Irish streaming is not one 4K Netflix tab. It is two smart TVs, a GAA match on Now, someone on TikTok, a laptop on a call, and a console downloading a patch. That stack is a download problem first — which is why this ranking sorts wired retailers by speed sub-score, and why Virgin Media can lead a streaming page even though it loses a working-from-home page on upload.
Virgin is the urban download pick: 1 Gb intro often the same €30 as 500 Mb (August 2026). Vodafone is the SIRO pick when you want that download and matching upload. Sky is the household that actually wants Sky / sport in the same bill, and still regularly posts the cheapest 500 Mb fibre intro. 4K does not need a 2 Gb plan; a busy house might.
Bitrates below are the services’ own ballparks, not lab tests we invented. The line at the Eircode still wins — check availability before you buy a brand because the ad showed a film still.
How much broadband do Netflix, Disney+ and sport actually use?
One stream is cheap. Four streams plus a phone-happy teenager is not. Use this as a planning table, then add headroom so Wi-Fi and evening contention do not turn HDR into buffering.
| What is on | Rough download | What it means in Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| HD video (most “default” telly) | ~5 Mb per stream | Even FTTC 100 Mb can hold several HD titles |
| 4K / UHD Netflix, Disney+, Prime | ~15–25 Mb per stream | Two 4K titles want ~50 Mb plus everything else |
| Live sport (Now, Virgin TV, GAA+) | Similar to HD–4K; spikes on match nights | Stability matters as much as the peak number |
| YouTube / TikTok on phones | Death by a thousand cuts | Plan headroom; do not assume “only the TV counts” |
| Game download on a console | Will eat whatever you give it | This is when 500 Mb vs 1 Gb is obvious |
One 4K stream is not a reason to buy 1 Gb. A household with two 4K TVs, phones, and a console patching is. 100 Mb is the light-use floor; 500 Mb is the Irish family default; 1 Gb is for busy houses and people who already saturate 500. Upload barely matters for Netflix — it matters if someone is also on a video call. That split is why the working-from-home ranking looks different.
Household contention: why 500 Mb still buffers
If the speed-test app shows 480 Mb and Disney+ still sits on the spinning wheel, the bottleneck is usually not the plan tier:
- Wi-Fi, not the fibre. A dual-band router in the hall will not feed a 4K TV in the back room. Mesh or a wired backhaul fixes more “slow Netflix” tickets than a 2 Gb upgrade.
- Peak-time cable and 5G. Virgin and Three share capacity with the neighbours. Noon tests lie; 8pm is the product.
- FTTC sold as fibre. Open Eir copper to the door is often ~100 Mb. Four 4K streams will not fit. Confirm FTTH on the checker.
- The TV’s own cap. Some apps and older sticks never request a 4K bitrate. That is not the ISP’s fault.
Fix the room first, then shop the contract. Year-two price still matters while you watch: Sky’s 500 Mb intro vs thereafter, Virgin’s jump toward ~€70, Eir’s ~€76 and the April rise. Honest maths: cheapest broadband in Ireland.
Fibre vs cable vs 5G for a streaming house
| Network | Streaming strength | Watch-out |
|---|---|---|
| Virgin cable / fibre | Highest advertised download in many estates; TV bundles | Upload 50 Mb on 1 Gb; peak contention; closed footprint |
| SIRO FTTH | Strong, consistent throughput; often 1 Gb for the 500 Mb price (Vodafone) | Towns and suburbs — not most of rural Ireland |
| Open Eir / NBI FTTH | 500 Mb and 1 Gb from Sky, Vodafone, Pure, Digiweb, Eir | Do not confuse with FTTC “fibre” |
| 5G home | Enough for a couple of HD/4K streams on a good cell | Evening slowdown; fair-use; not a wired guarantee |
| Starlink | Usable HD/4K on residential 100–200 Mb quotes | Weather, trees, busy cells; leave when NBI arrives |
Want live Sky Sports in the same bill? That is a bundle decision, not a speed decision — Sky and Virgin are the usual names. Everyone else will tell you to keep Netflix as a separate app, which is often cheaper. Networks map: Open Eir vs SIRO vs NBI vs Virgin.
How we ranked them for streaming
Wired retailers first, then 5G, wireless and satellite. Inside the wired group we sort on the speed sub-score, then overall score. That is a download-weighted order: Virgin first, Vodafone second, then Sky and Digiweb on 8.8. It is the opposite instinct to the WFH page, and that is deliberate — streaming cares about the downstream pipe and how many 4K sessions it will hold.
- Advertised headline download as a capacity proxy — not a lab 4K test we pretended to run in every county.
- TV bundles as a feature, not a ranking cheat. Sky and Virgin can win a living room on content; they do not get extra Mbps for it in the sort.
- Thereafter still shown in the cards. A streaming house that stays two years should not be ranked on month one only.
For the all-round contract ranking see best broadband in Ireland.
Our top streaming picks
Virgin Media — best urban download (and telly, if you want it)
1 Gb intro frequently matches 500 Mb at €30, which is the honest upgrade for a 4K-heavy house on the Virgin footprint. Thereafter is the sting (~€70–€72 on those plans). Upload is not why you are here. Virgin Media review.
Vodafone — best SIRO streaming line
Take 1 Gb when it is the same €40 as 500 Mb. You get the download for simultaneous 4K and the upload if someone is on a call in the kitchen. Vodafone review.
Sky — best-value 500 Mb plus the TV people actually pay for
500 Mb at €27.99 intro is enough for most Irish 4K households if Wi-Fi is competent. Add Sky / sport only if you would buy it anyway. Thereafter €50 on that plan — still often saner than Virgin year two. Sky review.
Digiweb’s SIRO gigabit intro (~€38) is a strong regional streaming line; Pure is the no-hike fibre stay. Eir’s 5 Gb exists where the cabinet is upgraded — few living rooms need it, and thereafter ~€76 is why we do not lead with Eir. Three 5G will run Netflix; it will not run a match-night house as calmly as FTTH. Rural: best rural broadband. Speed tiers: what speed do I need.
