Cancel Sky TV: Why you need to do it NOW

If you're still paying for premium pay-TV such as Sky and Virgin Media via satellite or cable you're massively overpaying.
Switching can save you £100s of pounds, and you can still keep the exact same channels, plus get added flexibility of what you want to pay for and when.
In this video I've shared why you shouldn't be worried about ditching Sky, and how to watch the alternatives (such as NOW TV) on your TV.
W A T C H N E X T
NOW TV review: How to save cash and everything you need to know
Why and how to cancel NOW TV
• Why you need to cancel...
How much does Sky Glass cost?
• How much does Sky Glas...
Should you share your Netflix or other streaming passwords?
• Sharing streaming acco...
Netflix vs NOW TV vs Disney+ vs Prime Video
• Netflix vs Now TV vs D...
#CancelSky #NowTV #SaveMoney
MORE
S U B S C R I B E / @becleverwithyourcash
N E W S L E T T E R - becleverwithyo...
(You'll also get a free Quidco bonus for signing up)
T W I T T E R - / andyclevercash
I N S T A G R A M - / andyclevercash
F A C E B O O K C O M M U N I T Y - / 2661970707423383
B L O G - becleverwithyo...
A B O U T A N D Y
Andy Webb is a money blogger and journalist. He runs the award-winning website Be Clever With Your Cash, hosts the Cash Chats podcast, presented Channel 5’s Shop Smart Save Money and writes every month for Reader's Digest. Andy also founded the community ukmoneybloggers.com.
DISCLAIMER
Content in these videos does not constitute regulated financial advice. Any offers mentioned were correct at the time of filming.

[@rantimumzilla3022]

Still relevant 2 years on! I found this video and cancelled as soon as my contract was up. I have since realised that I don’t watch as much sky tv as I thought. Thank you thank you thank you 🎉I am almost £60 richer per month!

[@total-idiot-at-work]

Do you believe there's a TV service that lets you watch all sports matches for only €4.50 per month? It's called Govix TV, and I'm really interested in it.

[@total-idiot-at-work]

Do you believe there's a TV service that lets you watch all sports matches for only €4.50 per month? It's called Govix TV, and I'm really interested in it.

[@BillHrpr]

Been with Sky for 4 years,they put my bill up to £140 last month, I usually haggle with them and get it back down to around £90 but I’ve just called them and cancelled it completely this time. The service just isn’t worth that amount of money. I use streaming services way more than I watch sky now days and if I need to watch any sport there are other ways to watch it. I think they’ve been greedy for far too long and I’m putting my money where my mouth is by leaving them.

[@markmaisy4858]

Same here, VIP program is a joke they don't value you I didn't realise just how much mine went up until I saw bank statement, almost doubled! I don't think its reasonable to ring up every 18 months for a better deal, it should be automatic. Was offered £2 discount on new price (Indian call centre) I said I wanted to cancel, put through to UK they offered to keep it £2 above what I paid before price hike, when I asked about refund for 3 months of a serious price hike, they said they could only do one month? So, I've cancelled, no regrets to be honest adverts killed it for me, every ten minutes, repeats and general quality. I found myself watching BBC more and more just to get away from adverts

[@MP-py1ei]

Trust me just get a fire stick and use IPTV £70 a year of almost every live tv channel including movies and series

[@BillHrpr]

@@MP-py1ei that’s what I’ve got. £70 a year is mega expensive though for IPTV.

[@MP-py1ei]

@@BillHrpr really I didn't know that always assumed it was 70 because the service was the best. How much should iptv cost roughly

[@Whizzy-jx3qe]

Why a £140

[@chetzh6172]

It’s Amazing Andy... it’s been 1 year I have Cancelled my Sky TV. Was with them for 8 years.

[@BeCleverWithYourCash]

Hope you saved a load of cash!

[@TalkingReally]

8 years. I was with sky for over 20+ years!!!

[@johnkean6852]

FANTASTIC!

[@total-idiot-at-work]

Do you believe there's a TV service that lets you watch all sports matches for only €4.50 per month? It's called Govix TV, and I'm really interested in it.

