If you click a link with an * to go through to a provider, we may get paid. This usually only happens if you get a product from it. This is what funds our team of journalists, and keeps us free to use. Yet there are two crucial things you need to know about this.
- This never impacts our editorial recommendations – if it's in, it's in there because we independently rate it best.
- You'll always get as good a deal (or better) than if you went direct.
For a more detailed explanation see How MSE is financed.
Digital TV package deals
How to pick the right deals for Sky, Virgin & TalkTalk
TV subscriptions can set you back over £1,000/year, so the top tips in this guide, with a round-up of the current prices from Sky, Virgin, TalkTalk and BT, will help you slash these costs.
Want to compare TV deals? Use our Broadband Unbundled tool. Looking for streaming services? See our Netflix Hacks and Online Streaming guides.
How to pick the right TV package
TV packages are notoriously complicated, often with many optional extras and a variety of bundles – each one gradually increasing in price. Choosing one can be hard, but as costs can soon mount up, weighing up each decision carefully could stop you shelling out £100s/yr for add-ons you don't need.
Current prices for new customers
To help with haggling a decent discount, we've collated the current offers for new customers from the main providers in this at-a-glance comparison. TV deals are often complicated with many bundles, so understanding which channels you're willing to shell out for is key.
The below should give a brief overview, but for a better comparison try our Broadband Unbundled tool which will show you the best TV deals available in your area.
Standard digital TV offers – at a glance |
|
Provider & link | New-customer offers |
BT | You can only add BT TV 'bolt-ons' if you take its fibre broadband and line rental. You must select a base TV package, all of which come with BT's YouView+ box, which allows you to pause and record live TV.
Entertainment – £10/mth for 12mths, then £20/mth, 24-month contract: Includes Freeview channels and a Now TV Entertainment pass, with channels such as Sky One, Sky Atlantic and National Geographic. It also included a Netflix Basic plan.
Big Entertainment – £30/mth, 24-month contract: Includes all channels in the Entertainment package, plus Now TV Sky Cinema, which includes all Sky Cinema channels and AMC, showing films such as A Few Good Men and A Bronx Tale. It also includes a Netflix Basic plan.
VIP Bundle – £76/mth, 24-month contract: Includes everything from the Entertainment and Big Entertainment packages plus all Sky Sports and BT Sport channels. HD add-on also included.
Sport – £10/mth for 12mths, then £18/month, 24-month contract: Includes all four BT Sport channels, Eurosport and AMC.
Big Sport – £43/mth, 24-month contract: Includes all four BT Sport channels, AMC and 11 Sky Sports channels. |
Sky | Sky Ultimate TV – £28/mth + £20 upfront, 18-month contract: Its standard offering (Sky Signature) provides 300+ channels including Sky Atlantic, Sky Arts and Sky One, plus its Ultimate TV add-on which includes a Netflix basic subscription.
Additional packages you can add to this include:
Sky Cinema – £12/mth, 18-month contract: 11 HD film channels and over 1,000 movies on demand and Paramount+.
Sky Sports – £20/mth, 18-month contract: All eight Sky Sports channels. Comes with HD.
BT Sport – £28/mth, one-month contract: BT Sport 1, 2, 3 and BT Sport ESPN in HD. Watch the UEFA Champions League, UFC and more.
Kids – £6/mth, one-month contract: 11 kids' channels including Nick Jr, plus the Sky Kids app, games and parental controls.
HD – £9/mth, one-month contract: 35+ HD channels, plus Netflix Standard which allows you to watch Netflix in HD across two devices.
Ultra HD – £13/mth, one-month contract: Selected ultra HD (4K) content, plus Netflix Premium which allows you to watch Netflix in ultra HD across four devices.
Disney+ – £7.99/mth, one-month contract: Streaming Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic programmes and films.
All of Sky's new TV packages come with its Sky Q box, which allows you to record and store your favourite programmes. |
Virgin Media | You can only get TV with Virgin Media as part of a bundle with its fibre broadband and line rental – the costs below include this:
Big Bundle – £31.99/mth, 18-month contract: Over 100 Freeview channels – plus some HD channels and 264Mb (M250) fibre broadband with weekend calls.
Bigger Bundle – £39.50/mth, 18-month contract: Over 190 channels, including Sky Showcase channel, Eurosport, BT Sport and Discovery, plus 264Mb (M250) fibre broadband and weekend calls.
Bigger Bundle + Sport – £65/mth, 18-month contract: Over 200 channels, including all Sky Sports channels, BT Sport and Sky Showcase. 516Mb (M500) fibre broadband and weekend calls.
|
Prices correct as of Mon 22 May. All links take you to our Broadband Unbundled tool. |
Already have a TV subscription? Haggle your way to a cheaper deal
With TV, there aren't many standout deals, but haggling is often your best way to net a bargain as the biggies are among the easiest firms across the UK to haggle with.
In our December 2022 poll, 85% of Virgin customers who voted said they'd successfully haggled, followed by Sky (84%), TalkTalk (77%) and BT (64%). So just call up, threaten to leave and your existing company will often offer kick-butt discounts.
Where this technique really comes into its own is for existing, out-of-contract customers. Though before we get into it, here are some successes to show you how easy it is:
Called Sky, told them I was leaving and was put through to retentions. They kept me on the same package but reduced it to £30/month, a £180/yr saving.
I rang Virgin Media, as I was being charged £38/month for broadband, TV and phone before call charges. I mentioned a family member had signed up to all three for only £30/month. It immediately reduced my package by £10/month.
How to haggle – our top tips
We've pulled out the top tips here, but for more including a full step-by-step, see our Haggle with Sky & more guide.
Cashback sites may pay you for signing up
As an extra boon, members of specialist cashback websites can be paid when they sign up for some products. Do check that it's exactly the same deal though, as terms can be different. And remember, the cashback is never 100% guaranteed until it's in your account.
For full help on taking advantage of this and for pros and cons, see our Top Cashback Sites guide.
Have your say in our forum!

Spotted out of date info/broken links? Email: brokenlink@moneysavingexpert.com
Clever ways to calculate your finances