Paying for your TV and broadband separately could cost you more than bundling them together in a combined broadband and TV deal. Many find it easier and more convenient to deal with one provider for both services, with only one monthly bill to pay.
You can also add a home phone bundle with discounted or unlimited calls to most broadband and TV packages, though we advise caution here as an increasing number of broadband packages do not come with a phone line as standard. Take a look at our broadband, TV and phone deals if combining everything in one place sounds appealing and you want to be sure you get a good home phone deal.
Choosing the right TV package to add to your broadband can be tricky, as there are so many on the market. Some providers offer little more than Freeview with the option to bolt on Sky and TNT premium services, while others have hundreds of channels to choose from, and are generally just a lot more fleshed out.
Take a look at our comparison tables, and be sure to watch out for the following:
Broadband speed – Before choosing your TV package, you’ll want to get the basics of your broadband right, including the broadband speed that will best meet the needs of your household.
For more advice, check out our broadband speed guide.
Channels – Opt for quality over quantity, as there’s little point in paying for hundreds of channels you’re unlikely to watch regularly. Look for or put together bundles that include content you’re interested in, whether that’s sports, films, or kids’ TV.
Contract length – With most broadband and TV bundles, you’ll need to sign a contract for at least 18 months. If you need to end the contract early for any reason, you’re going to have to pay out the remainder of the contract regardless in most cases. Learn more about broadband contracts with our guide.
Customer support – Good customer support is important, especially if you need a constant internet connection to work from home, or keep the teenagers in your home entertained. EE, Plusnet, Virgin Media and Sky all scored highly in Ofcom’s customer satisfaction survey, but EE scored best with the highest rate of customer satisfaction (92%) among major carriers. Read our latest broadband reviews to find out how the big UK providers stack up.
Price – Work out how much you can comfortably afford to spend on internet provision each month, and weigh up broadband and TV bundle options within this budget. You may have to make sacrifices, such as fewer channels, to keep costs as low as possible.
Equipment and installation – Some providers charge for installation and equipment like routers and set-top boxes (or delivery of this equipment) when you sign up for a new broadband and TV deal.
It’s possible to find broadband deals without installation costs or equipment charges if you shop around, and this can save you a bit of cash. Note that if you choose a bundle from Sky, you may need to have a satellite dish installed on the side of your home, which could cause a problem for some customers. If you rent your property, you’ll also need to get permission from your landlord. An alternative is to choose the excellent Sky Stream instead, which provides your TV service via the internet.
Not all providers offer combined broadband and TV packages, and when you do find a provider and deal you’re happy with, you’ll need to check that it’s available in your area. Your choice is also likely to be affected by the channels you want to include, based on your household’s hobbies and interests.
Here’s a rundown of UK providers that offer combine broadband and TV deals:
BT: EE TV – This is now more confusing than it used to be. BT TV is now rebranded EE TV. It's largely the same service and you can still only get it with a BT or EE broadband deal (not on its own). At the core of its offering is the NOW TV Entertainment membership which gives you access to the best Sky channels. EE TV also includes a complimentary Netflix subscription.
NOW TV – Owned by Sky, NOW Broadband offers a range of broadband deals, all with no credit checks. The brand also has some excellent entertainment bundles from their NOW TV division, with over 300 box sets and all the latest TV shows included.
Sky TV – Sky’s TV offerings are already familiar to thousands of homes, most especially Sky Sports. As well as an enormous number of channels, the brand also has a solid broadband offering with fast speeds. Sky Stream, which is Sky TV without a dish, is Cable.co.uk's pick of best TV package both in terms of channels and content and indeed simplicity and ease of installation.
TalkTalk TV – TalkTalk TV, exclusive to TalkTalk broadband customers, offers 70+ Freeview channels and a huge range of apps that you can add on too, including the NOW TV Memberships, Netflix, Britbox and Amazon Prime.
Virgin TV – A major player in the field of combined broadband and TV services, Virgin Media offers fast and reliable broadband with cable TV that supplies hundreds of channels, so you’ll never be without something to binge watch. Notably though, neither Sky Atlantic nor Sky Box Sets are available on Virgin Media.