[@fishviewsotherthings9647]

I've been with sky for over 22 years! For the full sky package with broadband & bt sports & netflix with 3 sky q boxes, I was paying just over £110 per month! Contact now goes up to £180, was offered £150 & then 2 days later £130! Finally give up the habit off having sky & have left! Your video makes some much sense, it's just an easier life to stay with sky but can't belive how much money I've spent with them over the years & the amount I'm now saving!

[@ashleypilling232]

I pay for Sky TV and your clip does make sense. On checking the Now TV price after the 4 month offer it’s £25 - Entertainment, Movies, Now Boost (HD), is not a bad deal at all. But I managed to haggle the cost down after being with Sky for around 5 years. I have the above plus Netflix and I pay £26 per month which includes Ultra HD. So I feel I’m getting the better deal and you mentioned who watches recordings on Sky boxes - I never watch anything live due to my work commitments. But thank you again for your clip, I will be looking at your next videos 😁

[@BeCleverWithYourCash]

Though you can't haggle with NOW in the same way you can with Sky there are always loads of offers and ways to pay less. So I'm currently paying £1 for Entertainment (for three months), £1 for Boost (for six months) and could pay £2.99 for movies (for two months) if I wanted it. Bargain! Here's more on NOW TV deals kzbin.info/www/bejne/aaq2mXxqapyVqbs

[@johnkean6852]

I have been watching brilliant movies and docs on KZbin for the last 5 years you don't need direct debits for that

[@sebaszwarc6028]

NOW TV is pretty dumb charging for HD :/

[@3582jj]

@@sebaszwarc6028 so does Sky and BT

[@sebaszwarc]

@@3582jj but Sky does not charge for HD in Germany and Italy.

[@adrianunderwood961]

Yep! I had Sky broadband, all the sky TV channels including the sports. The cost crept up to £170 a month. So I cancelled the lot, got Plusnet broadband and all the same stuff with NOW. I’m saving £100 a month!!!! Shocking! And actually the quality of my services is better!

[@topfuelteddy]

I get a great deal on Sky , Bt and virgin , I've never had them in my life ,saved loads .

[@stephen6262]

Andy great video paying 53 pound a month cant wait to cancel. I like sky but i dont watch much telly. I got so many channels gone from 4 channels in the old days to 6000 channels now

[@AlteranAnciote]

Bundle discounts undermine a lot of the savings suggested by cancelling your Sky service. I looked at just having Virgin Broadband and none of the other stuff, which, in a non-FTTP area, is the only way you can pay for a Broadband service without being stuck with Line Rental. With literally every other ISP, as they rely on Openreach, you're dependant on Line Rental in order to have Broadband. Another problem is, if I'm looking at trying to manage the bills for my parents, they want something that is simple and easy to use. Sky makes this simple. If I start forcing them to use another service, they're going to struggle to use it and would then probably just prefer to pay Sky the premium to have a service they can understand and enjoy. Another factor that affects this is what maximum line speed your Broadband supports. If you can't get Virgin and you're not in an FTTP-enabled area, you're at the mercy of how far you are from your cabinet. If you're more than 1km away from your cabinet, you'll be lucky to get 30Mbps. If you have more than one person trying to stream HD content, then it isn't going to be enough. There's definitely something to be said for shopping savvy - do you live in an area that has FTTP or "Full Fibre"? Then you can get 900Mbps (if you want it) without having to pay whatever Virgin are asking for. Then you can happily subscribe to NOW and save money versus signing-up for Sky or Virgin.

[@BrotherYusuf]

Sky glass is absolutely terrible £1300 and sky ripped up my agreement as I’m Muslim and made me pay in one week they accused me of being an extremist because I changed my name , Cassius clay 🥊 changed his name , ignorant small minded bunch of bigots and for this much I could of got an OLED and for gaming it’s terrible , the volume control never worked right the software is terrible and the picture is bad and theHDR on the hdmi doesn’t work and the input lag is terrible it’s just so bad in every way except maybe the speakers and sound , oh and it developed light bleed after four weeks Also wouldn’t help me even tho I’m disabled they sent paramedics to my house after wasting my whole Saturday rather than technical fault finding and helping me

[@ladymallowyt]

This is good advice for people who want to keep their TV but also keep it at a low cost. I decided not to have a tv as I watch things on netflix when I feel like it, otherwise I'm always on KZbin. People think I'm crazy when I tell them I have no tv 😅 but I'm the one saving a ton and only paying for a broadband connection and youtube premium

[@nauxsi]

You're ahead of the game.

