Broadband and TV deals offer you a simple, affordable way to get both your internet and TV packages sorted in one convenient subscription. While the best broadband deals on the market can provide you with significant savings on just internet, you still need to pay extra for TV. If you want premium channels such as Sky Sports, then it may still work out more expensive to buy your broadband and TV separately.
So, not only are broadband and TV deals convenient, but they can also provide cost savings. Plus, with everything from basic options to all-inclusive packages featuring Sky Cinema and TNT Sports available, you'll likely find that there's something that suits your needs.
In this guide, we've broken down everything you need to know about broadband speeds, channels, different providers and much more. And if you're not sure if you want TV as well, check out our broadband deals and fibre broadband deals guides for more information about the best broadband-only offers available in your area.
Best broadband and TV deals
Not sure what deal is right for you or want to see what other options are available? Check out our handy broadband and TV deals comparison tool below to dial in deals that are specific to your exact location.
Which providers offer broadband and TV deals?
While not all broadband providers offer broadband and TV deals, most of the big-name brands do. You'll see BT, Sky, Virgin, TalkTalk, EE, and more pop up on your search. However, each brand does it differently.
Some simply offer Freeview, some include TV subscriptions like Apple TV or Now Entertainment, and some go all in with hundreds of available channels. Here's a quick rundown of exactly what each provider offers, so you can make an informed decision:
What can be included in broadband and TV deals?
If you’ve never had a broadband and TV deal, you might not know exactly what you get for your money - beyond the obvious. So here’s a breakdown of what can be included in a package:
- A broadband connection, likely fibre or Full Fibre.
- A TV service - through a device, via streaming or possibly via cable.
- A set-top box - which can give you your TV channels, on-demand services and access to streaming apps.
- A phone line/service.
- Additional tech to boost your broadband - such as WiFi pods.
- Customer care and support.
Which provider has the best broadband and TV deals?
- BT and EE: best range of packages
- Virgin: fast broadband speeds and a good choice of packages
- Sky: best quad-play provider
- Vodafone: fibre and TV at low prices
What broadband speed will I need?
When it comes to selecting a new broadband deal, you'll notice that a wide range of speeds are available. These range from the slowest ADSL plans all the way up to lightning-fast gigabit broadband packages.
But, deciding which speeds you need can be difficult if you're not familiar with technical terms and acronyms like 'megabits per second' (Mbps). To help you get a much better idea, we've put together this quick rundown. If you need a more in-depth analysis, head over to our 'What broadband speed do I need?' guide.
ADSL
This is the slowest form of broadband available and it tends to offer speeds averaging 10-12Mbps. This is because ADSL connections use copper wires (rather than fibre optic cables) and therefore can't get faster speeds.
These speeds will work fine for smaller households that only use the internet for basic streaming, emailing and general internet searching. However, you'll start to struggle if you have smart home devices or big download requirements.
Although ADSL packages used to be the most popular options on the market, they're now being phased out. As a result, you may find that ADSL deals are unavailable in your area.
Fibre
As ADSL deals continue to be phased out, fibre deals are quickly becoming the most popular option on the market. Fibre broadband can often offer average download speeds of between 35 and 66Mbps, allowing you to stream in HD, game and work from home, all while generally not facing too many problems with buffering and lag.
If you are in a larger household, fibre broadband may struggle due to lots of devices operating at the same time, especially if multiple downloads are occurring simultaneously. So, if you live in a particularly large home or you have a family where multiple members love to watch Netflix or download in HD, you may need a quicker package.
To find out more about fibre broadband, check out our 'What is fibre broadband?' guide.
Full Fibre
Full Fibre deals work well for larger, more connected households. These deals tend to start at speeds of around 100+Mbps, making them more popular with people who work from home full-time, or anyone who has to download a lot of large files or plays a lot of games.
Full fibre deals are essentially a more capable version of fibre deals. They allow you to connect more devices, face less lag and power through downloads and uploads quicker.
Gigabit
Gigabit deals are the pinnacle of what full-fibre broadband connections can offer. If you can receive a gigabit connection, it will be lightning-fast, as a gigabit connection refers to the deal allowing you to receive speeds of around 1Gbps.
