Other Sky TV vs BT TV vs Virgin Media

[RedPed]

Which providers do you guys use? Is it through choice or necessity (location availability)?
What's the best deal?
Who provides the best quality?

I am on BT with:
Fibre with Halo 1 (67Mbps) Broadband (currently getting 58Mbps)
Pay-as-you-go landline calls
Free access to all BT wi-fi hotspots across the country
1TB Cloud Storage
Free Norton Virus Protection for 15 devices
BT TV Box Pro (1TB 4K/HDR)
VIP TV which includes:

• Freeview channels plus AMC
• Sky Entertainment plus Atlantic/Max/Kids etc.
• All 11 Sky Sports Channels and Eurosport 1 & 2 plus HD
• All 12 Sky Cinema Channels plus HD
• All BT Sport Channels and BoxNation plus HD/4K/HDR
• Access to all Sky box sets
• Netflix Premium (4K/HDR)
• BritBox

BT Mobile (EE) - 2 x 5G sims with unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and 100GB data each
Disney+ - subscribed separately @£79.90 per year
Prime Video - Free with Amazon Prime @£79.00 per year.

For the whole lot not including Disney+ and Prime Video, my monthly bill is £155. I've just upgraded my sim deals to move to EE which was a better deal BT said. I used to think that was steep and was thinking of moving to Sky but when I started adding the same packages, I was over £100 in no time at all. They're sending me the TV Pro 4K/HDR box and the cheaper sims next week so I think I've maxed out on what I can get from them. I'm just waiting for Full Fibre to become available in my area.

And I thought I was paying over the odds but then I don't have any expensive phone contracts and I've never been one for changing phones every year anyway as I usually have a work phone too.

In terms of service quality, I have to say that BT have been pretty rock solid, at least in my area. They did add two more sims to my account instead of just upgrading my existing ones, but that's been sorted today but overall, I can't really complain about the customer service either, they do act pretty sharpish.

What do you guys have and how do the prices compare with providers in other countries. I've heard that Virgin Media drops out of service on a regular basis? I was on Sky years ago and only moved to BT for the free BT Sport when they got the CL and EL rights.

 

[hp88]

Think you have got to mix and match now to get the best deal.

£80 / month to Sky for the Signature pack, Movies, Sports, Boxsets, 4K, Multiroom and Netflix Premium.

£30 / month to Vodafone for 1GB FTTP

£15 / month to EE for Unlimited Minutes and Data (5G)

 

[RedPed]

Think you have got to mix and match now to get the best deal.

£80 / month to Sky for the Signature pack, Movies, Sports, Boxsets, 4K, Multiroom and Netflix Premium.

£30 / month to Vodafone for 1GB FTTP

£15 / month to EE for Unlimited Minutes and Data (5G)

Does that include BT Sport?

 

[BristolRuss]

The cheapest bundle deal is probably Virgin's Ultimate Volt deal.

1 Gig internet,
230 channels w/ all movies and sports including BT,
O2 Sim with unlimited data,
Netflix Standard,
Unlimited calls from landline

£85 per month for the first 18 months.

The downside is Virgin's internet is that it is fibre to the cabinet instead of to the home, and that their network is way over utilised (at least in my area).

 

[RedPed]

The cheapest bundle deal is probably Virgin's Ultimate Volt deal.

1 Gig internet,
230 channels w/ all movies and sports including BT,
O2 Sim with unlimited data,
Netflix Standard,
Unlimited calls from landline

£85 per month for the first 18 months.

The downside is Virgin's internet is that it is fibre to the cabinet instead of to the home, and that their network is way over utilised (at least in my area).

Damn, that's cold. £85!! I'm not far from you either in Bridgwater, Somerset. I'll have to look into Virgin Media when my contract is up.

 

[hp88]

Does that include BT Sport?

Nope, Sky said they couldn't offer me any discounts on BT products so I gave it a miss, think it's another £20 which is way too much for one channel.

The cheapest bundle deal is probably Virgin's Ultimate Volt deal.

1 Gig internet,
230 channels w/ all movies and sports including BT,
O2 Sim with unlimited data,
Netflix Standard,
Unlimited calls from landline

£85 per month for the first 18 months.

The downside is Virgin's internet is that it is fibre to the cabinet instead of to the home, and that their network is way over utilised (at least in my area).

I just can't get on with the Virgin EPG and interface which is why I have stuck with Sky for years also as you said their infrastructure is pretty shite at times as well.

Have a look on here if you want FTTP, Availability (cityfibre.com).

 

[Macern]

Is internet and phone subscriptions ant tv all part of the same deal? And netflix? UK is weird.