[@Joe-lb8qn]

You can cancel your TV licence now as well in that case. I've just got rid of Sky because I stopped watching broadcast TV. I'll not be renewing my TV licence next year when it ends. I still have a TV but its used for Netflix, KZbin Premium , Apple TV (comes with Prime)

[@ladymallowyt]

@@Joe-lb8qn yeah. I never paid for a tv license in the first place as I never had a tv or watched live tv. Yeah, I would cancel it if I were you. Save yourself the money and time

[@360Fov]

I have a bunch of screens in my house and haven't had a live tv signal for about 10 years...I kinda miss being able to put on a 'live' channel but only for nostalgia's sake. Google Chromecast, FireTV, Roku/NowTV etc.. offer so much wihtout the hassle of 'good reception' etc... They usually have special offers as well where it costs next to nothing, and if you take advantage of 3/6 month special offers, when one expires there's usually another one on offer so it's like £1 a month for Now Entertainment

[@terrydavis1488]

Hi Andy, Interesting video! Many viewers of your video will be able to cope with the procedures necessary to switch from SKY to NOW. However, the less technical, and slower amongst us (I am 83 years old), would need a step by step guide to undertake this, particularly when a broadband service is involved. Also, is there a gap between cancelling SKY TV, and switching to NOW? To us older folks things are not so simple.

[@ArunSharma-bd8fw]

Sky own Nowtv, you should be ok its a small change

[@terrydavis1488]

@@ArunSharma-bd8fw Many thanks for your helpful reply.

[@andylikesstuffchannel]

@@terrydavis1488 my parents are in their early to mid 70s and find it easy so you should be fine Sir 👍

[@knownpleasures]

Sky owns NoW , just as expensive! His headline is misleading

[@davyfulladf]

Been with them myself for 17yrs. Had it it my parents house before then since 1989. Cancelled today. Prices are beyond a joke

[@BeCleverWithYourCash]

Well done!

[@katystulow8143]

Dropped sky this month been a customer for over 15 years, was apprehensive, but connected 4k firestick got Amazon prime, Netflix, was surprised how much better quality sound picture was compared to watching through sky HD box apps, adiós Sky!

[@MineSurgeReturn]

only bad thing is losing sky sports

[@Gothic55]

Really good video. I have achieved excellent savings by switching from Sky Q to Sky stream.. this allows you to pick and choose other packages which can be altered on a monthly basis.

[@anitawhite2669]

I was got a deal from Sky after I phoned them to cancel my subscription. But after a few months the price started creeping up again to what I originally paying £130 per month for telephone, tv and broadband. I ditched Sky and bought a Freesat box for £200, switched to Virgin broadband and now save myself £100 per month, that's a whopping £1200 per annum.

[@BeCleverWithYourCash]

That's a fantastic saving!

[@carsurgeon7736]

Why did you buy a freesat box when you can buy a Amazon fire stick

[@anitawhite2669]

@@carsurgeon7736 - hubby already had a firw stick on main tv

[@arshadhussain1694]

I'm shocked at the level of cost for some of these subscriptions I was paying 57 pounds for a basic sky package and I thought that was loads but reading some of these comments of people paying up to 180 pound a month is truly shocking. All you really need is a simple broadband speed unless you working from home.

[@CumarXasan-tw2jb]

plsace tell stone nime

[@50450720]

After 3 years of sky Q with multi room I've finally decided to cancel the lot. I'll miss the sport, but highlights are on youtube anyway, and we have netflix and prime for films and box sets. Moving to streaming services will save me over £100 a month.

[@cannonfodder6654]

Gets loaded fire stick

[@50450720]

@@cannonfodder6654 absolutely did.

[@healthbeauty7853]

After I cancelled my sky subscription, I took the hardrive out of the sky box and threw the sky box in the trash.

