Cutting the TV Subscription Chord!!

[deans6571]

...just wanted a little advice really!

I'm currently with Virgin Media for phone, TV and internet but I'm seriously considering cutting my subscription with them!

I don't use the phone line at all, even though we are on their lowest tariff + we only watch the terrestrial channels (the same ones you get via Freeview!!). I'm thinking of cutting both of these and just getting a Freeview box (I know there's an initial cost but obviously there's no recurring subscription costs) and then just paying for their internet (its around £50 for the speed I want).

The only extras I would need are BT Sport, which I get now with VM but I can alternatively get this at a reduced rate (£15 a month) via my EE mobile plan, and also a couple of Day Passes (£10 a day) with Sky Sports when my footy team is showing. This would cut my current VM monthly bill by a quarter.

Is it all worth the hassle - any of you guys done something similar?

 

[Flashy]

I half considered ditching Sky TV when I switched from them for phone and internet before Christmas. But after looking at it more closely I decided it wasn't worth the potential hassle/disappointment.

We'd still want some Sky channels so if we went down the Now TV route we were looking at £17 per month for Entertainment, Kids, and Boost (to get better than 720p). That would save me about £16 pm on what I pay (I haven't had the strength for the annual/18-monthly price argument just yet, but think I'm paying less than a new customer would).

But there's no VM where I live, the house doesn't have a TV aerial and Freeview reception is patchy, so it would have been a case of getting a Freesat box. The reviews of the new ones weren't exactly glowing when I looked and the cheapest is £200. The sums told me I wouldn't see a saving until almost 12 months had passed, which made it easier to put off, especially as my wife's more than happy with Sky and the box is full of stuff we're yet to watch.

However, if and when we move to a house with an aerial and better Freeview reception, I don't think I will have any hesitation in leaving Sky and using Now TV as and when should there be something on e.g. Sky Atlantic we're desperate to watch.

 

[Toasty]

Ditched sky a few years ago, did re-sub for a while when they offered a ridiculously good deal, but jacked that in when it inevitably went up and seeing all the "Oh we're just adding another £1 to your package" what seemed like every 9 months. They've not offered such a good deal since.

We kept the sky box for freeview and use subs services for everything else, much better suits a family of 4 including 2 late teens. I will say the likes of Now TV and Netflix also creep up the prices, I'd also say I don't use Now TV that much, my wife still watches the new shows when they come round. To me it feels like Now TV is seasonal when it comes to TV shows, so wouldn't be averse to cancelling it for half a year. Now TV cinema is pants IMHO, used to get a couple of months on offer now and then, but rarely anything on it that wouldn't trickle to another streaming service a few months later.

Its also disappointing that Sky insist that 14 year old HD technology is still worth adding a few quid onto your monthly subscription, which means even Now TV is more expensive than every other streaming service that supports HD as standard.

Sky r pants..

 

[SyStemDeMoN]

Its hard to work VM out.
When I live in my last house I wanted rip of everything except the broadband. They said it was going to cost £50 pm for 350mb.
I worked out costing and it was still a saving. They wanted me to keep the phone line but I did not use it.

2 weeks before the change of contract a guy phoned and said if I kept the phone line on I could have 350mb and the phone line for £35 pm and they would waive the early release cost !

I just never plugged a phone into a saved even more money.