV and broadband providers to discover how satisfied Sky customers are in comparison to those with other suppliers.

Try Now TV

Now TV is an internet TV streaming service powered by Sky. It offers live streaming and on-demand content from popular Sky channels - so, you can watch Sky shows as they're going out live, or catch up on them at a later date.

Crucially, you don't have to be a Sky subscriber to use Now TV. Instead you simply buy 'passes' for a day, week or month to access the channels that you want. When your pass expires it rolls over into a monthly subscription fee, but you can cancel at any time. See how Now TV compares to popular streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime, using our TV streaming service reviews.

Streaming services broadcast over the internet, so you don't need a satellite dish to watch Now TV (though you do need a broadband connection of at least 2.5Mbps or a mobile signal of 180Kbps if you plan to watch using 3G or 4G).

You'll also need a device that can use the Now TV app. Some smart TVs come with this preinstalled, but if yours doesn't, you can watch Now TV in a few different ways.

One of the easiest, cheapest ways to watch Now TV is to buy a dedicated Sky Now TV box or smart stick, which cost as little as £15. This may even include a trial of free passes to watch the content, which in effect pays for the cost of the Now TV box itself.

A YouTube box will also give you access to the Now TV app - or you can install the app on a tablet, smartphone or PC.

Find out more in our guide: What is Now TV?

Add Sky channels to a service from another provider

If you've already got a TV subscription with a different provider, such as Virgin Media or BT TV, you can add most of Sky's channels to these services.

To do this, you add a 'bolt on' to your existing pay TV service. For example, you can pay BT £16 a month to add 11 Sky Movie channels to your package. There's usually no contract to do this, you just pay on a monthly basis.

If you're looking for some channels to keep the little ones happy, you can simply add children's channels to yourTV and broadband bundle - for example TalkTalk's Kids Boost adds nine children's channels, including Nickelodeon, Boomerang and Cartoon Network.

Use a shared Sky subscription

If a friend or family member already subscribes to Sky, then you can register as a secondary user and still watch Sky shows.

Now TV (see above), for example, allows you to register up to four compatible devices (such as a Now TV box, a laptop, or a tablet). The service lets you watch programmes on two devices at the same time, so four members of an extended family won't all be able to tune into Game of Thrones simultaneously on different devices.

Alternatively, Sky Go is a streaming service that allows Sky subscribers to watch programmes away from the home. This lets Sky customers register two devices (or four, if you pay more for Sky Go Extra).

In effect, this would let you log in to watch Sky programming if you used the account details of a family member who has a Sky subscription. However, users are meant to be part of the same household as the primary Sky account holder, according to Sky.

Read our Sky TV and broadband review to find out what Sky customers had to say about the service they receive in our latest satisfaction survey.

...or, stick with Freeview

If you decide that none of the above options work for you, then one alternative is to stick with Freeview. It may not offer the same sports or movie range as Sky, but it still gives you a huge selection of channels for no cost at all (other than the charge for a TV licence).

With the addition of a Freeview PVR, you can pause, rewind and record live TV, as well as setting a planner and series-link. These are all features you would get with a Sky box. You won't, however, have access to the same sports, movies and entertainment channels. Head to our round-up of the Best Buy Freeview PVRs to see which models impressed the experts in our lab.

If that's not enough for you, and you want even more channels, then Freesat offers more than 200 channels and on-demand TV from the likes of the BBC and ITV. To get it, you just need a Freesat box or a TV with Freesat built-in, plus a Freesat satellite dish. As with Freeview, there's no ongoing subscription cost. Read in depth reviews of all the latest models using our Freesat PVRs and set top box reviews.

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Having issues with your Sky Go television app? You’re not the only one! Many Sky Go users are reporting the problem that their app is not working properly. Some users see an error tells them what happened, but for many their program just stop working.

This is very frustrating! You can’t watch your programs because of these issues. But don’t worry. It can be fixed…

Fixes to try

The following are a few methods that have helped many Sky Go users. You may not have to try them all; just work your way down the list until you find the one that works for you.

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Method 1: Close the Cisco VideoGuard Monitor process

Your Sky Go app may stop working because there’re issues with the Cisco VideoGuard Monitor process running in the background. You should try closing the process and see if this helps you fix your issue.

a) If you are on Windows:

1. Press the Ctrl, Shift and Esc keys on your keyboard at the same time to open Task Manager.
2. Right click the CiscoVideoGuardMonitor process and click End task/End Process.

b)If you’re using a Mac computer:

1. On your desktop, click Go, then click Utilities.
2. Double click Activity Monitor.
3. Click CiscoVideoGuardMonitor, then click the quit button.

Now check to see if your Sky Go app is working properly. Hopefully it is. But if not, you may need to try other fixes listed below.

Method 2: Temporarily disable your firewall

It is also possible that your Sky Go issue results from your firewall itself. To see if that’s the problem for you, temporarily disable your firewall and check if the problem persists. (Consult the documentation of your security software for instructions on disabling it.)

If this resolves your problem, contact the vendor of your security software and ask them for advice, or install a different security solution.

*IMPORTANT: Be extra careful about what sites you visit, what emails you open and what files you download when your antivirus or firewall is disabled.

Method 3: Completely reinstall your Sky Go app

When the fixes about can’t help you fix your Sky Go issue, you should reinstall this app to see if this works for you. To reinstall the app, you should uninstall the program and delete the remaining folders as well. Here’s how you can do it.

a) If you’re using Windows

1. Press the Windows logo key and R on your keyboard at the same time. Then type “control” and press Enter to open Control Panel.
2. Under View by, click Large icons.
3. Click Programs and Features.
4. Right click Cisco VideoGuard Player and click Uninstall. Then follow the on-screen instructions to uninstall this program.
5. Right click Sky Go and click Uninstall. Then follow the on-screen instructions to uninstall this program.
6. Press the Windows logo key and R on your keyboard at the same time. Then type “appdata” and press Enter to open the AppData folder.
7. Go to Local > Cisco and delete the VideoGuard folder.
8. Go back to the AppData folder. Then go to LocalLow > Cisco and delete the VideoGuard folder.
9. Go back to the AppData folder. Then go to Roaming and delete the Sky and Sky Go folders.
10. Download the Sky Go app from the official Sky website. Then open the downloaded file and follow the on-screen instructions to install the app.

b) If you’re on Mac

1. On your desktop, click Go and click Applications.

2. Remove the Sky Go app.
   

3. Go back to your desktop, then click Go and click Go to Folder.
4. Type “~/library” and click Go.
5. Go to Cisco, then remove the VideoGuardPlayer folder.
6. Download the Sky Go app from the official Sky website. Then open the downloaded file and follow the on-screen instructions to install the app.

Hopefully, one of these fixes works for you! If you have any questions, leave us a comment below.

Sky Go Extra Sign Up Account

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