[@IANREA]

Andy, I have Sky TV, having watched this today, 4th Nov 2022, i rang Sky, had a nice chat, got Sky Cinema, thrown in, and reduced my bill by 50% 18 mth contract. Thanks

[@waynestuart2755]

One more factor to consider, if you're with Sky or VM etc, you probably have your broadband as part of a package. Ditch the TV and suddenly that discount disappears, wiping out much of the saving you suggest here.

[@barrieainge4937]

Very true - I asked VM some while ago about just having broadband and landline and it worked out slightly more than the complete package!

[@2377shortie]

I pay £21 a month for broadband with Vodafone. £95 a year for prime and £10.99 a month for netflix. No TV licence never looked back. Don't miss sky/virgin at all.

[@Britbuild2012]

@@barrieainge4937 So change your broadband provider also. I'm getting 50Mb broadband for £18 a month. My TV is free.

[@havzino]

​@@Britbuild2012 who is your broadband provider? how is your tv free? (assuming that you're not talking about freeview)

[@lornajordan1834]

I've had basic sky through a dish and broadband for 52.00 a month...contract finishes soon. Same bundle goes up to 63.00 month. I haggled and got super smart bb basic sky channels. Plus Netflix and Paramount+ PLUS Sky glass 43inches for 62.00 a month.. NO UPFRONT OR ONE OFF....im disabled live on my own so I have to do and get what I can manage myself. I'm happy

[@lcfctom1]

Main issue with the streaming of the non BBC terrestrial channels and UKTV is the ads. Watching ITV (or other non BBC / Now on catch up) on catch up is so frustrating. Same ads on repeat and if you’ve watched 50% of a show live (including ads) and then later want to catch up where you left off, you’re bombarded with unskipable ads before you can start to watch.

[@sebaszwarc]

I loved "The Countdown" but always the same commercial, I could memorize that song. One of the way to solve your problem is to use Channel DVR and recording what you want. It allows to skip ads.

[@johnnyshinnichi1785]

@lcfctom1 - You nailed it. I just can't be bothered with all the messing about setting this stuff up. I just record stuff on the Sky box and then skip the ads. You can't do that streaming without convoluted work arounds. Plus, I like looking through the guide. I sometimes spend more time on that than the programmes 😁

[@arryt3912]

If you have a firestick, you can also record on that too! I bought a cable off ebay, that let's you put a memory stick inline. Its not very complicated. Then you just go into the settings and use that memory stick for recordings. Sometimes if the firestick has buffered, its not perfect, but so what? I remember watching TV back in the day, having to hold an aerial in a certain position, to get a signal! Showing my age there 😂 There are other options out there, like recording to your TV(with a USB stick)..........break free from The Matrix 😊

[@chriscuthbertson]

I was a happy now TV subscriber for many years until NOW started to insert adverts into their on demand programming and then charge an extra monthly fee to get rid of them. Cancelled it now.

[@BeCleverWithYourCash]

Those adverts are so annoying. There is a trick to make Boost cheaper though kzbin.info/www/bejne/pqbEe3h6qquqfbM&t

[@kw4433]

Came off Sky over a month ago, and no regrets. They are way too expensive, especially now we have a global problem with rising costs, and their costs going up. They tried to get me a cheaper deal to stay on, but I know they will raise there prices further along. Didn't fall for it.

[@ishhh77]

One thing customers don't understand is that....sky is a luxury. 😂

[@mama9048]

I recently bought a VBox which plugs into the freeview antenna on the roof and converts it to IPTV which I then plug that list into Kodi and use a recording add on that records to my network storage. For the paid channels I use an illegal provider but it was £20 a year so I pick those stream links out and add them onto the Kodi alongside my own freeview box.

[@_aanisa]

Could you please let me know how to do this? Cant afford tv, got rid of sky, barely making ends meet. Id love to enjoy tv again :(

[@Jon-hb6gx]

Recording is essential for us as we are often 20-60 mins behind the live programme after putting the kids to bed. They're not on the streaming platforms, e.g. iPlayer, at that point. And you can skip the ads, as you said.

[@elixier33]

You can get virtually every single film movie or program on one of the catch up services especially Amazon or KZbin

[@Jon-hb6gx]

@@elixier33 You really can't.

