Subscription TV Packages

TV services which are based on a monthly subscription have been around for ages now, but the medium has changed a lot since the dawning of the digital TV era, and nowadays you have two main choices when it comes to subscription TV packages, along with a few relatively new subscription packages offered by companies who are new to the subscription TV market.

Virgin Media and Cable TV

After going through some upheaval about three years ago, finally in 2006 the NTL and Telewest cable TV and internet services were put to rest and re-branded as Virgin Media. If you live in an area that falls into the radius of the Virgin Media cable network you could be eligible for a subscription TV package, but bear in mind that all of these services require that you take a Virgin phone line in tandem with your new subscription TV service.

Because Virgin Media uses underground cabling you won't have to attach any receiver equipment to the outside of your building. There are three different packages of subscription TV offered by Virgin Media, distinguished by the M, L and XL titles. The most basic M package is entirely free if you accept a Virgin phone line, and will give you over 40 digital channels.

These channels are also available on Freeview through any existing aerial equipment, but the advantage of the Virgin service is that they also have 'catch up TV' included with this service, which allows you to watch their pick of the last 7 days of programming on demand whenever you want to. Virgin Media are also the only subscription TV company to offer you the chance to watch the BBC's catch up service called iPlayer.

The L and XL packages offer more channels, over 100 and over 160 respectively, and include loads more sport and entertainment channels from Sky and Setanta. For an additional £5 a month you can add a V+ HD box, which allows you not only to view channels that are broadcast in High Definition if you have an HD ready TV, but also to pause, rewind and record live TV directly to the box. All Virgin Media subscription TV packages are paid for monthly and a minimum contract of 12 months is mandatory. You will also need to pay for installation charges, starting from £30.

Sky TV Subscription Packages

The older name in the subscription TV business, Sky offer a huge range of digital channels over their satellite network, which means that you'll need to allow their engineers to fix a receiver dish to the exterior of your property. Sky's subscription TV packages are very adaptable, with six basic channel packages for you to choose from in the entertainment section, and with two premium packages of sports or movies to add on if you feel the need.

This means that you've got a lot of control over what you can watch and what you want to pay for, so you won't have channels that you don't want, and you can always add new packs as and when you please. The basic Sky set top box is free, but for another £99 you can receive a Sky+ or Sky+ HD box to record, pause and rewind live TV and view HD broadcasts. Because Sky operates using satellite broadcast most people are eligible for their subscription TV services, and the monthly billing period and 12 month minimum contract is much like Virgin's.