BT and TalkTalk have upped the ante in the battle of the big four by offering free YouView boxes with their latest broadband, phone and TV bundles. But what do they cost and how do they fare against the competition?
BT and TalkTalk have stepped up their efforts to attract new customers to their phone and broadband offerings by throwing in a 'free' YouView digital TV box.
The YouView box retails for £299 but with these deals you can get one for just a small installation charge – £49 from BT and £50 from TalkTalk.
BT's bundle will be available from 26th October but you can sign up to the TalkTalk deal now.
TalkTalk's Plus TV bundle is aimed at people who are heavy broadband and phone users. And if you don't download or stream a lot via your broadband or you just want a phone to make a few calls, then these aren't the deals for you.
But if you do fall into the above categories, then read on.
What is YouView?
YouView is a new digital TV service that was launched by four media partners (the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5) and three technology companies (Arqiva and, surprise surprise, BT and TalkTalk).
It offers the normal Freeview channels plus the Freeview HD channels, catch-up services such as BBC iPlayer and 4oD and on-demand services such as Channel 5’s Milkshake children’s programming via an internet connection.
You can also subscribe to streaming services such as lovefilm Box Office and Now TV (again via the internet) and other TV companies such as Sky and ESPN.
The boxes also offer the option to record programmes and pause and rewind live TV.
We weren’t impressed by YouView when it first surfaced, mostly because of the price (see Lord Sugar's YouView set-top box is a letdown for more) but as a sweetener as part of a package it's a far more enticing prospect.
What these YouView deals offer
I've already mentioned the installation charges but here's the rest of the detail.
To get a free YouView box from BT, you'll need to be a new customer signing up to an Infinity broadband and TV Essential contract for £18 a month, plus line rental of £14.60 a month (you can reduce this to £129, the equivalent of £10.75 a month, by paying in advance). There's also a £6.95 delivery charge.
The broadband deal includes a 40GB allowance, but BT tells me that the streaming to the YouView box is not counted in that allowance.
So these cheapest bundles work out at £400.95 (if you pay your line rental in advance) or £447.15 (if you pay it monthly) in the first year. There's a mininum contract length of 12 months.
For the TalkTalk Plus TV offer, you’ll need to sign up for a minimum of 24 months and take TalkTalk line rental as well. There’s also a £20 connection charge for new or reconnected phone lines.
This gives you ‘unlimited’ broadband and ‘unlimited’ anytime phone calls to UK landlines.
TalkTalk has been quite upfront about the fact that the broadband service may be slowed down during peak times as it manages its capacity.
If you pay your line rental in advance, you’ll pay £9.50 a month (compared to £14.50), plus £14.50 a month for the broadband and phone. That equates to £358 or £418 in the first year.
TalkTalk is also throwing in a free 12-month subscription to lovefilm Instant – the film streaming service – worth £59.
So straightaway TalkTalk is cheaper, and that's before you consider that it offers unlimited broadband usage and phone calls, which BT's cheapest deal doesn't. In fact, the BT deal doesn't have a phone element to it at all.
How all the providers compare
So round one to TalkTalk. Now let’s take a look at how BT and TalkTalk's unlimited bundles stack up to the current competition. For the purposes of comparing the fees and charges, the prices are for a new customer joining for the first time and paying line rental monthly. I'm using BT's current pricing.
|
Provider and package |
Broadband usage allowance |
Free landline call plan |
TV box recording capacity |
Additional free TV channels and services |
Minimum contract length |
Monthly cost (including line rental) |
Total annual cost in Year One (including line rental) |
|
Unlimited |
Unlimited |
200 hours |
Four HD channels + BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, 4oD, Demand 5, Milkshake |
24 months |
£29 |
£418 |
|
|
Unlimited |
Unlimited |
250 hours |
Four HD channels + Catch Up TV |
18 months |
£31.90 (first six months), £41.90 (thereafter) |
£442.80 |
|
|
Unlimited |
Weekend |
185 hours |
40 entertainment channels + over 100 other channels |
12 months |
£41 (first six months), £48.50 (thereafter) |
£479.18 |
|
|
BT TV Essential + Unlimited Infinity Broadband + Anytime Calls |
Unlimited |
Evening and weekend |
300 hours |
Four HD channels + BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, 4oD, Demand 5, Milkshake |
18 months (broadband and phone), 12 months (TV) |
£39.50 |
£529.95 |
The verdict
As you can see, TalkTalk comes out on top, although we’re not entirely comparing ‘apples with apples’, due to the different TV permutations on offer. And not everyone can receive TalkTalk and/or Virgin.
Having said that, if you discount the extra Sky channels then TalkTalk is the clear winner on price alone.
However, TalkTalk consistently ranks as one of the most complained-about broadband providers, as we recently highlighted in UK’s worst broadband provider. And it doesn’t do much better when it comes to general customer service.
But, if you’re prepared to overlook that, then TalkTalk's bundle is the winner.
Compare broadband, phone and TV deals via our partner Broadbandchoices
What do you think of these deals? Let us know in the Comments box below.
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