[@elixier33]

@@Jon-hb6gx yeah you really can. I don't know why you would think otherwise because there is always someone somewhere that's recorded something and stuck it somewhere like the Pirate Bay of something but I definitely found the I can get absolutely everything that's on TV later in the UK online somewhere legally unusually for free. There are so many ways of getting something that's been on TV. If you don't agree then tell me what you think are you personally can't find elsewhere x

[@Mathspaperks1ks2]

Congratulations sir on 10k subscribers sir. Keep up your hard work

[@BeCleverWithYourCash]

Thank you, I will!

[@SiGr10614]

Been with sky for 8 years plus, and currently paying £95.50 per month, decided come november when my contract ends i am cancelling, but will be keeping the broadband.

[@ep1929]

I gave Sky their p45 many years ago and got a Freesat hd recorder box & firesticks and haven't looked back. Ditched sky as my ISP too.

[@BeCleverWithYourCash]

I bet you're saving some decent cash there!

[@ep1929]

@@BeCleverWithYourCash yes saving a lot and the best thing is I don't miss it one bit.

[@symmetryofzero]

This is great news. We're moving house but we're not allowed a Sky dish up. However we'll have gigabyte internet so this is the solution we were looking for. I'd have never have thought to look at this option until now. Thanks Andy!

[@R3RLEE]

If you really want sky you can have sky glass...no box no dish and a brand new tv....just a thought.

[@andreandpaula]

Ditched sky last year. Don’t regret it at all

[@BeCleverWithYourCash]

You just need to get used to watching differently don't you?!

[@hicharleswalker5408]

if you pay by direct debit and they want to increase the price when the contract is due to expire, the must give you 30 days notice of increasing the price, so when the contact you, cancel the service then ( or haggle to get the price down)

[@BeCleverWithYourCash]

Always worth a haggle to see what they'll offer!

[@allanallen1835]

They nwver did that with me they just put my price up by an extra 10, didn't realise I was out of contract until I was checking my bank. I'm about to cancel Monday.

[@FateBoost]

@@allanallen1835 Despite my contract ending 6+ months ago, my price hasn’t gone up by anymore than the in-contract increases back in April. Was told it’d go from £23 (old price) to £35 if I didn’t recontract. It just went to £26.

[@paulredmond5956]

That's absolute garbage they do not need to give you 30 days notice they tell you it's down to you to check your contract then contact them to say if your leaving or to haggle with them if not then it's tough luck

[@paulredmond5956]

@@FateBoost yeah that would be because the package you have has actually got cheaper rather than dearer

[@ewamajer549]

There is one channel that I watch regularly (when it's already recorded) it is Alibi - no big drama, no bloody violence, no unnecessary noise, but beautiful, correct English.

[@MellowDramatic_]

You’re making some really valid points. But you’ve missed out a lot of otherways to save money and also find loopholes to cancelling the contract. It’s not as binding as you think, you just need to do and say the right things. There are key things you can do to save money and key things to say to the advisors to get a better deal which you’ve missed out on. The only thing I find irritating about this video is the constant comparisons between sky and Now TV. Having live sat tv is more desirable to a standard customer and that’s solely on the basis of practicality. When you get in from work, you look on your tv to see what’s live and what’s on. You turn it on and you crack on with whatever else you’re doing. With now tv you need to open the app via a smart tv and actually think about something you want to watch - which as minute a detail as that is, people don’t want to sit and look for something that they want to watch. They want to find something that’s already on. Secondly it’s not a matter of finding the right new customer deals it’s a matter of finding the right department. The retentions team. You can get really good deals with these guys as they are the ones that cancel so they’re like the last line of defence so they have the best offers. The deepest offer you can possibly receive is a win back offer which can only be obtained when you cancel the account and sky gets back to you throughout your cancellation, this is not always guaranteed and will only work once per customer. You mention kids channels being £5 it’s actually £1, provided you speak to the right person! And that goes for pretty much all of sky products, you can get them way cheaper provided you’re speaking to the right person e.g sky signature you can get from 26 down to 18. I’ll probably do a video about it myself. Why? Because I work for the company. 😄😄

[@johnmehaffey9953]

Slightly biased, why have this policy then that you have to speak to the “right person “ surely it should be a level playing field for everyone, I’m a sky subscriber it costs me roughly £60 per month and that’s no sport or films, my contract is now up and sky has informed me that all the things I’m subscribed to are going up by about £2 so that’s another £8 per month plus I don’t even watch tv my wife does but she’s being informed by me that sky will not be renewed back to terrestrial tv for her I’m afraid

