All products and promotions are independently selected by our experts. To help us provide free impartial advice, we will earn an affiliate commission if you buy something. Click here to learn more
Your Sky Glass or Sky Stream kit just unlocked a swathe of brand-new features, thanks to the latest EntertainmentOS update available to download now. If you've owned a Glass TV or Sky Stream for some time now, you'll know that Sky rolls out new features at a pretty astonishing pace. In 2023 alone, EntertainmentOS received 300 updates including refreshed designs, extra features, and never-before-heard voice commands.
With the latest EntertainmentOS upgrade, Sky Glass and Sky Stream viewers will enjoy improved advert skipping, personalisation options for your Playlist, bolstered audio quality, and support for AirPlay, to name just a few.
EntertainmentOS updates are downloaded and installed automatically in the background, so you don't need to do anything to get your hands on the latest tricks.
However, if you want to speed up the process, there is a sneaky trick to force your Sky Glass TV or Sky Stream to download the new software update immediately. We've got a step-by-step tutorial later in this article.
The 7 new features included in EntertainmentOS are:
Sky Stream has never been this affordable. The broadcaster has just launched an affordable new bundle of channels and on-demand services, dubbed TV Essentials. It includes its plug-and-play Sky Stream box, over 100 live channels including Sky Atlantic — the exclusive home of shows like Game of Thrones, And Just Like That, and The White Lotus. You'll also find a subscription to Netflix and Discovery+ included too and can upgrade to Sky Cinema and Sky Sports at an extra cost.
With the latest version of EntertainmentOS downloaded and running on your Sky Stream and Sky Glass, you'll be able to replicate one of the most useful features of the Apple TV 4K — the set-top box built by Apple to compete with the likes of Roku, Amazon's Fire TV, Google TV Streamer, and others.
Yes, AirPlay is now available across the latest hardware efforts from Sky TV. That means you'll be able to wirelessly beam videos, photos, and music directly from their iPhone, iPad, or Mac with a few taps.
Whether you're looking to share a slideshow of family photos, quickly beam the YouTube video you're watching on the small screen, or collaborate on a document, or browse holidays as a group — AirPlay is a handy addition.
Click on the AirPlay icon and select Sky Stream or Sky Glass to beam to the big screen
APPLE PRESS OFFICE
You can also mirror exactly what's happening on-screen, transforming your television into a second display for your iPad or Mac. You'll just need to make sure all devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network and then tap on the AirPlay icon in any compatible app to begin sharing the content to the big screen.
Google's alternative Cast functionality, which works on Android devices and its Chrome web browser, is not supported on Sky Glass and Sky Stream, so only those with an Apple gadget will benefit from the latest update. Sky previously supported AirPlay with its Sky Q box — the most recent set-top box powered by a satellite dish, which launched back in early 2016 — although it was limited to streaming music.
For the first time, Sky Glass and Sky Stream viewers can skip an entire advert break with a single click. Until now, you had to fast-forward through the ad break or use a voice command to jump ahead by a few minutes. But with the latest iteration of EntertainmentOS, Sky has introduced a new Skip Ads button.
It appears on-screen whenever the show you're watching enters an ad break, so you can whizz past all of the commercials in a single click to continue watching your favourite movies and series quicker.
Sky Stream brings the same experience as Sky Glass to any flatscreen via a HDMI connection. Its EntertainmentOS supports the most popular streamers, including Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, Apple TV+, Disney+, and Netflix — with the software intelligently recommending new series and films based on your viewing habits SKY TV PRESS OFFICE Ad-Skipping functionality costs an extra £5 per month with any Sky TV bundle. It can be added at checkout, or when you've received your Stream box or Glass TV.
While that might sound a bit steep just for the ability to skip a few ad breaks, it's worth noting that it works across Sky Original, HBO, Paramount+, ITVX, and Channel 4 shows.
ITV and Channel 4 both have their own premium subscription that adds the ability to skip adverts, which costs £5.99 and £3.99, respectively. While these tiers also add exclusive boxsets and movies, Sky's Ad-Skipping subscription is the most affordable way to never seen an ad from these two services.
Secure the Ultimate TV bundle for just £22 a month. Over the course of a two-year contract, you'll save £72 compared to the standard price. This package boasts 140 live channels, hundreds of boxsets from HBO, Discovery+, and Sky Originals, and a complete Netflix subscription. You'll enjoy more channels — like MTV, Comedy Central, U&Gold and others not included with Essential TV. Unlike Sky Q, High Definition is included as standard too
EntertainmentOS has also been tweaked to improve binge-watching, with a new automatic next episode function. Sky describes this new addition as "much asked for" from its viewers. When you reach the end of an episode, you can either tap the new Next Episode button that appears or wait for a countdown to continue watching.
