Digital TV Guides

Pay TV: should I subscribe to a TV service?

Monday 28 March, 2011

By Becca Talbot - becca@consumerchoices.co.uk

If you’re a Freeview or Freesat home, switching to a pay TV package from Sky, Virgin Media or BT could get you more channels, on-demand programmes and movies and a cheaper phone and broadband deal.

When it comes to choosing a digital TV service, there are now more options than ever. You can upgrade from a subscription-free service from Freeview or Freesat, to a pay TV package from Sky (www.sky.com), Virgin Media (www.virginmedia.com) or BT Vision. But which pay TV service is right for you?

In this guide we explore the different deals available, and weigh-up the pros and cons of pay TV and subscription-free services.

TV, broadband and phone packages

Company	Package Name	Channels	Broadband	Home Phone
	Sky Entertainment TV + HD + Sky Broadband Unlimited + Talk Freetime	Get channels like Sky 1, Sky Living, Sky Atlantic and more
	TV Essential + More Broadband and Calls	70 Freeview channels
	TV: L + Broadband: 30Mb + Phone: M	100 channels including Virgin 1, Sky1, Comedy Central, Bravo and many more

What TV options are available where I live?

Some digital TV providers’ services are only available in certain areas, so it’s essential you do a postcode search first to see what your options are. You may find that although you like the look of Virgin Media’s cable TV packages with on-demand content, you don’t live in a cable area so can’t sign-up.

Also, if Freeview reception is poor in your area, you may find that a pay TV package will solve your problems. Below is some information on the availability of each digital TV service:

• Sky TV availability - Sky’s satellite TV service is available to around 98% of the UK, making it the digital TV option of choice for more than 10 million homes. To receive Sky TV you will need a satellite dish installed to the outside of home - however if you live in a listed building or a flat, this may not be possible.

• Virgin TV availability - Cable TV packages from Virgin Media are available to just over 50% of homes in the UK. There are more than 3.7 million Virgin TV customers - many of whom take their phone and broadband with Virgin Media too. To get Virgin TV you will need a cable connection installed by a Virgin Media engineer - this may not be possible if you live in a listed building or a flat, however.

• BT Vision availability - BT’s TV service, BT Vision, is essentially Freeview but with added on-demand extras - over half a million homes currently have BT Vision. To get the TV service you must be a BT Total Broadband subscriber and live in an area that can get Freeview. See below for Freeview availability.

• Freeview availability - Freeview is being rolled out across the country with the digital switchover. The whole of Wales and most of Scotland can already get Freeview, however homes in Northern Ireland and England will not be guaranteed Freeview coverage until the digital switchover is complete in 2012. To get Freeview you must have a rooftop aerial and a digital set-top box or integrated TV.

• Freesat availability - Like Sky, Freesat is available to around 98% of the UK; however there are only around 1.5 million homes currently choosing the subscription-free satellite TV service. To get Freesat you must have a Freesat set-top box and a satellite dish installed to the outside of home.

Once you’ve established which services are available to you, you can then choose which one best suits your family’s needs and budget. You should decide which channels you want, whether you want extras like on-demand TV and access to the BBC iPlayer, and whether it’s more cost-effective to take a bundled package with your phone and/or broadband.

What channels do you watch?

When it comes to the choice of channels, you’ll definitely get more with a subscription TV deal from Sky or Virgin Media.

Freeview offers, at most, around 80 channels, and Freesat offers 140 - many of which are digital radio channels. However, with Virgin Media you can subscribe to up to 160 channels, and with Sky there’s more than 220 on offer:

• Sky channels - Sky’s channels are grouped by genre into “viewing packs”, making it easy to pick and choose which ones you want to subscribe to and the ones you don’t. Prices start from £19.50 a month for one pack, and each extra pack costs an additional £1 a month. For more information, read our guide Sky TV channels.

• Virgin Media channels - Virgin Media offers three TV packages, to make sure there is something to suit all tastes and budgets. Choose from the M+ deal with 65 channels, L with 100 or XL with more than 165 channels. Prices start from £6.50 a month. For more information, read our guide Virgin TV channels.

Whatever your household watches most - whether its sports channels, kids' channels, movies or music channels - there is something for everyone with a pay TV package.

Do you want extra TV features?

Video-on-demand and catch-up TV has changed the way we watch our favourite programmes, freeing us from the constraints of the TV schedule. Sky, Virgin Media and BT Vision all offer on-demand TV menus, and Freesat offers homes with Humax set-top boxes free access to the BBC iPlayer.

However, Freeview is yet to offer any kind of catch-up TV service - so if you want to watch missed episodes of EastEnders or Corrie, you’ll need to visit the channels’ online catch-up TV website, or buy a Freeview box with digital video recorder functionality.

To find out more, read our guides to TV on-demand and digital video recorders.

Could you bundle your broadband and/or phone line?

Signing up for an all-in-one TV, phone and broadband deal from Virgin Media, Sky or BT Vision could save you loads on your monthly bills. By taking all your entertainment and telecoms services from one provide, you will not only reduce the number of bills you have to pay each month, but you may also get free extras.

Virgin Media, for example, gives all of its XL TV subscribers free access to its TV Choice catch-up service. TV Choice has hundreds of hours of on-demand programmes, letting you watch episodes of your favourite series back-to-back.

To find out more about bundling, read our TV, phone and broadband guide.

Choosing a digital TV package

After considering all of the above, you should be in a better position to make a choice between a pay TV package and a subscription TV deal. Use our postcode comparison service to find out what’s available in your area and sign-up to a new digital TV provider online.