I pay around 20 pounds for my IPTV with all channels, 50 for 1gbit fibre internet, work pays for my phone but would probably be around 50 for unlimited data

 

[Dave_MUFC]

Think IPTV is the future tbh. Pay £5 a month and get all the UK package channels + worldwide channels, then £26 a month for 100mb Virgin broadband.

 

[RedPed]

Think IPTV is the future tbh. Pay £5 a month and get all the UK package channels + worldwide channels, then £26 a month for 100mb Virgin broadband.

What is IPTV? Is it 'legit' or some unupported platform?

 

[Solius]

We've got 120mb internet with BT and the basic BT Sport channels. £45 a month.

Use freeview for the other channels.

 

[Norman Brownbutter]

I pay £16 a month to smarty for an unlimited 5g line. Currently get 250mb.

I pay for D+(£79 for the year), Amazon prime(£79 for the year), and apple one(£20 a month). Other halves dad pays for Netflix(£16 a month).

Anything else I want to watch I put on an eye patch and twirl a ridiculous looking moustache.

So all in I pay around £50 a month.

 

[Buster15]

Damn, that's cold. £85!! I'm not far from you either in Bridgwater, Somerset. I'll have to look into Virgin Media when my contract is up.

We are with Virgin Media and were coming to the end of our contract, which was VM TV, landline and 100mb BB. They wanted to increase it from £35 to £58. After a lot of complaining and eventually saying I was going elsewhere, they called me back and agreed to only supplying the 100mb for £22/month. No landline and no TV package neither of which we were using.
Definitely happy with that.

 

[Buster15]

What is IPTV? Is it 'legit' or some unupported platform?

IPTV stands for internet protocol TV, which is a streaming service.
As to whether it is legit, depends on who you use.

 

[Buster15]

Think IPTV is the future tbh. Pay £5 a month and get all the UK package channels + worldwide channels, then £26 a month for 100mb Virgin broadband.

That is the way to go.

 

[fergies coat]

Definitely iptv. £60 per year and all the ppv events thrown In.

 

[RedPed]

Definitely iptv. £60 per year and all the ppv events thrown In.

Do you have to watch on your PC though? What about all the 4K/HDR stuff? I didn't invest in a new TV to stream stuff on a PC. It does sound good if I could stream to my TV.

 

[fergies coat]

Do you have to watch on your PC though? What about all the 4K/HDR stuff? I didn't invest in a new TV to stream stuff on a PC. It does sound good if I could stream to my TV.

You can get it on a firestick and just plug it in your TV. You get channel list just like sky or virgin, also 3pm kick offs. You get HD or sd options on most channels.

 

[Dan_F]

Do you have to watch on your PC though? What about all the 4K/HDR stuff? I didn't invest in a new TV to stream stuff on a PC. It does sound good if I could stream to my TV.

Most of them can run through Amazon Firesticks or some other form of device that plugs into the tv.

I’ve been using the same IPTV for about 10 years, £6 a month for all sports. Frustratingly they lost Sky/BT and just use US or Canadian streams, which I hated at first, but now I’m actually glad to not sit and watch the likes of Souness.

I genuinely feel sorry for people getting fecked in the ass by Sky/BT etc.

 

[RedPed]

You can get it on a firestick and just plug it in your TV. You get channel list just like sky or virgin, also 3pm kick offs. You get HD or sd options on most channels.

Most of them can run through Amazon Firesticks or some other form of device that plugs into the tv.

I’ve been using the same IPTV for about 10 years, £6 a month for all sports. Frustratingly they lost Sky/BT and just use US or Canadian streams, which I hated at first, but now I’m actually glad to not sit and watch the likes of Souness.

I genuinely feel sorry for people getting fecked in the ass by Sky/BT etc.

Ah ok, this requires further investigation ready for the new season, I think. Thanks guys.

 

[fergies coat]

Ah ok, this requires further investigation ready for the new season, I think. Thanks guys.

Get a fire stick, then go on ebay and type in iptv subscription. You'll be able to get a tester off someone where there'll give a free hour so you can check it out.

 

[Deery]

I bought an iptv and it was absolutely garbage, guy ended up shutting down the site and taking my money. Although I know someone else who got it through a third party and it’s amazing barely a flicker with the VPN, just like watching normal TV but a 30 seconds behind.

Be careful doing it yourself and picking the right provider as you may get burned, probably better to get it through a dodgy guy..

 

[fergies coat]

I bought an iptv and it was absolutely garbage, guy ended up shutting down the site and taking my money. Although I know someone else who got it through a third party and it’s amazing barely a flicker with the VPN, just like watching normal TV but a 30 seconds behind.