Before signing a combined broadband and TV deal contract, it’s worth carefully weighing up your options to ensure you’re signing up for a deal that’s affordable, and suits your needs. For some people, purchasing the services separately may be a better fit.
Here are the pros and cons of choosing a broadband and TV bundle.
Price – If you’re already paying for a TV subscription service, combining this with the broadband provision is likely to be a cheaper option than TV and broadband sold separately.
Convenience – You may find it easier to manage your finances if you’re paying one monthly bill, from one provider. The more separate subscriptions you have, the more bills you have to remember, and the more companies you’ll need to contact if you have questions, or if something goes wrong.
Syncing products – If you sign up for a broadband and TV bundle with 4K TV capabilities, you can be sure that it will include internet that’s fast enough to cope with this. Buying services separately can mean that products aren’t compatible, which can be a headache to sort out.
Freebies Carriers often offer more free perks to users who subscribe to broadband and TV bundles than those who only subscribe to either service. For example, Virgin, Sky and BT/EE all offer a free Netflix basic subscription.
Switching can be difficult: If you’re not sure about your future living situations, for instance if you might need to move house in the near future, switching a combined broadband and TV deal to a new provider can be trickier than moving separate services. For this reason, it’s best to sign up for a combined deal only if you’re sure that you can ride out the contract in full. For advice about switching broadband providers, read our guide.
You may overpay: You may be tempted by a wide range of TV channels that you don’t end up watching in the long term, meaning you pay over the odds for your combined broadband and TV.
You can’t have the best of both worlds: Combining the broadband you need with the TV service you want isn’t always smooth sailing. Virgin Media has some of the fastest broadband, for instance, while Sky has the best TV. So if you want very fast speeds with Sky Atlantic, you may have to make a sacrifice unless you live somewhere you can get Sky full fibre.
Mandatory Contracts: Most providers require customers subscribing to broadband and TV bundles to sign a binding contract rather than pay-as-you-go. If you're not satisfied with the contract and want to end it early, you have to pay an early termination fee, which can be significant. A good alternative to this is to sign up to NOW TV with its one-month TV memberships and take the option of a one-month broadband subscription too.
Combining your broadband and TV services can save you money. Here are our cheapest broadband and TV packages. To see our full range, click here and sort by Price (low to high).
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Satellite and cable services will require an engineer to install the dish or ensure the right cables are connected to your TV so you can watch their channels. When you sign up with a provider they will arrange a day and time for this to take place.
The cheapest broadband and TV at the moment is £27.99 per month but varies as different providers change their offers. If you’re in the market for a new bundle, keep an eye on our comparison tool to see what’s available right now. You’ll find that deals appear and disappear almost every week.
It depends on the provider and the deal. Upfront costs are quite common, and some of the best providers include them. If you’re set against paying them, though, you can use our search tool to filter them out.
Yes. Sky and NOW TV both offer TV packages without broadband, including Sky Stream. However, you are likely to pay more by doing this rather than choosing a bundle.
Yes, Sky, Virgin Media, Freeview and BT/EE make it easy for you to watch your favourite streaming services through the set top box or directly from the TV app. They even frequently offer free subscriptions to these streaming services to entice customers.
Popular channels like Sky Sports and Sky Cinema can be added as extras to packages from Sky, Virgin Media, BT/EE, and TalkTalk. Sky's NOW TV app can also be used to subscribe to Sky Sports or Sky Cinema.
Like Sky, BT Sport can be added as an extra to packages from BT, Sky, Virgin Media, TalkTalk, and Plusnet. Generally, you'll find quite a bit of flexibility when adding channels to a package, but prices may vary.
The most exclusive channel out there is probably Sky Atlantic, available only on Sky packages. To watch Sky Atlantic content with a different provider, you'll have to sign up to NOW TV. You can do this on a rolling basis, with your contract renewing each month. This means it's a good option to watch one season of must-see TV, before cancelling the contract.