Broadband and digital TV are generally much better value when ordered together - here's how it adds up.
The basic Sky TV package is £18 per month, which is one 'Entertainment Pack', and this includes Sky 'Broadband Base' 2MB broadband and Sky Talk Freetime, a landline service with free evening and weekend calls (although you do need to pay either BT or Sky for your landline line rental). Leaving aside the landline element this is the cheapest way to get Sky broadband - you have to subscribe to Sky TV to get it and even if you live outside of the network area and want to get broadband, Broadband Base on it's own costs £17 per month - 50p more than the broadband TV packages.
The cheapest way to get the basic Virgin TV package is to take a size 'M' landline phone service for £11 per month and get the 40 channel size 'M' TV free. You can get the 2MB broadband size 'M' for £10 per month for the first 6 months on promotion and £17 per month thereafter - effective monthly cost over a year £13.50. The cheapest broadband TV packages from Virgin Media are £25 per month, so it isn't quite so clear cut as the Sky pricing - consider that you're paying an extra £11.50 per month to have digital TV and broadband instead of just the broadband. You can add the landline phone into that by taking the £16 per month Triple Deal, which when added to the conditional £11 per month for the landline comes out at £27 per month.
BT Broadband Option 1 is £15.99 per month with the first 3 months at £7.99 a month when taken on an 18 month contract, and the broadband TV package is £30.98 per month with the first 3 months at £15.49. This consists of broadband Option 1 and the BT Vision Bronze Value Pack. As the Bronze Pack is normally £14.99 a month with first 3 months at £7.50 it means you pay exactly the same whether you get the package or the separate services.
