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Original poster

Alternative to Sky TV?

39 replies

MyLifeNow20 · 30/08/2021 21:05

Hi.
I will be out of contract beginning of november. I have sky Q and pay nearly £75 a month which is ridiculous. I dont watch half the channels, have movies and netflix. Have asked them to remove these but they said they cant.
I tend to watch things on netflix or may watch soaps (but know you can watch them on catch up) or maybe a box set or movie.
I would rather not have to pay out each month and wondering what other options there are?
Thanks!

OP posts:
NiceGerbil · 30/08/2021 21:19

We ditched it.

Already had Amazon prime. Got Netflix. With that and the catch up services that's plenty.

If you aren't interested in sport sky doesn't seem much point but there are a few things I miss. Overall though we've got enough to be going on with!

Bfi have loads of free films and I think you can join for more if you're more cultured Grin

NiceGerbil · 30/08/2021 21:21

Dump them.
See if you miss anything.
Find a service that does it way cheaper. Or remember sky cost and was it really worth that a month just for whatever.

broccolibush · 30/08/2021 21:24

We have our internet and telephone with sky for £26 a month. On top of that I have Amazon prime and Netflix which together is about £16. Every so often we get NowTV for the cricket or movies which they always do on some kind of deal - right now we’re paying £3 per month for the movies instead of £12. We have more than enough to watch!

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GnarlyOldGoatDude · 30/08/2021 21:25

Following as I have a similar dilemma. Keep meaning to leave Sky but never have the courage as we’ve been with them so long and are used to how it works. I just ring up each time and haggle a better contract.

We have our phone and internet through them too, and it just seems a huge faff to change.

Main things we like are Netflix (having only had it for the last year or so when it came with Sky) but also terrestrial channels for eg Strictly, and the odd Sky series like GoT

GnarlyOldGoatDude · 30/08/2021 21:27

@broccolibush how do you get Netflix separately, if that’s not a daft question? We’ve only recently had it, via Sky.

And is NowTV sort of like a pay as you go Sky?

NiceGerbil · 30/08/2021 21:30

You just Google Netflix and sign up.

You need a dongle obv for all these.

NiceGerbil · 30/08/2021 21:30

Eg the Amazon fire

TrampolineForMrKite · 30/08/2021 21:36

We got rid of Sky in 2018 and just use our Amazon Fire stick and have Netflix and Disney+ too. We were paying around £90 a month for TV and broadband and now pay £16 with TalkTalk for broadband and around £25 for subscriptions, so circa £40. Haven’t missed Sky at all and we could still make it cheaper if we wanted to by cutting some subs. Can’t believe we paid out all that money for years for TV now.

broccolibush · 30/08/2021 21:40

Yes we have Netflix from them directly. Is fairly simple to sign up if I remember correctly. NowTV is the same but for sky stuff. We’ve not done entertainment (box sets) but have had the rest. We left Sky for ££ reasons some years back and have done well taking out and cancelling the standalone services.

Original poster
MyLifeNow20 · 30/08/2021 21:45

I used to have netflix directly but then sky managed to get me to sign up with them with netflix which you cant just cancel.
So I am thinking a firestik with apps like BBC, ITV, my5 etc and then netflix as extra

OP posts:
Kihanxxxx · 30/08/2021 21:45

Virgo media

Dreadinggoingbacktothoffice · 30/08/2021 21:45

Definitely now tv!

BeaucoupFish · 30/08/2021 21:46

NOW tv which is contract free sky content basically
Much of the same content as sky (but you cannot do the series link ) they have all the sky channels and it’s a rolling contract so you can cancel anytime they tend to tempt you with good offers if you cancel as well
www.nowtv.com/offers

Original poster
MyLifeNow20 · 30/08/2021 21:48

Ohhh thank you, I will look into that, do you download it onto firestick?
Can you get BBC1 and ITV on it like on sky?

OP posts:
Original poster
MyLifeNow20 · 30/08/2021 21:51

I was just thinking if I wanted to turn the tv on a 6pm for example to watch the news could I do that with Nowtv?

OP posts:
Newnormal99 · 30/08/2021 21:51

I took the plunge about 12 months ago and don't miss it at all.

I just use catchup. I do use a to do app to put in weekly reminders for programmes that I want to watch and then i watch live or on catch-up. I pay for Disney Plus for my DD and they also watch a lot of Netflix on their dads account.

I kept the broadband / phoneline which is under £30 a month. Mainly kept that as it's pretty reliable and as I wfh don't want to risk a new supplier.

Madeatimemachineoutofadelorean · 30/08/2021 21:56

Netflix + Prime + Disney+ works out at about £29 a month

Have iPlayer, ITV player etc for terrestrial, obvs all free.

Now TV I subscribe to periodically for a month or two if there's a series I fancy - it's basically Sky (and a mega rip off compared to the others).

Dumped Sky over a decade ago and never looked back!

BeaucoupFish · 30/08/2021 21:58

@MyLifeNow20
I am not sure as I never watch ‘LIVE’ Tv as am ‘legally Licence Free’ BUT I know there are several LIVE channels on there the ‘news’ is possibly one of them
Perhaps somebody else can advise on that point
It is a fraction of Sky costs though

PepsiHoover · 30/08/2021 21:58

@MyLifeNow20

I was just thinking if I wanted to turn the tv on a 6pm for example to watch the news could I do that with Nowtv?
Do you not have an aeriel in your house OP? You just plug the aeriel cable into the back of the telly, ask the telly to scan for channels and then you have the free view channels like BBC and ITV to watch

Things like Amazon Prime, Netflix and Now TV are Internet streaming services. Depending on how old your TV is, you will either need to connect a dongle to your telly to watch them, like an amazon fire stick. Or have your PC or phone connected to steam to your telly. Or if you have a recent model, it should have all of these things installed on it already.

BeaucoupFish · 30/08/2021 22:01

@Madeatimemachineoutofadelorean
I don’t think it’s a mega rip off
I got 12 months entertainment package for £60 (£5 a month) which I shared with my sister so quite cheap actually

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 30/08/2021 22:03

People always say they get it all cheaper than Sky but everytime I've tried it it comes out the same once you add up the phone/broadband / telly/ Netflix/prime/ Now.

NiceGerbil · 30/08/2021 22:05

Yeah it's split down a bit!

I have no idea about phone tbf Confused

NiceGerbil · 30/08/2021 22:07

15 a month for phone broadband

Prime wa had anyway
Fiver for Netflix?

All depends household to household doesn't it

Madeatimemachineoutofadelorean · 30/08/2021 22:08

[quote BeaucoupFish]@Madeatimemachineoutofadelorean
I don’t think it’s a mega rip off
I got 12 months entertainment package for £60 (£5 a month) which I shared with my sister so quite cheap actually[/quote]
I pay £9.99 for the entertainment package which is quite limited. You also have to pay an extra fiver a month if you want it in HD. The films/sport are another £9.99 each and Hayu is another £4.99. So I find that a lot when you consider the others are £7.99-£13.99 for all the shows and films.

ChildrenGrowingUpTooFast · 30/08/2021 22:14

You can pay for individual streaming platforms much cheaper. Look at Netflix, Amazon prime, now tv and disney+. Get a roku streaming stick off Amazon. Install the apps on the roku, and login using the accounts you sign on online.

I think Netflix is £14 for premium and all the other platforms are under £10. £75 is insane. If you don’t watch iplayer and also no live broadcast, you can stop paying £15 for tv license too.