Phil Wilkinson-Jones June 12th, 2023
TalkTalk is one of the UK’s biggest broadband providers, offering a budget-friendly alternative to the likes of Sky, BT and Virgin Media. TalkTalk also has a TV offering that offers a good range of free-to-air channels backed up by access to the big streaming services.
However, TalkTalk TV is only available to customers taking a TalkTalk Full Fibre package. In this guide we’ll focus on the channels included and the options available to increase your viewing options on the latest TalkTalk TV 4K box.
TalkTalk TV is based around the Freeview channels. There are more than 70 channels included as standard alongside 15 HD channels and 30 radio stations. Let’s quickly run through what channels there are.
To start with, there are your BBC channels – BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Three, BBC Four, BBC News, BBC Parliament, CBBC and CBeebies. There is also BBC One HD, BBC Two HD, and BBC News HD. As you’d expect, there are also the ITV channels – ITV, ITV 2, ITV 3, ITV 4, ITV Be, ITV+1, ITV 2+1, ITV 3+1, ITV 4+1, ITV Be+1, ITV HD and CITV.
You get Channel 4 and its related channels, E4, More4, Film4, 4seven, E4+1, Film4+1, Channel 4 +1 and Channel 4HD. There’s also Channel 5 along with 5USA, 5 Star, 5Select, Channel 5+1 and Channel 5HD. Other entertainment channels are Pick, Dave and Dave Ja Vu, Really, Yesterday, Yesterday +1, Drama, Drama +1, Great! TV (Movies, Action and Romance), Quest, Quest Red, Quest+1, Challenge, CBS Reality, Talking Pictures TV, Pop and Tiny Pop, TBN UK, Blaze and Blaze+1.
Also included in TalkTalk TV’s lineup of Freeview channels are a number of home shopping and home improvement channels including QVC, QVC Style and QVC Beauty, Ideal World, Gems TV, Jewellery Maker and TJC. The news channels Sky News, GB News and Talk TV are also included.
The radio stations available via TalkTalk TV will vary depending on where you live, but will most likely include the BBC radio stations 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 Music, Asian Network and World Service. Other stations include Hits Radio, Kiss, Magic, Great Hits Radio, Kerrang!, Smooth Radio, talkSPORT, Absolute Radio, Capital FM, Heart, Classic FM and LBC.
TalkTalk doesn’t offer additional premium channels in the same way as Sky, BT and Virgin. Instead it offers TV customers the option to combine NOW TV Memberships with the cost of their basic TV service and save money. Adding a NOW TV membership separately will cost you more, so if you want to bolster your viewing options, then it is well worth taking up this offer. Each membership costs a set monthly fee and renews automatically, but can be cancelled at any time.
If you’re thinking about adding the likes of Sky Showcase and Sky Atlantic to your package, the NOW Entertainment Membership is the one for you. NOW TV memberships include on demand content as well as live channels so as well as watching live TV, you can also watch favourites such as Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire and Chernobyl.
The Entertainment membership also includes Sky Max, Sky Witness, Sky Comedy, Sky Documentaries, Sky History, Sky Nature, Gold, Sky Crime, Comedy Central, Sky Arts, MTV, Sky Sci-Fi, Alibi and NBC News NOW. There is also a selection of kids channels available to watch, including Boomerang, Cartoon Network, Cartoonito and Nick Jr, as well as on demand box sets for kids too.
TalkTalk TV already features the likes of Film4 and Great! TV, but the Sky Cinema Membership is the one for you if you’re on the lookout for premium movie channels. The Sky Cinema channels Premiere, Select, Animation, Hits, Greats, Action, Family, Comedy, Romance, Drama, Thriller, and Sci-Fi and Horror are all included, so there’s something to suit everyone. Temporary channels are also added throughout the year, such as Sky Cinema Christmas during the festive season.
As well as being able to watch the live Sky Cinema channels, this membership also lets you stream hundreds of movies whenever you like.
This is the membership that gives you access to all 11 Sky Sports channels. TalkTalk only offers the one-month Sky Sports Membership, so if you only want to watch the occasional event, you will have to sign up to NOW TV’s one-day Sports Membership separately from TalkTalk.
The Sky Sports channels included with this membership are the dedicated channels Premier League, Football, F1, Cricket, Sports Arena, Golf, Racing, Mix, Action, Sky Sports News and Sky Sports Main Event.
The hayu membership gives you access not to any live channels but to thousands upon thousands of US reality TV shows. If shows like the Real Housewives series are your thing, a hayu membership may be the addition to TalkTalk TV that you need.
NOW TV can be bundled up with a TalkTalk TV subscription, but there are plenty of other ways to increase your entertainment options with a range of streaming apps accessible on the TalkTalk TV 4K box, including both free and subscription-based ones.
Our expert advisors have access to special offers and can create a personalised package just for you. Give us a call!
Call 0333 210 1160We're available from 8am-8pm, Monday to Sunday