A broadband and TV bundle deal allows you to add digital TV services to your broadband package, often for a reduced monthly rate. Some of the best internet providers apply exclusive discounts if you add extra services to your contract when you sign up. So, if you’re looking to use TV services too, you could benefit from combining both into a cheaper bundle. This way, you pay a single monthly fee for your TV and broadband — generally at a lower rate — instead of paying separate bills for different broadband and TV providers. If you regularly watch digital TV, you could end up saving a lot of money throughout the year by adding it to your broadband package. So not only is it more accessible, but it’s also more affordable than footing separate bills. Win-win.
There are also options to add TV streaming subscriptions such as Netflix or Disney Plus onto your digital TV and broadband deals. This will allow you to access all your entertainment on just one platform.
What are the best deals for TV and broadband?
Finding the right broadband and TV deal is about striking a balance between the number of channels and services you want access to and the overall cost of the package.
Deals that offer hundreds of TV channels and lots of add-ons will, of course, have a massive number of shows and movies to watch. But they’re also likely to come with significantly higher monthly fees and higher set-up costs.
Whereas, if you go for a cheaper TV and broadband deal, you may have fewer channels and services to choose from, but you won’t be paying more than you need to for programs you never watch.
So, the best broadband and TV deal is the one that offers what you need for the most reasonable price.
Satellite TV
Satellite TV, as the name suggests, transmits TV into your home via telecommunications satellites.
If you choose this type of package, you’ll need to be able to allow an engineer to install a satellite dish at your property and connect a receiver box to your TV. This means if you’re renting or living in an apartment, you might have to check it with the building owner first.
Though it may require the most set-up in terms of physical equipment, satellite TV will typically give you the most extensive selection of content and viewing options for a TV and broadband bundle. It offers hundreds of channels and exclusive add-ons to choose from.
Satellite TV includes popular favorites such as Sky TV and its blockbuster add-ons Sky Sports and Sky Cinema.
Cable TV
Cable TV delivers television to your home via a mixed network of fiber-optic cables and ‘coaxial’ cables, and less equipment needs to be installed to get you started. But if you haven’t had a cable connection established before, you will still need an engineer to visit your home and set it up.
In the UK, cable TV is almost exclusively serviced by Virgin Media, which runs its cable broadband, landline & TV network that your property will need access to.
It offers a similar number of channels to satellite TV. Still, the drawback is that it’s only available in areas with Virgin Media’s network in place — which currently covers around 52% of UK properties. Satellite TV has much more comprehensive coverage.
Enter your postcode on our TV deals page to see if this service is available in your area.
Streaming services
Streaming services have quickly become the norm in how we consume TV shows and movies at home. Gone are the days of waiting around for 7 pm for your favorite TV show to air or searching through your DVD collection for a film to watch on the weekend.
Streaming services allow you to access a massive library of on-demand content, meaning you can watch what you want, when you want, with just a push of a button.
Most of us use at least one streaming service these days, either in addition to or instead of other pay-TV services, and many of the major broadband and TV providers now integrate streaming services into their set-top boxes.
BT TV and TalkTalk TV have both made deals with Sky’s streaming service NOW, allowing their TV customers to add monthly NOW TV memberships to access films and TV shows exclusively available to Sky.
Also, depending on which set-top box you receive from your pay-TV provider, you can often easily access a wide range of other streaming services, including Netflix, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime Video.
IPTV
IPTV stands for Internet Protocol television. It’s delivered via a fixed-line broadband connection using the same cables as your home internet, instead of over radio waves like in the old days of TV.
Using an IPTV set-top box can give you a massive array of channels, all transmitted to your TV over your home phone line.
BT is one of the most-popular IPTV providers, offering TV and broadband bundles through the Openreach broadband network.
Freeview
In 2002, Freeview was the UK’s standard terrestrial TV platform that replaced analog television with improved digital services.
It’s broadcast over the airwaves and can be received via a set-top box, a Freeview tuner, or directly on your Smart TV once it’s connected to your Wi-Fi.
Freeview gives you access to over 100 TV channels, 15 of which are HD. These include the BBC, ITV, E4, Dave, 5USA, and truTV, to name a few. Apart from your BBC license fee, all these channels are free to view (hence the name).
YouView
YouView is very similar to Freeview, offering a comparable number of channels, as well as catch-up and on-demand options, all without a subscription fee. You can purchase a YouView or YouView+ set-top box to access all these services, but it’s also the brand of digital TV set-top box provided for BT TV and Talk Talk TV customers.
Why choose a broadband and TV package?
If you love watching TV — especially live sports, big US TV shows, and the latest blockbuster movies — then an extensive pay-TV package will be worth the money. Bundling your subscriptions in a TV and broadband deal could end up saving you a lot of money on bills throughout the year.
Pay-TV packages are one of the best ways to watch it all in one place when it comes to exclusive content – such as the latest US shows, movie releases, and sports events.
However, if you prefer to stream content on services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, or NOW — then it’s probably more important that you compare broadband deals that cater more to your needs.
If you’re an equal watcher of both, it might be worth looking for pay-TV deals that include subscriptions to certain streaming services, such as particular Sky deals with Netflix and Disney Plus bundled into them.
Sky also has exclusive regional rights to many of the best new TV shows, movies, and sports – and in particular, exclusive airing rights to Premier League matches.
This means that while streaming is excellent, pay-TV still has the rights to a vast amount of content that you can’t see anywhere else. Therefore, a Sky broadband and TV package that bundles in superfast broadband and access to all your favorite channels are ideal for TV fans.