However, although these speeds are the quickest on the market, before you take out an ultrafast package you should ensure you really need these speeds. This is because deals like these can be pricey, and many households will not require the full capacity of a gigabit broadband offer, so you may be better off looking at higher-end full fibre broadband deals instead.
What contract length should I go for?
When it comes to broadband and TV deals, a few different contract lengths are available. However, you should be aware that although some broadband contracts only last for one month, broadband and TV deals will usually require a longer commitment due to the expanded number of commitments you are making.
Generally speaking, most TV and broadband contracts last for 24 months. However, a number of 18-month plans are out there from the likes of Virgin Media. Unfortunately, 12-month plans are a lot rarer. That said, both EE and NOW Broadband occasionally offer them.
Whichever length of contract you end up going for, make sure that you switch providers or renegotiate your contract when it ends. If you continue past your contract, you could be hit with inflated costs.
Do I need streaming services?
Pretty much every broadband and TV deal will include a means of using your favourite streaming services - e.g. Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime - in fact some might even offer you free subscriptions as part of your package.
However, this can be something to use to your advantage if you’re looking for a cheaper deal. Ultimately, if you know you’ll do the majority of your TV watching via streaming services, it’s probably not worth paying a lot more for the channel-heavy packages.
What channels are available?
In the UK, a huge number of channels are available, however, not all packages offer each channel. The standard and bare minimum is Freeview, but most brands offer a different collection of channels, depending on the plan you choose.
Freeview
Freeview is the basic TV package and you don't need to get a broadband and TV plan to watch it - you simply need a TV licence. However, some of the cheapest broadband and TV plans include a TV box that allows you to watch Freeview alongside other select channels.
Apple TV+
This has become quite a popular option amongst broadband providers. Instead of offering you a TV package, your provider instead includes an Apple TV+ subscription with your internet.
This gives you access to Apple TV+ shows and allows you to access Netflix, YouTube and more from your TV (if you already have subscriptions to those platforms).
Now TV Memberships
This is very similar to the Apple TV setup. Both BT and NOW offer NOW TV Memberships instead of a TV plan. With BT, you'll also get Freeview TV access, but NOW Broadband just includes the Memberships.
These Memberships can give you access to channels across Sky Sports, Sky Cinema, and Sky Entertainment, meaning you can normally find a great deal to keep you entertained without any unwanted extras.
Virgin
With Virgin, there are lots of different TV plans available to you, all of which come with Freeview at minimum as you would expect. These plans range from basic options with 100 channels to their 'Mega Volt' package, which includes over 230 channels for you to choose from.
There are also options for movie fans with Sky Cinema, Sky Sports packages with all of the Sky Sports channels or even a plan that includes all of Sky Cinema, Sky Sports, and channels like Cartoon Network, Comedy Central and much more.
Sky
Sky has one of the largest collections of channels available. Unlike Virgin, however, it has a bit more choice. Instead of choosing pre-decided packages, you are able to choose the packages you want like Sky Sports, Documentaries or maybe a focus on HD channels, meaning you can ensure a great value broadband and TV deal by avoiding the channels you simply won't watch.
Where to get Sky and TNT Sports
Can I get a landline as well?
Yes you can, but exactly what phone service you get will depend on your broadband provider.
You’ll find that most providers of broadband and TV bundles will either already include a phone service in your package, or it’ll be an optional extra you can bolt on. Sky for instance has a ‘Pay as You Talk’ service as standard. If you’re unsure, the easiest thing to do here is contact your current provider to see whether or not you can get a landline with your existing deal.
When is the best time to look for a broadband and TV deal?
To get a cheaper broadband and TV deal you can either wait until providers have a big sales push - e.g. on events like Black Friday - or if your current contract is nearing its end, speak to your provider to try and haggle/negotiate for a cheaper rate.
While the latter isn’t everyone’s forte, it can be quite effective as your provider won’t want to lose your business. A tip here is to do your research first to see what prices your provider’s competitors are offering, as a guide.
We can help with this too, simply check back with this guide for the latest broadband and TV deals, or head over to our guide to the best broadband-only deals to see how much the individual services can cost in isolation.
Broadband and TV Deal Comparison
