Sports fans will be able to watch Sky Sports channels without a Sky TV subscription for the first time from the spring, with the launch of new pay-as-you-go day passes.
BskyB has announced a new pay-as-you-go option for sports fans; a £9.99 day pass for Sky Sports.
It will be the first time sports fans will be able to access prime content such as Premier League football without a Sky TV subscription.
What will you get for your money?
For £9.99 a day sports fans will be able to watch unlimited sports content from all six Sky Sports channels on its new internet TV service, Now TV.
The service targets viewers who want to watch a one-off event such as a Formula One grand prix, England cricket match or Masters golf.
What is Now TV?
Now TV launched in July last year and allows non-Sky subscribers to access content on a pay-as-you-go or contract basis.
Now TV just offers films at the moment and aims to rival Lovefilm and Netflix. BskyB says around 25,000 customers signed up to the service in the last three months of 2012.
New customers get 30 days for free and after the trial ends it costs £8.99 a month for three months, if you join before 31st March 2013. After that it’s £15 a month for unlimited on-demand movies streamed via the internet.
The £9.99 a day sports fee will be on top of the fee pay-as-you-go customers pay for films.
[SPOTLIGHT]For more read Netflix vs Lovefilm vs NOW TV: the cheapest way to watch films.
How do costs compare?
Big sports fans who watch Sky Sports more than two days a month will still be better off subscribing to Sky Sports. Sports channels currently cost £21 a month on top of a basic Sky TV package, while bundled sports packages start at £42.50 a month.
However, you don’t need to have a Sky TV subscription to get Sky Sports channels; BT Vision and Virgin Media customers can also subscribe.
BT Vision charges £20 for Sky Sports 1 and 2 on top of normal subscription costs while Virgin offers the Sky Sports Collection for £25.75 a month.
Most Premier League and Champions League games, the Ashes, the Rugby Super League and the Ryder Cup and the biggest matches are shown on Sky Sports 1 and 2. But if you’re into more minority sports such as WWE, you might need Sky Sports 3 and 4 too.
Orange Swapables
People with an Orange mobile phone have another option if they want to watch Sky Sports.
Mobile users on either Orange’s pay monthly Panther or The Works plans get one or two “Swapables” each month included free on top of their internet, minutes and texts allowance.
You’ll get one free Swapable on Panther or The Works plans costing less than £25 a month, and two free Swapables on Panther or The Works plans costing more than £25 a month.
Swapables on offer include subscriptions to Sky Sports Mobile TV, The Times newspapers, travel app Go Commute and music streaming service Deezer. As the name suggests, you can swap them around and subscribe to different things each month.
Find a pub
One cheap way to watch Sky Sports without paying for a subscription is to find a pub showing the event you want to watch.
The Sky Sports Pub finder tells you where the next big game is being shown in your area. You simply enter your postcode to find your nearest pub showing live sport on Sky Sports, Sky Sports HD and Sky 3D. Once you've found your nearest pub, give it a call to confirm they are showing the game you want to see.
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