Be careful doing it yourself and picking the right provider as you may get burned, probably better to get it through a dodgy guy..

I bought an iptv and it was absolutely garbage, guy ended up shutting down the site and taking my money. Although I know someone else who got it through a third party and it’s amazing barely a flicker with the VPN, just like watching normal TV but a 30 seconds behind.

Be careful doing it yourself and picking the right provider as you may get burned, probably better to get it through a dodgy guy..

I've had the same guy for about 5 years and it's been great. He always lets everyone know when there updating the system or if there's any problems.

 

[Dan_F]

Ah ok, this requires further investigation ready for the new season, I think. Thanks guys.

I bought an iptv and it was absolutely garbage, guy ended up shutting down the site and taking my money. Although I know someone else who got it through a third party and it’s amazing barely a flicker with the VPN, just like watching normal TV but a 30 seconds behind.

Be careful doing it yourself and picking the right provider as you may get burned, probably better to get it through a dodgy guy..

Yeah agreed. I’ve been waiting for mine to close for years but I think they did well to close subscriptions when they did.

Obviously be careful with card details too.

 

[MiceOnMeth]

Virgin media broadband and a satellite dish for British and Irish terrestrial channels.

 

[RedPed]

Virgin Media have just rocked up and been digging the roads up in our cul-de-sac. They're now doing the door-to-door hard sell and leaflets with their broadband/TV deals. Anyone recommend/not recommend? They do seem cheaper than BT.

 

[Igor Drefljak]

Virgin Media have just rocked up and been digging the roads up in our cul-de-sac. They're now doing the door-to-door hard sell and leaflets with their broadband/TV deals. Anyone recommend/not recommend? They do seem cheaper than BT.

I've been with them for around 15 years now.

Their top package includes:
1gig broadband
Sport / movies / netflix / BT sports
1 unlimited everything sim card
2 x boxes

For the prices of £85 or whatever it is, is a good price
Call up every 18 months and renegotiate your package so you're always on the same deal.

I rang sky just last month to see what they could offer and the guy on the phone even said, they cant match virgin prices, but they 'pride themselves on their service instead'

I don't see the point of this IPTV stuff to be honest. By the time you factor in the cost of good broadband and an unlimited simcard, that little bit extra to get perfect pictures and no hassle of it 'going down', is worth the price

I should contact virgin for a job

 

[dannyrhinos89]

I’ve used Iptv for ages now, I pay £70 a year to my mums boss at work who sorts it for me on my fire stick and I get every sky/virgin channel.

obviously the big one is been able to watch every single football game I want including the 3pm kick offs and it’s very good quality. Also I have access to all the PPVS for free. I get hundreds of foreign channels from all over Europe which are no use to me but I do watch American channels quire regular on it.

I also get every single tv series and every single movie you can think of It regularly gets updated with the latest releases from the cinema which is great. since last September when I got it there’s only been once when it was down and even that was only for a few hours But it was fixed and it’s been super smooth since.

After my package was £110 A MONTH I decided it wasn’t going to happen anymore so I knocked my virgin media down to the cheapest one but kept my internet as its very fast and reliable.

 

[RedPed]

I've been with them for around 15 years now.

Their top package includes:
1gig broadband
Sport / movies / netflix / BT sports
1 unlimited everything sim card
2 x boxes

For the prices of £85 or whatever it is, is a good price
Call up every 18 months and renegotiate your package so you're always on the same deal.

I rang sky just last month to see what they could offer and the guy on the phone even said, they cant match virgin prices, but they 'pride themselves on their service instead'

I don't see the point of this IPTV stuff to be honest. By the time you factor in the cost of good broadband and an unlimited simcard, that little bit extra to get perfect pictures and no hassle of it 'going down', is worth the price

I should contact virgin for a job

Thanks. What about quality of service, signal strength/speed, aftercare service etc.?

 

[RedPed]

I’ve used Iptv for ages now, I pay £70 a year to my mums boss at work who sorts it for me on my fire stick and I get every sky/virgin channel.

obviously the big one is been able to watch every single football game I want including the 3pm kick offs and it’s very good quality. Also I have access to all the PPVS for free. I get hundreds of foreign channels from all over Europe which are no use to me but I do watch American channels quire regular on it.

I also get every single tv series and every single movie you can think of It regularly gets updated with the latest releases from the cinema which is great. since last September when I got it there’s only been once when it was down and even that was only for a few hours But it was fixed and it’s been super smooth since.

