How to Cancel Sky TV in 2026 (and Keep Your Broadband)

By The MyVixora Team28 October 2026

Hand pointing a remote at a living-room TV — deciding to cancel Sky TV

Quick answer: To cancel Sky TV, you need to give Sky at least 31 days' notice by phone or online chat, and the notice can't end before your minimum term finishes. If you're out of contract, there's no charge. If you're still in contract, Sky can insist you see the term out or charge you for the rest of it. A price rise doesn't usually give you a free exit on Sky TV, although broadband customers often get a 30-day window to leave. You can drop Sky TV and keep Sky Broadband, which is what you'll need for most alternatives.

Every April the Sky bill goes up again. In 2026, Sky Sports rose to around £36 a month, TNT Sports to around £34, and Sky Broadband went up £3. If you pay for TV and broadband together, that's up to £6 a month more for the same service.

If you've had enough, cancelling is straightforward once you know the rules. The tricky parts are timing it to avoid exit fees, knowing which price-rise rights apply to you, and not losing your broadband by accident. This guide covers all three, step by step.

Before you cancel Sky TV: check your contract end date

Everything depends on one date: when your minimum term ends. Find it before you call.

How to find your minimum term

Sign in to your Sky account online or in the My Sky app and look at your products and contract details. Your minimum term end date is shown for each product, and TV and broadband often have different dates. If you can't find it, ask Sky to confirm it before you agree to anything.

Take a screenshot. If there's any dispute later, you'll want a record of what Sky told you.

Out of contract? You just need 31 days' notice

If your minimum term has ended, you can cancel Sky TV at any time. Give 31 days' notice, keep paying until the notice period ends, and there's no exit fee.

You can also give notice up to 31 days before your term ends, so your TV stops on the day the contract finishes. That's the cleanest way to leave.

How much does it cost to cancel Sky TV early?

If you're still inside your minimum term, leaving gets expensive.

How Sky's early termination charges work

According to Sky's own guide to ending a contract early, an early termination charge is roughly what you'd have paid for the rest of your minimum term, minus a small allowance for the costs Sky no longer has to cover. In other words, expect to pay most of the remaining months.

On a £70-a-month package with eight months left, that's still several hundred pounds. Ask Sky for the exact figure before you decide.

Can Sky make you see out a TV contract?

Yes. Sky's terms treat TV differently from broadband. Broadband on recent contracts can usually be ended early for a fee, but Sky can insist that a TV subscription runs to the end of its minimum term. If you want to leave early, it's Sky's decision whether to agree, and on what terms.

Can you leave Sky for free after a price rise?

This is where most of the confusion is, because the answer depends on which product and when you signed.

What Ofcom's rules say

From 17 January 2025, Ofcom banned inflation-linked and percentage-based price rises in new phone, broadband and pay-TV contracts. Any rise built into a new contract must now be stated in pounds and pence when you sign. If a provider raises prices in a way your contract didn't spell out, you're normally entitled to 30 days' notice and the right to leave without penalty.

Broadband vs TV: different rights

Sky Broadband customers already in contract typically get a 30-day window to leave without exit fees after Sky tells them about the increase. If you signed up after Sky announced the April 2026 rise, you were told about it at the start, so that rise won't give you a free exit.

Sky TV is different. Sky's TV terms work separately from its broadband contracts, and they generally don't give the same automatic exit right on price rises. If you have a TV and broadband bundle, you may be able to leave the broadband part free but still owe an exit fee on the TV.

Read the price-rise letter or email carefully. It should say whether you can leave and the deadline for doing it.

This is general information, not legal advice. If you're in a dispute with Sky about charges, Citizens Advice can help with your specific situation.

How to cancel Sky TV, step by step

1. Contact Sky by phone or online chat

Sky handles cancellations by phone or through its "Message us" chat in your account. Say clearly that you want to cancel your Sky TV subscription and give 31 days' notice. Ask for:

the date your TV service will end
the exact amount of any early termination charge
written confirmation by email

Keep the confirmation email. It's your proof of the date you gave notice.

