BT TV explained
Wednesday, January 30th 2019
In this guide
- Can I get BT TV?
- Why choose BT TV?
- Pros and cons
- Which package is right for me?
- What will I need?
- How do I switch?
Can I get BT TV in my area?
To get BT TV you have to also have BT broadband - there is no way around this. You can find out whether you can get BT broadband or BT Infinity in your area using our availability checker above. If you can get BT broadband, then you can get BT TV.
How to compare BT TV packages
BT TV prices start from £39.99 per month but what exactly do you get for your money? We’ll answer all of this and more in our buyer's guide.
If you’re looking for BT TV packages (previously BT Vision), you’re in the right place. We list all the current BT TV offers and promotions in order of price, starting with the cheapest. You can click the deal name for more information, including what channels are available and how much it will cost over the lifetime of the contract. Once you’ve picked the BT TV deal that’s right for you, simply navigate to the right, click the blue ‘see deal’ button, and complete your order on the BT website.
There are three BT TV packages available – the Starter + BT Sport Bundle, the Entertainment Bundle and the Max Bundle. These packages have different television channels between them and one may not contain the channels that you want. You can check what content is available with each package by clicking on the name of the deal.
Watch out for details in the small print
There are always a few caveats hidden away in the small print of TV and broadband contracts, so read everything thoroughly before you sign up. Some hidden stipulations with BT TV include a router delivery charge for your broadband (£9.99), and a minimum download speed requirement of 2Mbps to receive TV programmes.
Why choose BT TV?
All BT TV customers get access to BT Sport. You can watch BT Sport either through your TV or via the downloadable app. The app works on the majority of mobile devices, including iPhones and similar smartphones, and tablets. If you’re on a capped broadband service, anything you watch on BT Sport won’t count towards your monthly limit, so you can hunker down for a football tournament without worrying about those pesky download allowances.
Record TV programmes with the YouView+ box
The BT YouView+ box can store hundreds of hours of recorded TV content. If you want to record high definition (HD) content, there’s enough room to save up to 250 hours on the YouView+ Ultra HD box, which comes with the TotalEntertainment package. You can even set it up to record a whole TV series for you, so you don’t need to set the box to record manually each time your show comes on. Note that the Starter package comes with a basic YouView box, which has no recording capacity.
Increase available content with channel add-ons
Add-ons allow you to increase the amount of channels you can watch on BT TV. If you’re a big movie buff you can add the Sky Cinema channels, or, if you want to include something for the kids, you can add a pack of nine kids’ TV channels. There’s also an option for up to 14 extra HD channels too, including MTV HD and BT Sport HD.
Pros & cons
Pros
- Free BT Sport with all BT TV packages
- Pause, rewind, record with the YouView+ box
- Free access to catch-up TV services
Cons
- A limited range of channels
- Requires broadband connection
- Requires minimum broadband speed of 2Mbps
Which package is right for me?
There are four choices of TV package available with BT Superfast Fibre. The Starter + BT Sport Bundle provides around 80 channels. The Classic Bundle give you 80 channels, no BT Sport and a recordable YouView box. The Entertainment Bundle comes with 100 channels, including around 10 in HD. The Max Bundle comes with 142 channels, including 21 in HD.
If you choose standard broadband, you only have two TV options: Starter + BT Sport and Essential, the latter of which is the same as the Classic bunde.
Adding Sky Sports
Sky Sports 1 and 2 can be added to any package, either in standard definition or in HD at a slightly increased cost. These are the only Sky Sports channels available with BT. If you want the full line-up, you will have to consider signing up to another provider instead. You also have to have BT Superfast Fibre as your broadband service.
What will I need?
You have to take broadband with BT TV. Unfortunately, there’s no getting around this fact. There are two main choices of broadband: standard broadband or BT fibre (previously BT Infinity). BT Broadband is the cheaper of the two, though it provides slower download speeds and may not suit those who want to stream HD programmes. BT Superfast Fibre is more expensive, but offers faster download speeds.
You need an active BT landline
All BT’s services come through a BT phone line, and if you don’t have one, you will have to have one installed. This is free when you take BT TV, but may still take around 14 days for the engineer to come out and get everything up and running.
A minimum download speed of 2Mbps is required
To watch BT TV, your broadband connection needs to be capable of achieving a steady speed of 2Mbps. While this shouldn’t pose much of a problem to many people, it could be a barrier to those in more rural areas of the country.
All payments must be made by Direct Debit
In order to pay for BT TV and broadband, you’ll have to set up a Direct Debit. Unfortunately, there isn’t an alternative option to pay.
How do I switch?
Once you’ve chosen a BT TV package, all you need to do is click the blue ‘see deal’ button. This will take you to the BT website where you can complete your order. BT will inform your current provider that you are leaving – there is no need for you to make the call – unless you are moving from Virgin Media.
Watch out for termination fees
If you’re still within contract with your current TV, broadband and phone provider, you may have to pay early termination fees to switch to BT, so it’s best to wait until your current contract is up before changing provider.