If that sounds familiar, it's likely because streamers like Netflix and Prime Video has long included these features in their services to ensure you don't need to hunt around for the remote control to find out the conclusion of the latest cliffhanger.
The new Next Episode button will appear across a range of Sky TV shows, including new arrivals like Day of the Jackal and classic boxsets such as Game of Thrones, The Wire, and Sex And The City.
Day of the Jackal is a new 10-part series starring Eddie Redmayne, Lashana Lynch, and Úrsula Corberó. The boxset, which premiered on November 7, is based on the seminal novel by Frederick Forsyth and subsequent award-winning 1973 film from Universal Pictures
SKY TV PRESS OFFICE
Playlist was introduced with the introduction of Sky Glass as a one-stop-shop for all of your favourite shows, including shows sheduled to air on terrestrial channels, on-demand boxsets, exclusive shows from streamers like Netflix and Apple TV+, rentals in Sky Store, and sports fixtures and movies.
Households with multiple people could have their own Playlist, with viewing history being used to inform AI-powered suggestions of new shows, films, and fixtures for each person. With the latest update to EntertainmentOS, you can use headshots from fan-favourite shows like Brassic, Mary & George, and A League of Their Own to customise the avatar on your Playlist profile.
These new additions join a lineup, including kids favourites such as Paw Patrol and Peppa Pig.
Playlist brings together TV shows, documentaries, and films from the TV Guide, on-demand catalogue included with the Sky Entertainment bundle, and titles from Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV+, and others into a single list — that's automatically sorted into categories SKY TV PRESS OFFICE And another new feature coming to Playlist — for the first time, you're able to add individual actors by pressing the + button on your remote when browsing through the cast of a particular show or movie.
Just like adding a show, new content starring your favourite actor will be automatically added to the Playlist from across all of the services signed-in on your Glass TV or Sky Stream, including BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Prime Video, Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+, and any additional packages from Sky, like Sky Cinema, Sky Sports, or Sky Kids.
Actors can be found in a new People rail section within the Playlist. Each of the five separate profiles that can be stored on your Sky Glass or Sky Stream can have their own list of actors stored in the People section of Playlist.
For the first time, Sky Glass and Sky Stream vewers can assign custom numbers to their favourite channels in the TV Guide. Rather than learning the channel numbers automatically assigned to channels by the team at Sky TV, you'll only need to memorise the number assigned in Favourites to jump to the channel. If going through the TV Guide and singling out your most-loved channels sounds like too much work, EntertainmentOS has a solution.
Just tap refresh and your favourites will update with what you’ve been watching the most. So, if you’re going through a comedy phase, or you’ve just discovered a passion for true crime, it’ll bring you more of what you love.
Sky Glass is designed to a one-stop-shop for everything you need to enjoy Sky TV, including the smarts to stream 100+ channels and exclusive boxsets, a Dolby Atmos soundbar, and QLED screen with support for HDR and 4K Ultra HD resolution SKY TV PRESS OFFICE Finally, the EntertainmentOS update brings enhanced audio capabilities through Amazon Music HD integration on both Sky Glass and Sky Stream devices. Amazon Music HD offers audio quality at double the standard definition of regular streaming services, delivering music as the artists intended.
The high-definition audio feature is exclusively available to Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers.
Sky Glass users can particularly benefit from this upgrade through the device's six powerful integrated speakers, which are specifically designed to optimise entertainment. However, if you've got a decent soundbar connected to the telly plugged into Sky Stream, this HD audio boost should also provide a noticeable uptick in quality.
Sky Stream has never been this affordable. The broadcaster has just launched an affordable new bundle of channels and on-demand services, dubbed TV Essentials. It includes its plug-and-play Sky Stream box, over 100 live channels including Sky Atlantic — the exclusive home of shows like Game of Thrones, And Just Like That, and The White Lotus. You'll also find a subscription to Netflix and Discovery+ included too and can upgrade to Sky Cinema and Sky Sports at an extra cost.
EntertainmentOS should download and install automatically when you're not watching telly, usually overnight. However, if your Sky Glass or Sky Stream is taking too long to upgrade its software, the UK broadcaster has provided some simple instructions to manually force the EntertainmentOS update.
After a few seconds, the Sky logo will show on screen as the TV or Sky Stream puck starts back up. The software version will now be updated to the latest version.
