Keeping UK TV and live sport on the Costa del Sol

Ask anyone who has moved to the Costa del Sol what they miss from home, and sooner or later the answer comes round to the football. Saturday at three, the Sunday super match, the Champions League nights, and the run of Premier League fixtures over Christmas and Boxing Day. For many British residents, that's the moment life in Spain feels furthest from home.

It's not just sport. It's the soaps, the evening news from London, the panel shows on a Friday night, and the new drama everyone at home is talking about. Plenty of people on the coast have tried to keep all that going, and most have a story about the dish, the app or the box that stopped working.

This year AllPayTV marks 30 years of helping people outside the UK keep their British TV. Here's a plain guide to why UK TV is so hard to get in Spain, and what actually works.

UK broadcasters buy most of their programmes, and almost all of their sport, for viewers in the UK. So the BBC iPlayer, ITVX and Sky apps check where you are, and if you're not in the UK, they won't play.

For years satellite was the answer on the Costa del Sol. But the satellites carrying the UK channels now aim their signal tightly at the British Isles. Down here, picking it up takes a very large dish, reception drops out in bad weather, and many urbanisations and community rules limit what you can put on a roof. Even when a dish works, it only brings in the free channels. Sky Sports and TNT Sports were never part of it.

A big satellite dish. Where the signal still reaches, you get BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5. You don't get the live sport, and you're at the mercy of the weather.

Doing it yourself online. Many residents try to make the UK apps work from Spain with settings, add-ons and home-made setups. Some get it going for a while. Then an app updates, the picture freezes in the 89th minute, and someone in the house spends Saturday evening troubleshooting.

The cheap "everything" box. Market stalls and social media groups sell boxes promising every channel for a few euros a month. These are usually unlicensed streams. They vanish without warning, there's no one to call when they do, and in Spain viewers as well as sellers can face fines.

AllPayTV is an independent provider supplying a managed Sky Stream setup. Customers get the full UK line-up, live and on demand:

• Sky Sports and TNT Sports: the Premier League, the Champions League, cricket, Formula 1, rugby, golf and darts

• BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5: the soaps, the news from home, the panel shows and the new dramas as they air in Britain

• Sky Atlantic and Sky Cinema: premium drama and the latest films

Netflix, Paramount+, Discovery+, Disney+ and HBO Max are part of the line-up too, with 4K UHD where available.

There's no dish and no engineer. AllPayTV sends two things, set up and ready to go: the Sky.com original Sky Stream puck and a managed router. Plug them in, switch on, and the channels are there. Cloud recording means you never miss a match: press + on any programme to add it to your Playlist and watch when it suits you.

If something isn't working, an English-speaking support team sorts it out, not you. Customers rate the service Excellent on Trustpilot.

• Broadband of at least 10 Mbit/s, or 25 Mbit/s for 4K. Most fibre connections on the coast manage this comfortably.

• A connection or main router that allows the managed router to connect. Most home setups do, and the support team can check before you order.

• €99 a month, with a €200 refundable equipment deposit

• 31-day contract, so there's no long commitment

• 30-day money-back guarantee, covering both the subscription and the deposit (you pay the return shipping)

The service is available across Spain, and anywhere else outside the UK and the Republic of Ireland with a suitable internet connection and a compatible network.

1. Which channels do you actually watch? If it's the football, make sure live sport is included, not just the free channels.

2. How good is your internet? A steady fibre line makes all the difference.

3. Who fixes it when it breaks? Look for English-speaking support you can actually reach.

4. What does it really cost? Add up equipment, shipping, the monthly fee and the minimum contract.

5. Will it still be working in March? A service that disappears mid-season costs more in frustration than it ever saved.

SUR in English readers get their first month free and free shipping. You only pay the refundable €200 deposit to get started. Order through our dedicated reader page with code [SUR CODE]:

[SUR LANDING PAGE LINK]

Order now and the Christmas fixtures are yours on your own TV, here on the coast: the football on Boxing Day, the soaps on Christmas night and the whole festive schedule from home.

AllPayTV is not Sky and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Sky. Sky, Sky Stream and channel names are trademarks of their respective owners.