Leaving Sky - Moving to a less integrated service

[stoofa]

So email this morning and suddenly my services with Sky are going up £6/month. Bizarrely looking at my future bills, I'm seeing price increases for the next 3 months. Can only assume offers are coming to a close.
So anyway, within 3 months I'm still going to be under contract (just) but paying £99/month - something I want to completely avoid.

I'm looking to maintain as close as possible to a "Sky Experience" - as much as I hate Sky and their pricing, their interface does work well etc.

Looking at good old BT - I can get their fastest fibre, TV Entertainment, HD, Netflix (says UHD - so assuming one of the better packages) plus an additional box for around £66/month.

Looking at Talk Talk - fastest fibre, Talk Talk TV+ Box, Entertainment for £36/month. Looks like I need to add in a £25 install if I wanted a second box and then I'd have to add in Netflix separately.

I know there are ways of going even cheaper - get broadband only and then buy a FreeView box and have no subscription. The odd Now TV pass for those channels I'd miss.
I'm not going to insult people here and ask have others done similar - more, to those that have done similar, what was the experience like?
If you're now getting a TV service from BT or TalkTalk instead, how are you finding it?

I've been a Sky customer for too long. I always say "I'm going to leave" but something stops me - time, an offer or the fear that I won't get used to the alternatives. So looking to set mind at ease!

 

[MrKnifey]

We have just recently left after i realised they started charging us for the F1 channel after we had received it for free due to being members for so long. Rang them up and they flat out denied we ever had it for free!

 

[M1k3H]

After buying a new smart TV, I cancelled everything bar broadband and pay for Amazon and Netflix all year round. This is massively cheaper with more content.

We also watch iPlayer and the occasional NowTV pass whenever they are on offer.

The TV can record, and although it is a bit of a pain setting up the recording the first time (plus it will only do a certain timeslot, rather than 'follow' a show), it is fine.

The only we are missing are the HD versions of some of the channels, but for the savings we've got and the increase in content, we've just shifted what we watch instead.

 

[stoofa]

Cheers guys.
I've spent more of the weekend looking into options - I've ruled out the Talk Talk solution mainly down to their box choice and it's lack of UHD support for things like Netflix.

I was favouring the BT solution, but then I got to thinking.
If I was to purchase a Humax DTR-4000 (Which I believe is the YouView box BT supply) separately there is no subscription charges for FreeView channels and the like. I could then simply buy NowTV Entertainment and TV Boost passes for £11.99/month and basically have access to the same as what I'd get from BT - but without the subscription?

So for example - PlusNet fastest fibre is £26.99/month. The Humax box seems to be available for around £135. Then £11.99 of NowTV passes - call it £40/month (I don't include the likes of Netflix and Amazon in my costing as I already pay for those as a "separate" thing). Compared to the Sky price which is going to reach £99/month in three months time once price rises kick in and offers disappear, seems a bit of a no-brainer.

 

[Semple]

I think you always have to ask yourself, what do you watch on TV. So many people tend to go for the full packages, but barely watch many channels, it's just nice to have a selection - which is absolutely fine if you don't mind paying for it. Sport is about the only thing you can't have without a sky/bt package, but Netflix/Prime offer so much more on the movies front - i think anyone paying Sky for movies is crazy.

 

[varkanoid]

NowTV gives you sport without a "package".

 

[stoofa]

Cheers again people - I'm going to go away and have a think about things now.
I've ended up in this horrible situation where I've got a split Broadband/TV renewal date.
So if I renew my Sky Broadband now, then that rules out me using a BT TV service - I see now the advantage of using BT for me would be the NowTV Entertainment channels would be available for rewind, pause and record from the EPG.
If However I don't renew my Sky Broadband and instead move to BT - that will be £13/month more for my broadband, but would give me room to give Sky a chance to give me a good deal or I can make good on my promise and just leave them.

Meh - too much choice, such a 1st world problem!

 

[TheVoice]

If you have Tesco Clubcard points you can use your Clubcard vouchers for 3 times the value on NowTV passes, which makes it fairly cheap.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

I think you always have to ask yourself, what do you watch on TV. So many people tend to go for the full packages, but barely watch many channels, it's just nice to have a selection - which is absolutely fine if you don't mind paying for it. Sport is about the only thing you can't have without a sky/bt package, but Netflix/Prime offer so much more on the movies front - i think anyone paying Sky for movies is crazy.

to add sky movies onto your package is only £10 a month sometimes even less. and that is for 4K atmos movies too. their selection of movies is also far newer than you will find on netflix bar netflix exclusives.