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Sky tv-price rise again! Alternatives??

109 replies

QueenLagertha · 20/02/2022 10:27

Sick of sky tv increases. A couple of weeks ago I negotiated a small decrease when they put my contract price up again. Then yesterday they sent me an email about price rises in April. Plus I see they stuck a £10 admin fee on my account for recent negotiation which I done online.

DH and DS (nearly age 4) watch a few channels on the sky. I only watch Netflix really. So I'll have a battle on my hands cancelling it. And maybe I'm being unreasonable just because I don't use it.

Any suggestions for other services we could switch to?

OP posts:
ISpyCobraKai · 20/02/2022 20:58

I love my Sky, but I renegotiate often.
I currently have everything I want which includes Netflix for £43 a month.

Zazdar · 20/02/2022 21:02

We have just swapped a Sky+ HD box for a recordable 4K Freesat box and my husband fitted a big dish yesterday so that we don’t lose the picture in bad weather.

Total cost was £165 with no ongoing monthly subscription.

Neither of us are interested in sport, which helps.

SummerSazz · 20/02/2022 21:04

I have a human freesat box so can pause live tv and record. Then have 4 fire sticks. All cost up front but pay themselves back v quickly. Then have Amazon prime, Netflix and Disney+ (although share this with a friend). Not sure if you can get discovery channel through any of those!

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JenniferWooley · 20/02/2022 21:16

I'll be cancelling my sky tv package when the contract is up in June - I'm £44 per month (will be £46 in April) & in all honesty I mostly watch absolute shit on channels like Dave.

There are a few things I watch on other channels such as Resident Alien, Station 19, Greys & SVU but I'll get NOW TV to watch those when the new seasons start & I have Disney + & prime - cancelled Netflix in January as I hadn't watched anything for over a year so was paying £15 a month for everyone else to watch it!

Sky is far too expensive for what it is & the £46 will be needed for the increased cost of living about to hit.

Using4532 · 20/02/2022 21:45

Anyone who has Disney+, you can get it with Tesco Clubcard points, £8 for 3 months.

ratspeaker · 20/02/2022 21:48

You don’t get Sky Atlantic on Virgin.
We got Now subscription to watch Game of Thrones on sky atlantic

Seriously thinking of ditching Virgin when contract up and using freeview plus Netflix, now, Disney+ and a freeview recording box.
Just need to find a reliable broadband supplier.

userxx · 20/02/2022 22:10

@ratspeaker

You don’t get Sky Atlantic on Virgin. We got Now subscription to watch Game of Thrones on sky atlantic

Seriously thinking of ditching Virgin when contract up and using freeview plus Netflix, now, Disney+ and a freeview recording box.
Just need to find a reliable broadband supplier.

This is what I did a few years ago, I then ditched the recorder as most things are streamed or on catch up.

Shamoo · 20/02/2022 22:38

We have Virgin - super fast broadband, phone, all the sport (including BT sport) and all other channels except cinema for £95. Took a lot of haggling but still annoys me it’s so much. We can’t get Sky where we are otherwise I would move. (Although I do use my Dad’s access to watch online - is there anybody in your family who has it and would let you use a device?)

lisaandalan · 20/02/2022 23:01

Virgin is worse and their internet is so so bad.

lisaandalan · 20/02/2022 23:06

There's a new company G network if it's in your area
It's very cheap. X

Aug12 · 20/02/2022 23:10

We haven’t watched live tv for the last 6years and don’t miss it. We use prime, Netflix and Disney+

ENoeuf · 20/02/2022 23:17

We pay £49.99 to Virgin for free weekend calls and fibre optic broadband with no tv package

ISpyCobraKai · 20/02/2022 23:42

@ENoeuf

We pay £49.99 to Virgin for free weekend calls and fibre optic broadband with no tv package
I pay less for Sky.
Blinkingbatshit · 20/02/2022 23:55

Wow, I had no idea it was so expensive (sorry, tv Neanderthal here😆)…..have been trying to persuade dh that we should get Netflix for 5.99 a month and he’s not keen🤣…. We do have Amazon prime though (live in the sticks so next day delivery AND tv for £60 per year is worth it….would definitely not be doing it if that was per month though). Not up to me to tell you what you & your dh should prioritise but you definitely need to get him to think properly about this and it’s genuine value (or lack of it).

