SKY TV GUIDE vs BFBS Player
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SKY TV GUIDE
Access SKY's electronic program guide on your mobile device. Discover daily must-see picks, browse all channels, and remotely record shows to your MY SKY box. Set alerts and personalize your viewing experience.
- Daily must-see picks
- Remote Record to MY SKY
- Launch SKY GO channels
- Set show alerts
- Browse guide (grid/single view)
- Personalize favorite channels
- Extended EPG browsing
- Search function
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Need something to watch? Forgotten to record something to your MY SKY? The FREE SKY TV Guide can help. This handy app enables iPod touch, iPad and iPhone owners to get complete access to SKY’s electronic programme guide. Featuring daily must-see picks from our programming team showcasing some of the best content on the planet, it also has listings for every channel on TV. So it truly is the one stop shop to see everything available on the box. And the best thing, it’s very simple to use. For MY SKY customers, the app supports Remote Record, so when you’re at the office water cooler and get that ‘panic’ feeling because you have forgotten to record your favourite show, PRESTO... Simply open the app, browse through the guide and make a booking! What features are available? Well, in a word, Plenty! • Daily must-see picks from our programming team to make sure you don’t’ miss out on the chance to see best content from around the globe • Remote Record shows to your MY SKY • Launch SKY GO channels from the SKY TV app • Set alerts for your favourite shows for up to an hour before the show starts • Browse the SKY guide in grid view or single channel view • Create your own personal guide by selecting your favourite channels • Extended EPG lets you browse for programmes across more days. • The search function lets you quickly find the shows you love • Share what you like and watch via Facebook, SMS and email.
BFBS Player
Access a variety of UK TV channels and exclusive Forces content while serving overseas. Requires authentication with a Defence Gateway account for serving British Forces members and entitled users. Not intended for unsupervised use by minors.
- UK TV channels
- Exclusive Forces channels
- Overseas access
- Defence Gateway authentication
- Forces TV channel access in UK
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Provides the range of BFBS TV services to members of the British Forces, including their dependents and other entitled users serving overseas. To use the app and the services you must be a serving member of the British Forces and use your Defence Gateway account to authenticate your log in. The App is not intended for unsupervised use by minors. The range of services includes the main UK TV channels with extra channels designed exclusively for the Forces. These are intended for viewers serving or posted outside of the UK and access is restricted within the UK, apart from the Forces TV channel.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: SKY TV GUIDE at every 2 months against BFBS Player's every 6 months. SKY TV GUIDE also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). BFBS Player's advantage is review sentiment (19% vs 6%). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for SKY TV GUIDE against 5.0 for BFBS Player. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 3 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 6% of SKY TV GUIDE's written reviews are positive against 19% of BFBS Player's.
SKY TV GUIDE ships an update every 2 months, BFBS Player every 6 months. Both last shipped on October 2, 2026.
| Parameter | SKY TV GUIDE | BFBS Player |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 5.8% of reviews | 19.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 3 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 6 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 38 MB | 66 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Sky Network Television Limited | BFBS Radio |
Customer experience
SKY TV GUIDE
BFBS Player
User reviews
SKY TV GUIDE
From 2 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 📱 Simple and intuitive user interface
- ⚡ Fast performance when working properly
- 🎯 Convenient remote recording functionality
- 📅 Useful for booking shows away from home
- 🔔 Alert notifications for scheduled programs
Room to improve
- 🔐 Persistent login/authentication issues
- 🚫 App crashes and freezes frequently
- ⏳ Stuck on welcome/loading screens
- 🔄 Constant forced logout requiring re-authentication
- 📊 Inaccurate program data and channel information
BFBS Player
From 3 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Good for overseas access
- 👍 Catch up service appreciated
- 👍 Improved login process (recent)
- 👍 Works well for some users
- 👍 Free service appreciated
Room to improve
- 🐛 Location detection issues
- 🐛 Constant buffering
- 🐛 Login problems
- 🐛 App crashes/freezes
- 🐛 Limited channels available
Bugs and requests
SKY TV GUIDE
Reported bugs
18 issues- Login fails repeatedly despite correct credentials
- App stuck on welcome/splash screen indefinitely
- Forced logout after brief inactivity
- Remote recording shows success but doesn't record
- Synchronizing with server error messages
Show 13 moreShow fewer
- Program data fails to download
- App won't open or launch
- Black screen display issues
- Terms and conditions acceptance loop
- Password reset functionality broken
- Channel data not loading
- Channels 1, 2, 3 missing from guide
- Subscription verification incorrectly denies access
- Search category counts don't match actual results
- App incompatible with iOS 8 and newer versions
- Decoder linking errors
- App crashes on iPad but works on iPhone
- New white Sky box incompatibility
Requested features
9 requests- Remember login credentials between sessions
- Dark mode support
- Series link functionality
- Landscape view for iPhone
- Filter search results by live broadcast status
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Accurate search result categorization
- Landscape orientation support
- Better visibility of already-booked programs
- Improved search relevance
BFBS Player
Reported bugs
17 issues- App thinks users are in the UK when abroad
- App buffers constantly
- Unable to play stream
- Cannot log in
- App returns to login screen after submitting info
Show 12 moreShow fewer
- Login button not working on iPad
- App crashes
- App freezes
- Catch up cuts off last 5 minutes
- TV guide difficult to use
- Links with Defence Gateway cause login loop
- App not working on iPad after update
- Screen shrinks when asking for full screen
- Only plays in small screen on iPad
- Registration 'No' button only works
- Black screen with sound only
- Cannot AirPlay all content
Requested features
8 requests- Show all channels
- Improve location detection for overseas users
- Add Apple TV app
- Enable screen mirroring/casting
- Make app backwards compatible for older iPads
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- Allow users to watch at local time
- Improve video quality
- Add more channels
In-app purchases
SKY TV GUIDE
No in-app purchases
BFBS Player
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is SKY TV GUIDE free?
Is BFBS Player free?
Which has better reviews, SKY TV GUIDE or BFBS Player?
Do SKY TV GUIDE or BFBS Player have ads?
Which is updated more often, SKY TV GUIDE or BFBS Player?
Other comparisons