[@JamesMossR33]

@@johnmehaffey9953 Same boat here, prices going up again and for 60 quid that doesn't include sports or movies. I shouldn't have to barter for the best price with 'the right person' and i can't bear doing it. My wife is now noting which channels she watches to see if there's anything she'd miss out on not being with Sky and I'm now looking at options for freeview alternatives, Manhattan box etc. I will be cancelling Sky and when they try to keep my business I'll tell them they've had enough chances ok thanks bye. It'll mean changing BB providers too but I'm done with Sky taking the piss - it's someone else's turn..

[@Lily_The_Pink972]

I agree with you. And as far as I can tell the new Sky Glass is Internet driven so there's a delay in uploading the programme etc. I don't use apps like Discovery+ because I don't want to watch what they show and having to keep logging in is a pain. I also dislike the way you have to navigate the menu to choose what you want. I want a list, not icons

[@MellowDramatic_]

@@johnmehaffey9953 it’s not a policy. It’s quick fire way to get a deal. To say all of your subscriptions are going up by £2 is an exaggeration. Only bb is going up by £2.50. Signature is £1, HD is £1 Cinema is £1 and kids is £1. you can’t speak to the right person straight away is because if that was the case you’d be waiting literally hours to get through. Our off shore values team deal with the majority of customers and they don’t have that many good deals. Customers who want a better deal or who mention loyalty get transferred to the loyalty save team aka “cancellations”. If you can’t be arsed getting a good policy then don’t have the service. You are definitely getting ripped off if you’re paying £60 for just a signature package and bb. Unless you have multi screen or HD or some of the other packages.

[@WakeUpJacked]

@@MellowDramatic_ Its going up cause pervy Murdoch is recouping his loses since his perve play at Tharanos, when in the end it was him that ended up with his ankles keeping his earholes warm and now the public are footing that bill? Not me mate. If i don't get a deal next month im off too. and i'll also run ads to a video about it. The beauty of social media. aaah bisto

[@sd8213]

Scheduled recording is essential in my house. Getting kids to bed means missing certain shows that are Not on catch up / demand.

[@derekhart3341]

Andy makes some good points but he misses the point. Price is the main factor for a lot of people and those who are not tech savvy may learn something that they didn’t know from this video and perhaps save some money. But there are many that know all this and choose to pay Sky for the benefit of UHD (4K), HDR, Sky Q, Dolby Atmos, Sky Box Sets, Sky Go, and the ability to watch around the house on TV and iPad. I’m sorry it is not a “no brainer.” Sky Q is a premium service and priced accordingly. Some people ( like me) want and are prepared to pay for a premium service with all the benefits that go with that. It’s a bit like telling an person that owns an Aston Martin to buy a Ford Ka as it does the same thing. It doesn’t. If your sole objective is to watch TV as cheaply as possible then this advice will have some benefit but many of us are not motivated in this way. We would like something more and are prepared to pay for it.

[@BeCleverWithYourCash]

That's totally true Derek. I paid over a grand for a projector, speakers and amp. It's amazing. And I was happy to pay for that because a) I saved up, and b) because it was important to me. But a lot of people are just paying for Sky because that's what they do. They don't realise there is an easy to use and far cheaper option. So they don't need Atmos, 4K etc. In fact their TV probably can't even provide that quality. So for them, I still say, ditch Sky!

[@JohnnyD90]

Good video but to be honest your not really ditching Sky. Your ditching the dish for the internet. Now is Sky and recently Sky have now matched the prices on its satellite platform. I agree you are not tied to a contract but to be honest if you want the content in 4K which I do and most people probably have a 4K TV now can upgrade with a deal to Sky Q or Sky Glass to see it in Ultra HD. The beauty to record on Sky Q is still the best. I still like it that I can record the F1 Grand Prix on Sky Sports F1 Ultra HD and watch it later in it’s incredible picture. My wife still likes linear television on having a dish to guarantee a TV signal than relying on the internet that could go down. It’s a choice but with Sky Glass now available Now service is an option if you don’t want a dish and be tied to a contract. Some customers live a communal flat where you can’t have a dish installed. More or less if you speak to Sky to cancel off the satellite contract they will offer you a deal that’s cheaper than the Now service.

