We show you how to watch what you want on Sky Sports for less.
Want to keep up with the latest action in the Premier League, but don't want to pay punishing TV package prices?
We'll show you how to get the cheapest deals so that you don't miss out.
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Pay as you go
Pay as you go can be a much better option for you if you only watch certain events. If you are only interested in certain football matches or Ashes tests, for example, this is ideal.
Sky offers NOW TV, a pay-as-you-go service for its movie, entertainment and sports channels. You can watch NOW TV through most computers, smartphones and consoles or on a NOW TV box, which costs £14.99.
From there, you can buy a 24-hour ‘Sky Sports Day Pass’ through NOW TV which covers all the Sky Sports channels. These cost £6.99 per day. Or you can get a Sky Sports Month Pass and a NOW TV Box for £36.99 (a saving of 21%).
Or if that's not enough, NOW TV offers a week-long pass. For £10.99 you can get all seven Sky Sports channels for seven days, including Sky Sports News HQ.
Check out cashback websites Topcashback and Quidco as they usually have offers on NOW TV.
You now have the option of bundling NOW TV with your broadband too. With its Sky Sports Pass + Brilliant Broadband Combo you can get up to 17MB speed and unlimited usage on a rolling contract with pay as you go calls. It costs £36.99 a month with £17.99 in line rental fees and £40 in upfront costs.
Take it with you
If you constantly have to drag yourself away from the telly, how about downloading the Sky Sports app for your smartphone or tablet?
Sky Sports Mobile TV is available on iOS and Android for £4.99 a month. This gives you Sky Sports 1 and 2 as well as Sky Sports News HQ. For £9.99 a month, you get these plus Sky Sports 3, 4, 5, F1 and Sky News.
But before you get too app happy, we should warn you that the reviews haven’t been all that complimentary in terms of its quality and reliability.
In short, the service seems pretty slow and cuts off during major events. And based on previous reviews, it’s a good idea to double-check if the Android app is compatible with your device. But don't despair, it has worked well for some.
If you want to have a trial first, you can get the basic app for six months if you sign up for one of Vodafone’s Red 4G plans with an added entertainment pack.
Cut down your channels
If you only like a few sports, it's worth investigating cutting back the number of channels you pay for.
Sky Sports 1 and 2 focus primarily on English Premier League and Football League matches, cricket, European rugby union and rugby league.
Sky Sports 3 and 4 broadcast the likes of golf, tennis and WWE. However, if you want the Champions League and La Liga matches you'll now generally need to stump up for a full package so you get Sky Sports 5. The same applies to F1.
On Virgin Media you need to take all seven channels when adding Sky Sports while TalkTalk only provides the option of six channels.
With BT TV you can add Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 2 as a bolt-on at £22 a month for standard defintion or £27 for HD. BT doesn't offer the whole range of Sky Sports channels, although it has its own sports channels which of course feature its exclusive Premier League football and domestic rugby union matches.
Cheapest deals
Here are the cheapest Sky Sports bundles on the market right now.
|
Package |
Sky Sports Bundle + Fibre | BT TV Starter with Sky Sports + BT Infinity 1 + weekend calls*
|
||
| Offer | Sky Sport only £11 a month for nine months (ends Oct 1) | 32" TV, laptop or £100 reward (ends Sept 29) | Reduced price (offer ends soon) | Reduced price for 12 months (offer ends soon) |
|
Speed and usage |
Up to 17MB, unlimited |
Up to 38MB, 25GB |
Up to 52MB, 25GB |
Up to 50MB, unlimited |
|
Calls |
Evening and weekend calls included |
PAYG |
Weekend calls included |
Weekend calls included |
|
Contract length |
18 |
12 |
12 |
18 |
|
Monthly costs |
Upfront: £6.75
Initial monthly cost: £18.50
Ongoing monthly cost: £41.50
|
Upfront: £19.95
Initial monthly cost: £47.50
Ongoing monthly cost: £47.50
|
Upfront: £66.95
Initial monthly cost: £32
Ongoing monthly cost: £47
|
Upfront: £9.99
Initial monthly cost: £43.75
Ongoing monthly cost: £57.75 |
|
Monthly line rental |
£17.70 |
£17.40 |
£18.99 |
£17.99 |
*only includes Sky Sports 1 and 2
If you’re considering Virgin Media, make sure you’re in an area that's compatible with fibre optic broadband first.
Out of contract? Haggle!
If you're out of a fixed-term contract with one of the above companies, you could turn on the charm and try and haggle your way to a better deal.
The key here is timing. The best place to be is at or near the end of your contract so that you can bag a “retention deal”. When you’re at this stage, providers are desperate to keep you as a customer so you can have a little bit of fun with it.
Tell them that you’re seriously considering leaving the provider and with their increased power, they may be able to give you perks or a discount. The most important thing is to be polite.
Just don’t attempt this halfway through the first year of your contract as you won’t get very far. Read How to haggle and save a fortune for more top tips.
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How do you save money on your TV viewing? Let us know in the Comments below.
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