After my package was £110 A MONTH I decided it wasn’t going to happen anymore so I knocked my virgin media down to the cheapest one but kept my internet as its very fast and reliable.

I looked into the IPTV stuff but it just seemed too complicated and not guaranteed?

 

[Igor Drefljak]

Thanks. What about quality of service, signal strength/speed, aftercare service etc.?

TV is flawless. You also get BT sports in 4k and I think movies now as well. Skysports in 4k is coming.... someday.
Internet, I'd say I'd have one or two dropouts per year, and it's never been for long.
When I was on the 500mb package, I used to get an average speed of 650mb, so was always fantastic.
So far at the 1gb, I've been getting round 800mb on average

 

[flameinthesun]

I’ve used Iptv for ages now, I pay £70 a year to my mums boss at work who sorts it for me on my fire stick and I get every sky/virgin channel.

obviously the big one is been able to watch every single football game I want including the 3pm kick offs and it’s very good quality. Also I have access to all the PPVS for free. I get hundreds of foreign channels from all over Europe which are no use to me but I do watch American channels quire regular on it.

I also get every single tv series and every single movie you can think of It regularly gets updated with the latest releases from the cinema which is great. since last September when I got it there’s only been once when it was down and even that was only for a few hours But it was fixed and it’s been super smooth since.

After my package was £110 A MONTH I decided it wasn’t going to happen anymore so I knocked my virgin media down to the cheapest one but kept my internet as its very fast and reliable.

I've been doing iptv as well, cancelled sky, bt, premium sports. Its an absolute joke, you pay in 1 year for iptv what you'd pay to sky in 1 month. Add in the box office stuff as well, its a no brainer.

 

[Castia]

Currently with Sky for TV (£95 per month) and BT for internet (£70 inc bt sport)

My contract is up in a couple of months and I’m tempted to join Virgin for both services. I’ve never had Virgin and have been with Sky for 20 years but this price is just ridiculous. Virgin broadband offer much faster speeds but how are they for reliability? same for the TV his does it compare to Sky? is it worth swapping?

 

[Igor Drefljak]

Currently with Sky for TV (£95 per month) and BT for internet (£70 inc bt sport)

My contract is up in a couple of months and I’m tempted to join Virgin for both services. I’ve never had Virgin and have been with Sky for 20 years but this price is just ridiculous. Virgin broadband offer much faster speeds but how are they for reliability? same for the TV his does it compare to Sky? is it worth swapping?

The only downside to Virgin tv is:
No sky sports in 4k
No Sky Atlantic

On the flip, BT sport is included and is in 4k.

Speeds, I posted just above. When I was on the 500mb, I was easily getting 650mb regular.
Now on 1gb, for about a week now and am getting around 800mb, but was told it'll take a few days to settle in properly. Just did a test on wifi in a different room and got 447mb

 

[RedPed]

Am tempted to switch when my current BT contract expires.

 

[lefty_jakobz]

Currently paying £58 per month for SkyQ all packages and a secondary box,
£15 per month for BTSport through EE season pass,
I have Disney+ free as have an account on my nephews subscription,
Pay £7.99 per month for Amazon,
Get free AppleTV through EE.
Get EE fibre broadband for free as they owe me money from old accounts.

 

[dannyrhinos89]

I looked into the IPTV stuff but it just seemed too complicated and not guaranteed?

I suppose it helps if you know someone that can set it all up. Pretty much all my family and a few mates use the same as me and we've never had issues apart from that one time.

I use iptv smarters pro and it's been great and I've saved so much monealready

 

[RedPed]

I suppose it helps if you know someone that can set it all up. Pretty much all my family and a few mates use the same as me and we've never had issues apart from that one time.

I use iptv smarters pro and it's been great and I've saved so much monealready

Will check it out, thanks.

 

[pocco]

Thanks. What about quality of service, signal strength/speed, aftercare service etc.?

They are by far the best provider. Their broadband is the fastest and the disruptions are minimal really. As a new customer you'll get a great deal on very fast broadband.

Invest in a decent mesh system too and you'll be sorted.

 

[RedPed]

They are by far the best provider. Their broadband is the fastest and the disruptions are minimal really. As a new customer you'll get a great deal on very fast broadband.

Invest in a decent mesh system too and you'll be sorted.

All this new stuff! What the hell is a mesh system??

 

[Igor Drefljak]

They are by far the best provider. Their broadband is the fastest and the disruptions are minimal really. As a new customer you'll get a great deal on very fast broadband.

Invest in a decent mesh system too and you'll be sorted.

If you speak to them, they give you free mesh pods