[@Timsvideochannel1]

@@JohnnyD90 Cheaper for how long before they put it up again? avoid contracts because you don't know what tomorrow brings.

[@JohnnyD90]

@@Timsvideochannel1 Depends how much you haggle and you could get more for your money with everything but will likely put you back in a contract for 12 months of 18 months. Or just ditch the dish lol. I agree with you, if you don't want to be locked in a contract than that's fair enough, and walk away. There is one more thing though, I would miss the simplicity of the Sky Guide experience with Sky Q if I had to ditch the dish.

[@Timsvideochannel1]

@@JohnnyD90 I've been screwed over three times in a row by Sky, never again will I enter a contract with anyone, I know from personal experience with Covid just how hard ones income can be hit. It's best to keep fixed commitments to a minimum, in these increasingly volatile times. I've seen too many people over-commit themselves with rented everything, OK in the good times, suicide when things go wrong. The menu with the Now Box is pretty easy to navigate.

[@amazinggrace9573]

This is so helpful and I'm going to do that right away. Thanks, thanks

[@total-idiot-at-work]

Do you believe there's a TV service that lets you watch all sports matches for only €4.50 per month? It's called Govix TV, and I'm really interested in it.

[@TinaVaughn007]

I got NOW in for the sports only as I can't be arsed with movies.

[@BeCleverWithYourCash]

The movie channel has been so poor recently. It's not Sky's fault, but with no movies in the cinema for over a year there weren't the usual big releases coming through.

[@Garstonk]

The ability to record programmes to fast forward through ads is essential - use this feature all the time. I notice that programmes streamed online from ITVX and Channel 4, Channel 5 and others have a reduced FPS (frames per second), consequently, the programmes look weird. BBC iPlayer streams at full FPS and programmes look great.

[@total-idiot-at-work]

Do you believe there's a TV service that lets you watch all sports matches for only €4.50 per month? It's called Govix TV, and I'm really interested in it.😊

[@hjones451]

Sky charged my 89 year old father £10 monthly for the last 10 years of his life - It was for HD, their Engineer fitted the box to his non- HD compatible TV. That's nearly a £1,500 overcharge, even without all the other excessive increases.

[@johnkean6852]

See a lawyer

[@BeCleverWithYourCash]

That's awful. I know it might be hard to deal with this if your father has passed, but it's worth putting a complaint in for the money and the interest on that balance

[@weebolddavy]

A letter or email to Ofcom will set the ball rolling👍👍

[@AlduinDragonLord]

Cancelled my Sky over a year ago and i was paying £85pm with no sports or movies. I think its scandalous in this era that they charge you to view your programs in HD! Recieving tv through a satellite dish is very outdated now and streaming is king, ill never go back

[@WayneCatlin]

I pay £53 pcm for the entire 4k skyQ package including a landline and broadband, I think that's a decent price to be fair... Edit: RE multi room: We all have our own devices and Android TV's which we use sky Go on - for free... We can even watch recordings this way...

[@sebaszwarc6028]

I wonder if multiroom box can be use in other home with vpn. I'd like to test this but have no opportunity yet.

[@jenpaisley7074]

How did you manage that price Sky have been charging us alot for sky q broadband and phone our December bill was £97

[@jenpaisley7074]

Also we have a communal dish and Sky Q dies not work with old communal dishes

[@Horizon301.]

@@jenpaisley7074 you always need to get through to retentions. We pay £50 for everything bar sports, including multi room etc and that’s without internet, with it, I think they can do even better deals as they are always trying to shift it my way

[@jimmyudoh6285]

Resleektv

[@simonmillard8931]

I've had NOW tv for a long time now and have a great deal on the entertainment pack and cinema pack. It does exactly what I want - all running from my Roku stick - which also has all the catchup tv services.

[@harold6863]

I got it and was amazed how good and cheap it is

[@hjones451]

No way to treat an ageing customer who was a continuous provider of direct debit payments for their high charges, for over 25 years

[@PeterMaddison2483]

I knew someone in Hull who was one of the first Sky customersin 1989, they always chose the shortest contarct and always haggled prices at the end of their contract.