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 20/02/2022 23:59

I think we pay £80 for Sky Q plus phone and broadband and multiroom. It's worth haggling with them.

pisspants · 21/02/2022 00:18

I ditched sky about a year ago and got a recordable Manhattan box.It has freeview and quite a few apps built in - iplayer, ITV hub, all4. You can record onto it like a sky box and watch live TV. It cost about £220. We have a smart tv that has netflix on and the kids really wanted Disney plus over xmas so we also.got a.now.tv stick (they are now discontinued but got one.at.b and m and I think you can get them on amazon too). through that we could pay daily, weekly or monthly for sky cinema, sky sports or the entertainment package plus others like disney plus. It means you can dip in and out for the content.you want without a heavy subscription. I am.really happy i ditched sky, it was a bit of an investment initially but is so nice not having a big monthly bill now and paid for itself quite quickly.

worriedatthemoment · 21/02/2022 00:20

We have sky and its for the sports so can't get it much cheaper , we pay £110 bit thats top brodband and line rental sky sports and bt and my netflix is also through sky and we have a second box and sky go
Its a lot but then we don't go out we watch tons of football and rigby matches so for us we get our moneys worth, but they have just put ours up about a £10 so im going to ring to see if I can get it back down

J0l2 · 21/02/2022 00:29

DH watches discovery channel
He can get discovery plus, it's 4.99 a month.

TiddyTidTwo · 21/02/2022 00:39

£10 BT box and £7.99 Prime plus Netflix. Never short of anything to watch!

Pyewhacket · 21/02/2022 00:47

Cancelled Sky as everyone was watching Netflix or YouTube.

DustyMaiden · 21/02/2022 15:43

Sky sports, HD and multi room

Sky tv-price rise again! Alternatives??
PinkSparklyPussyCat · 21/02/2022 16:10

How on earth did you manage that @DustyMaiden?!

Graphista · 21/02/2022 16:11

Which sky channels do they watch? Could a "now" pass suffice?

But tbh I think you're best off not having it at all it's insanely expensive for what it is total rip off!

For broadband there are TONS of cheaper options I'm with Plusnet currently ordinary broadband for £18.99 a month I'm upgrading to fibre soon though but that's only a few more quid

Have a look on MSE for full tips on how to reduce your TV costs

Absolutely

How are your finances worked op? Seems to me it's unfair to have an expensive bill that you don't both want.

If you work it that :

You each pay half to all other bills and expenses and then have money left over for personal stuff and IF he wants to use that money for sky then that would be fair I think - but I'm betting he expects you to put in half despite not wanting it!

@BarbaraofSeville haha - great minds!

I got "now entertainment" to watch the friends reunion and then found there were other things I liked so kept it then I was reviewing my budget and decided to cancel...purely going through the cancellation process electronically on the website it offered me 6 months @ £3.99 per month - fine by me. So that's what I have at the moment. When that deal ends I will review again but probably cancel altogether and maybe rejoin after a while if there's a "new customer" deal I can use or similar

But generally speaking I'm fine with "just" Amazon prime (which I make good use of, deliveries, prime video, prime reading, music, prime day exclusives) and Netflix (cheapest option works fine for me) and occasionally watching "normal" tv when there's stuff on I like, at the moment it's mainly quiz and game shows and panel shows, but I also like history documentaries and current affairs programmes.

@nostylenoclue there are plenty of broadband & landline providers and even stand alone broadband providers there's really no need to have it tied into your tv package

As I said I'm Plusnet broadband at the moment inc landline as have to have that to get the bb

Just a word of warning on a fire stick over a Roku, you can’t get now tv on a fire stick.

Yea sky don't play well with others!

I can't get "now" on my fire tablet have to use the laptop (I've no tv at the moment)

Total I'm paying at the moment for bb, landline (which admittedly I don't use), Netflix, prime and now entertainment is £36.96

I suppose the main thing is I have no interest in sport and that I think is where they hook you in

in all honesty I mostly watch absolute shit on channels like Dave.

I LOVE the brutal honesty here! 

For my part I have to admit I mostly watch tv series I have watched a million times before! It's comforting and easy and familiar

I do sometimes watch films & new shows but this is quite unusual for me although I am currently enjoying manifest, the rookie, bull and the equalizer on now (LOVE queen Latifah I was expecting to be disappointed as loved the original series and the movies but it's fun to watch)

@Using4532 yea I'm in the middle of moving at the moment but once things settle down I'm thinking I'll get Disney again (had it on a deal last year) using clubcard points - but then I also use my clubcard points to pay my Tesco mobile bill so depends if I have enough points to use

Haggling is absolutely the key!

Graphista · 21/02/2022 16:21

Just had a quick look as I had in the back of my mind Plusnet did a sports tv thing - I was right

Plusnet tv inc discovery and bt sport lite at (I think) £5 a month inc with bb fibre package with bt sport full package an additional £15.69

I've really just done a very quick check so please check thoroughly before anyone signs up but may be worth a look

nostylenoclue · 21/02/2022 17:19

Thanks to Using and AnotherEmma for your advice on this useful thread. I'm on with Sky now cancelling my SkyQ and just keeping broadband.

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