Sky to hit customers with new price hike in June

It's not yet known how much prices will rise by or exactly which TV packages will be affected. A Sky spokesperson confirmed that price changes will come into effect on 1 June 2016, with existing customers due to be notified directly next Monday (21 March).

A spokesperson told MoneySavingExpert.com: "Wherever we review our pricing, we work hard to keep any rises to a minimum. We will be contacting TV customers with plenty of notice to outline changes to the bill."

See our Digital TV Deals guide for our pick of the top alternative TV deals.

Previous price hikes

The upcoming price increase will be the latest in a series of price hikes by Sky.

• In June 2015, most Sky TV customers were hit with price rises, with some seeing annual bills jump by up to £54 a year.

• In December 2015, millions of Sky home-phone and broadband customers saw a raft of inflation-busting price increases, including a 6% increase in standard line rental.

Beating the hikes

If you're affected by the price rise there are a range of ways to beat it. We'll offer full tips when Sky unveils the hikes next week, but in brief:

• You can use the price hike as strong leverage to haggle a better deal with Sky - see more tips in our Haggle with Sky guide.

• If you're outside your package's minimum term when the price hikes hit, you'll also be able to leave Sky at any point by calling the customer service team. Check if alternative deals are cheaper - see our top picks in the Digital TV Deals guide.

• If you're still within your contract's minimum term, Sky says you won't be able to leave penalty-free, but you may still be able to haggle a much better deal.