2. Cancel TV but keep Sky Broadband

You can cancel the TV and keep your broadband. Say this clearly at the start of the call, because bundles are sometimes cancelled together by mistake.

Most Sky alternatives, including streaming apps and IPTV, need a broadband connection. If you're not sure your line is good enough, our guide to what internet speed you need for IPTV covers it. Around 10 Mbps for HD is enough, and most UK homes have far more.

3. Cancelling everything? Let your new provider handle broadband

If you're leaving Sky Broadband too, you don't need to cancel it yourself. Under Ofcom's One Touch Switch process, your new broadband provider contacts Sky for you and arranges the switch. Your old service ends on the day the new one starts, so you don't pay twice.

One Touch Switch covers broadband and home phone, not Sky TV. You still need to cancel the TV directly.

4. Return your equipment

Sky Q boxes and Sky Stream pucks are loaned, not owned. Sky normally sends return packaging towards the end of your notice period. Post the kit back, get proof of posting, and keep it. Unreturned equipment can lead to a charge.

Sky Glass is different, because it's a TV you buy. Cancelling your TV subscription doesn't end any finance agreement you took out for the Glass set itself.

5. Expect a retention offer

When you say you're leaving, Sky will often offer a discount to keep you. There's nothing wrong with hearing it out. Before you accept, work out what the new price adds up to over a full year, and whether it signs you up to a new minimum term. Our savings calculator shows the yearly figure against your current bill.

What to watch instead of Sky

What you replace Sky with depends on what you actually watch.

Mostly terrestrial channels? Freeview is free with a TV licence, and catch-up apps cover most of the rest. Our Freeview vs IPTV guide explains what each covers, and how to run both on one TV.
One sport, a few months a year? NOW passes let you buy Sky Sports or Sky Cinema by the month with no contract.
Lots of live sport and channels? IPTV services bundle live TV, films and series into one prepaid pass, usually at a fraction of a Sky bill.

Our Sky TV alternatives page compares the options side by side, and the UK TV prices page lists every current Sky, Virgin, NOW and Netflix price. For a closer look at what you give up and what you gain, read IPTV vs Sky UK.

Cancel Sky TV FAQ

Can I cancel Sky TV online?

Sky's cancellations are handled by phone or through the "Message us" chat in your Sky account rather than a single cancel button. Using chat gives you a written record of the conversation, which is useful if there's a dispute later.

How much notice do I need to give to cancel Sky TV?

At least 31 days. The notice period can't end before your minimum term does, so if you're still in contract, the earliest end date is the last day of your term unless Sky agrees otherwise.

Do I have to return my Sky box?

Yes, if it's a Sky Q box or a Sky Stream puck, because they're loaned to you. Sky sends packaging near the end of your notice period. Keep your proof of posting in case Sky says the kit didn't arrive.

Can I cancel Sky TV and keep Sky Broadband?

Yes. TV and broadband are separate products with separate contracts, even when you pay for them together. Make it clear when you call that you only want to cancel the TV.

Can I leave Sky without paying because of the price rise?

Usually for broadband, rarely for TV. Broadband customers already in contract normally get 30 days to leave free after being told about a rise. Sky TV contracts generally don't include the same right. Check your price-rise letter for the deadline and what it covers.

The bottom line

Cancelling Sky TV comes down to three things: check your minimum term end date, give 31 days' notice by phone or chat, and say clearly that you want to keep your broadband. If you're out of contract, it costs nothing. If you're in contract, find out the exact exit charge before you decide, and check your price-rise letter in case it gives you a free exit on broadband.

Your notice period is a good time to test whatever comes next. If you're thinking about IPTV, you can try MyVixora free for 24 hours with no card and no contract, and compare it with Sky while you still have both. Or see the plans, and message us if you have questions first.