ONLINE TV

 TV Player

TV Player is definitely your best bet if you want to watch TV through your laptop while everyone else hogs the telly. It features a great range of channels, including BBC 1 and 2, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, BBC Good Food, Four Music, BBC Three, CBeebies and select other channels for your entertainment.

There's also a pretty awesome TV guide so you can plan the whole day's watching in advance if you want.

If you start watching something and then you have to leave (or are summoned by mum to spend some time with the family) you can carry on watching live with the TV Player smartphone and tablet app. Christmas may well just be saved.

ITV Player

If there’s a clash with what you want to watch and the rest of the family tunes into, no fear, because the ITV Player means you can watch what you want at the same time.

ITV Player online allows you to watch anything that's showing on ITV, ITV2, ITV3, ITV4, CITV and ITV Be, which will come in handy over the Christmas period as can’t-miss episodes of both Corrie and Downton Abbey take to the screen.

There will be some corkers showing on ITV Player live over the festive season in addition to these Christmas specials, including classic films galore, such as Back to the Future on Christmas Day morning, The Only Way is Essex on its new ITV Be home and lots more for you to consume.

The ITV Player can be watched online or via its smartphone and tablet app if you're planning on moving from your bedroom on Christmas Day.

BBC iPlayer

The BBC will host some of the most frequently tuned into content and if you’re planning on watching Doctor Who, Top Gear, Miranda or brand new festive treats such as The Incredible Adventures Of Professor Branestawm, On Angel Wings and Esio Trot and your family doesn’t agree, you can tune into the iPlayer online.

The iPlayer online streaming allows you to watch all BBC channels in real time, including BBC 1, BBC 2, BBC Three, BBC Four, CBBC, BBC Parliament, BBC News, BBc Alba and CBeebies.

You can also build up your own schedule with the planner, meaning you hopefully won’t miss out on any action over the Christmas period.

The iPlayer is available on the Web if you’re using Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome or Safari. You can also download the desktop app if you don’t have a supported browser or download it onto your smartphone or tablet or Xbox.

Alternatively, you can also use the iPlayer site to catch up on anything you missed, but don’t forget, to watch live TV on the BBC iPlayer, you will need a TV licence to prevent getting into trouble on Christmas Day.

Watch Live (Channnel 4)

Watch Live is Channel 4’s online streaming service that will help you access the Alternative Christmas Message at 3pm on Christmas Day if your nan’s hogging the TV with the Queen’s offical Christmas address.

The service covers all channels in the Channel 4 family, including Channel 4, E4, More 4, Film 4, 4 Music and 4 Seven so you can catch up on the top programmes over Christmas.

Highlights on Channel 4’s services over the festive season includes a Christmas installation of Black Mirror, Alan Carr with guests still to be confirmed, plus for the kids, there’s a very special look behind the scenes from Disney’s Frozen. What did make it such a massive success?

Rewind It’s Christmas will take a look at Christmas music over the years and there will be lots of other Christmas specials to feast your eyes on including 8 Out of 10 Cats and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown.

Sky Go

Sky will be playing lots of festive content over the holiday, including movies to get you into the mood.

Live channels Sky Go supports are ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Sky 1, Sky Living, Sky Atlantic, Watch, GOLD, Dave, Comedy Central and Universal, as long as you're a Sky customer.

However, you won’t be able to watch Sky Go on Google Chrome, so it’s best to download another browser (Safari, Internet Explorer and Firefox are supported if you have Silverlight installed) if you’re being thrown out of the living room or want to watch different to the rest of the family downstairs.

You can also watch Sky’s lineup on Android, iOS or Xbox, but you’ll only be able to watch on up to two devices per Sky account unless you sign up to Sky go Extra with a free two-month trial or £5/month thereafter.

by Clare Hopping