Multiroom TV over broadband: how it works

Sky Stream uses a small box Sky calls a puck, which plugs into any TV with an HDMI port. To watch on more than one puck you need Sky's Whole Home subscription, and Sky charges a one-off set-up fee for each extra puck (checked October 2026; see Sky's own pages for current prices). The rules Sky publishes in its Sky Stream FAQs:

• Up to six pucks per account, all able to watch at the same time.
• Whole Home needs a Sky Ultimate TV subscription and is a no-minimum-term pack. Sky's small print describes it as 31-day rolling.
• Pucks connect to your hub, or any boosters you have, over Wi-Fi, or by Ethernet through the port on the back. They don't act as Wi-Fi hotspots.
• Pucks are for your registered address. Sky's contract only allows you to watch on a puck at the address your account is registered to, and Sky says it may charge you extra if you use a puck elsewhere, so a puck isn't a way to cover a second home.
• Pucks are loaned. Sky says pucks ordered after 23 February 2023 must be returned when you leave or downgrade, to avoid non-return charges.
• Old Sky boxes stop working. Once Sky Stream is activated, Sky says older equipment, including any Sky Q multi-screen mini boxes, no longer works.

Whole Home also changes Sky Go, Sky's app for phones, tablets and laptops: Sky says you normally get two devices at once, rising to four with Whole Home, and you can watch TV from Sky on a games console. Pucks don't count towards the Sky Go device limit.

Virgin Media says that with one of its TV bundles you can add up to five extra Stream boxes, six in total, all able to watch at the same time, on a rolling 30-day subscription (checked October 2026). Virgin's pages say:

• Same TV in every room. Each Stream box gets the same channels, apps and On Demand as the main box, and every box is 4K-ready.
• Pause and carry on. You can pause in one room and pick up in another, or in the Virgin TV Go app. Profiles and recommendations are shared across the boxes.
• Separate controls. Parental controls can be set box by box.
• Simple set-up. One cable goes to a power socket and the other (HDMI) into the TV; Virgin says there's no extra cabling or drilling.

The requirements are strict. Virgin's Flex terms and small print say the Stream box needs Virgin Media broadband of at least 50Mbps and a Hub 3 or later in router mode. The boxes remain Virgin Media's property. If you're not already with Virgin, the Virgin Media broadband deals page shows what's available at your address.

The WiFi guarantee. Virgin says multiroom is backed by its WiFi guarantee: download speeds of at least 30Mbps in every room, or a bill credit. Its Stream upgrade page says having multiple Stream boxes qualifies you for it. Read the guarantee's own terms for the conditions; our guide to what Wi-Fi guarantees actually promise explains what to look for.

No recordings. The Stream box has no hard drive and doesn't record in the traditional sense; shows go on My Watchlist.

EE's multiroom option is called Extra Box. EE's help page describes it as a second, non-recording box for another room, with the same channels, Catch Up and On Demand as the main box. BT's TV page says BT TV has been rebranded to EE TV, so check BT's own terms if your TV comes from BT; see the EE broadband deals and BT broadband deals pages for each provider's offers.

What EE says you need (checked October 2026):

• Fibre broadband of 40Mbps or higher;
• an Extra Box subscription and two TV boxes, either TV Box Pro or TV Box Edge;
• both boxes connected to the hub by Wi-Fi or Ethernet. EE's TV page says EE TV needs an EE Broadband Hub; BT's says a BT Hub, both with working broadband.

If you watch EE TV through an Apple TV 4K, ask EE whether Extra Box is available to you, as its help page names only these two boxes.

How it behaves day to day, according to EE:

• Recordings play only on the box that recorded them. The Extra Box itself can't record.
• EE TV Store purchases play on either box, but on one at a time.
• HD on both boxes needs the HD Add-On.
• Parental PINs are set separately on each box.
• Extra Box is a rolling monthly add-on. If you cancel, you're charged up to the next billing date and must return the box.

EE warns that streaming on two boxes at once uses more broadband capacity and can cause pixelation (the picture breaking into blocks), failed recordings or an IPC6023 error. Its suggested fixes are switching the channel from HD to SD and connecting with Ethernet rather than Powerline adapters. EE also suggests keeping the box as close to the hub as possible.

A summary of what each provider's own pages say (checked October 2026), not a ranking:

Multiroom depends on two things: your broadband line's speed, which our guide to what broadband speed you need covers in depth, and how well that speed reaches each TV.

Paid multiroom adds to your bill, and for a room used now and then you may not need it:

• Provider apps. Sky Go, Virgin TV Go and EE TV's app let you watch on phones and tablets. Virgin says TV Go lets you register up to five devices and watch on two at once, on phones, tablets or laptops but not on a TV.
• A smart TV or streaming stick in the second room, running the apps you already pay for.
• Free TV. A Freeview box covers free-to-air channels, and Freely, a joint service from the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, streams live channels and on-demand programmes free on smart TVs, with no dish or aerial. You still need a TV Licence to watch live TV, however it reaches you.

Check each service's screen limits, because they cap how many rooms can watch at once. Sky's FAQs say Netflix Standard allows two devices at a time and Netflix Premium four. NOW's help pages say one person can stream at a time as standard, two with Boost and three with Ultra Boost, and Amazon's Prime Video terms allow up to three streams at once on one account (checked October 2026). For paying for these through your provider, see Netflix and streaming on your broadband bill.

How easy it is to change broadband depends on how tightly your TV is tied to it:

• Sky Stream works on another provider's broadband, so you can move your broadband and keep the pucks, as long as the new line meets Sky's speed guidance for your number of rooms. Sky's help says that if you switch broadband away from Sky, other Sky services such as Sky TV stay active, and you contact Sky separately to cancel TV. EE's own FAQ likewise says Sky TV keeps working if you switch to EE Broadband, because it is delivered separately.
• Virgin Media Stream needs Virgin Media broadband, so moving your broadband elsewhere means the Stream boxes can't come with you. Virgin notes that some providers cancel TV when you switch broadband while others need you to contact them separately.
• EE TV needs an EE hub (or a BT Hub if BT sold you the TV) with working broadband, so it stays with that broadband.

The switch itself follows One Touch Switch, Ofcom's process since 12 September 2024: you contact only the new provider, and your current provider must send you switching information, including any early-termination charges and the effect on other services you have with it. Ofcom adds that you might need to tell your old provider to cancel other services in a bundle, such as TV, and that your old provider will explain your options. With extra boxes, check what it says about each add-on.

Before you switch, check the new line covers every room: add up your TVs and other streams as above, then compare deals at your postcode, or browse broadband and TV deals if you want both from one company. Then:

• Plan the boxes. Check what happens to each box: the table above shows each provider's return rules.
• Watch anything you want to keep first if you're changing TV service too: Sky says Sky Q and Sky+ recordings can't move to Sky Stream, and Virgin says recordings can't be transferred when you upgrade to Stream.

For the full picture of keeping one company's TV with another's broadband, see what happens to your TV when you switch broadband. If you're leaving Sky, our guide to cancelling Sky or NOW broadband sets out the steps.