In this guide we’ll be comparing Virgin Media vs Sky by looking at their broadband, TV and phone services, their bundles and their coverage to help you to make the most informed decision of which of these UK providers is best for you.
Sky and Virgin Media are leading providers of broadband, TV and phone services. Each offers a great range of digital TV deals, broadband packages of every shape and size and telephone services that help you to keep in touch cheaper than ever before.
Sky and Virgin Media offer their products individually or as part of money-saving bundles and both offer very fast broadband Internet access with unlimited download options. We'll take a look at each provider in detail with easy to read comparison tables.
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Sky Bundles vs Virgin Media Bundles
Most consumers opt to get their broadband, TV and phone services in bundles from their chosen provider. Bundles offer great value for money and come with the added convenience of paying for all charges on a single bill.
Both Sky and Virgin Media offer a wide range of broadband, TV and phone bundles with very fast broadband Internet access, dozens of TV channels and inclusive call options, all at a bargain price.
Sky TV vs Virgin Media TV
The first thing that most people consider in the Virgin Media vs Sky debate is the amount of digital TV channels each provides. Both providers give you the full range of free-to-air or ‘Freeview’ channels. There are currently around 50 Freeview channels broadcasting in the UK including the five terrestrial channels (BBC1, BBC2, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5) and more than 40 other digital only Freeview channels including Dave, More4, E4 and ITV2.
The other channels you get when you sign up to one of these subscription TV services depends upon which provider you opt for and which of their packages you take.
Sky Broadband vs Virgin Broadband
Virgin is one of the most well established Internet service providers in the UK with a pedigree going back to the very earliest days of home web access. Sky came to the party much later but still has a lot to offer to UK Internet users.
Sky Phone vs Virgin Phone
Land line usage has diminished over recent years as we communicate more and more with our mobiles or online via the likes of Facebook and Skype. There is still a place for the humble land line phone though and both Virgin Media and Sky offer some very good inclusive call options when you subscribe to their digital TV and broadband services.
Sky Phone
Sky offers two different home phone packages under the Sky Talk brand. If you live in an area that is able to support the Sky Talk service then you have the choice of taking Sky Talk on its own or as part of a moneysaving bundle.
Sky Talk Freetime comes with free evening and weekend calls to UK land lines, reduced rate calls to UK mobiles and international land line numbers and allows free calls at any time to the Sky customer service centre.
Sky Talk Unlimited brings unlimited inclusive calls all day every day to UK land lines and to land lines in any of 20 international territories. Subscribers can make unlimited calls to US and Canadian mobiles and to Sky customer service centres. They can also enjoy call rates to all UK mobiles at a rate 20% below Sky Talk Freetime.
Virgin Phone
Virgin Media offers three different land line packages to suit the needs of different subscribers. These packages have different perks and carry different monthly charges:
Virgin Media Phone M (Talk Weekends) gives subscribers unlimited weekend calls to UK land lines and Virgin mobiles. It is only available as part of a bundle and is included free of charge if you subscribe to Virgin Media TV and broadband.
Virgin Media Phone L (Talk Evening & Weekends) brings with it unlimited calls to UK land lines and Virgin mobiles all weekend and each evening. Phone L is available on its own or as part of a bundle.
Virgin Media Phone XL (Talk Unlimited) is a fantastic service that delivers unlimited free calls to UK land lines and Virgin mobiles all day every day. Phone XL is available on its own or as part of a bundle.
Winner – Sky
While you may not use your land line as much as you once did it still makes perfect sense to get the best possible land line deal you can. If you have family living away from home or even abroad then the inclusion of free calls with Sky Talk Unlimited makes this a one horse race.
Virgin Media Coverage vs Sky Coverage
The principal difference between Virgin Media and Sky is how they deliver their services to consumers. The technologies at the heart of the two services are very different and this affects their availability.
Sky Coverage
Sky is a satellite broadcaster and as such you must be able to erect a suitable Sky satellite dish on the exterior of your property if you want to subscribe to Sky’s TV service.
To benefit from Sky’s home phone services or to take advantage of Sky Everyday Lite broadband you’ll also need to live in an area with an exchange where Sky’s network is enabled. If you live in an area that is not covered by these services then the best Sky broadband you’ll be able to get is Sky broadband Connect.
Virgin Media Coverage
Virgin Media on the other hand is a cable operator. Virgin Media’s broadband, TV and phone services are all delivered into subscribers’ homes via an extensive network of fibre optic cables.
This means that you will only be able to get a broadband, TV and phone bundle from Virgin Media if your property is within an area that is connected to the Virgin Media cable network. At the moment Virgin Media claims to be able to provide its cable services to just over half of all homes and businesses in the country with this figure set to increase gradually as the Virgin Media fibre optic roll out continues.
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