Price of Sky TV to rise by ‘up to’ 10%

Sky has announced it will be increasing Sky TV prices on 1st September 2014.

Customers about to sign up with Sky TV, and those who will not have had their subscription for 12 months before 1st September will find their bills up to 10% more expensive from September 1st.

“In accordance with our standard terms,” reads the small announcement at the bottom of Sky TV’s subscription page, “your Sky TV package may rise by up to 10% in a minimum contract term.” The minimum contract term is 12 months.

In a one line statement at the bottom of its website, Sky has announced that its TV customers will see a price rise of up to 10% from September.

This isn’t the first time that Sky has quietly posted this message on its site. Sky says that all customers will receive full correspondence - and confirmation of exactly how much their bills will increase - in due course.

Bear in mind that while the rise will be up to 10%, as per Sky’s Ts & Cs, it seems fairly unlikely that it would drop such a large bombshell on its customers. While the same wording was used in the 'alert' last year, the actual rise was more in the region of 2.5%.

Compare TV deals in your area with broadbandchoices.co.uk

What does Sky TV have on offer?

Sky now offers three core bundles: Original (£21.50/month), Variety (£27/month) and Family (£32/month).

Optional extras are also available: Sky Movies at £16/month and Sky Sports at £22/month.

Sky’s statement regarding the price rise doesn’t make it clear if these extras (or which packages) will be affected by the rise, but a Sky spokesperson stated: “We work hard to keep any rises to a minimum, ensuring we continue to offer our customers great value. We will be writing to customers in July outlining any changes.”

The changes won't affect the price of Sky's broadband or phone services.

How does Sky compare to other TV providers?

In the table below, we’ve compared various TV providers’ basic packages by cost (after any introductory rates). Note that BT and TalkTalk packages must come bundled with broadband and calls, but you can get Sky TV or Virgin TV as standalone services. Sky offers broadband as a 'free' extension to the monthly cost of its bundles, but the user will foot the bill for the line rental, at £15.40 a month.

Sky subscriptions are subject to a £25 set-up fee, while BT charges a £35 activation fee.

The channels you can get vary with each provider, as do functions like catch-up TV. To compare TV packages and find the right one for you, visit broadbandchoices.co.uk.

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