[@bobi2582]

Hi. The main issue with a lot of these packages is the cost of broadband. I have a minimal virgin TV, broadband and home phone ( which I don't need or want but you have to have it on virgin) which is currently £62 a month. The broadband is over half of that monthly cost. If I ditch virgin I will still need to pay at least £30 a month for broadband, then NOW plus the cost of a recorder, aerial/dish installation. So in my case it's better the devil you know.

[@geow6100]

You don’t need to keep the landline with virgin, get broadband only for £37 a month.

[@markwillis2800]

Sky's business model is stuck in the 1990's. They still believe in tying their customers into contracts, still believe in forcing their "basic package" onto customers. They still think that people would happily pay an overpriced subscription to watch hundreds of channels. Nowadays people only want to pay for the content that they want to watch this is why Netflix, Prime, Disney+ are popular as you only pay a small amount and they are not stuck with those for 18 months. Sooner or later when sky increase the price of subscription could become one price rise too many.

[@PeterMaddison2483]

Whenever I've contacted Sky, I've said to them they'd get more customers if they did a 'pick n mix' package where we chose every single channel we wanted and paid for that and not a package where we only watched, say 5 out of 20 channels. Obviously they never went for it...

[@davebolowski7925]

Can you still keep HD channels? I don’t think I could go back to standard definition again!

[@dfjulesful]

The iplayer isn't available in Ireland along with a few other streaming services so I think it's still worth it

[@BeCleverWithYourCash]

Yes, this is a UK based analysis. You could look at a VPN but obviously that's ethically a grey area

[@sebaszwarc]

@@BeCleverWithYourCash smart DNS is better solution, if BBC cannot organise themselves there is nothing wrong with circumvent geo-lock

[@anglosaxon361]

Just another thought, what happens if you have no broadband? That is an additional £22/£27 a month?

[@charleygrabczak534]

But benefits you in other ways and is an essential in this day and age. Plus NOW offer great broadband for £20 pp which includes line rental and that’s a bargain. Having wifi installed will also mean you can use other devices (use less phone data also) and provide internet for guests and family. I would recommend getting an Apple TV box if you like simplicity and choice on the TV. You can even download NOW, free view apps and all the big name providers that all have there own stick/box, but all on one box (Apple TV) with the luxury experience of using a simplistic Apple product.

[@goodfella2071]

I have recently cancelled my Sky TV. I have retained my broadband and phone line with them however I am saving approximately £50.00 per month. I was obviously offered a reduction of my monthly bill if I retained my Sky TV however I was adamant to cancel. I have an Apple TV box connected to my TV through which I intend on streaming iPlayer, ITV Hub, Channel 4, Channel 5, UKTV, Netflix, Disney+ as well as Apple TV+ to which I subscribe to. I've been considering doing this for some time now. There are very rare occasions where there is something on TV that I want to watch because invariably my wife & I sit there channel hopping looking for things to watch and quite often get bored with what's on offer. Yes, it's going to be a small learning curve, especially when ITV Hub plays adverts when you open a live TV channel but that's life. I'm also not fussed about recording TV, because often the programme/series is available on demand. As far as I'm concerned, I'm more than happy with my decision.

[@PaulMartin-fu5qg]

It's not just about the money for me. It's the usability of skyQ that I couldn't give up. I'm happy to pay for a good user experience

[@MagicManFan]

The user interface of SkyQ compared to the previous Sky+ version is dreadful. It's not intuitive at all - they definitely went backwards.

[@PAULTRD1980]

It's an absolute ass ache having to go to each app to watch each channel though.. Much more convenient to just scroll channels. Thats what puts me off.

[@arthurdanielles4784]

I would also add, that taking a MONTHLY figure can be a little misleading as to the ANNUAL costs. As they say, it all adds up and what appears to be £10 a month ?? Of course equates to £120 a YEAR which if you are on a fixed term contract with no options to turn it off without penalty over that year?? 👍 Oh and I should also add that SKY own NOW tv.

[@thomasnock4007]

It’s a great idea but you were on about breaking away from Sky Virgin BT but as you said if you are locked into a contract for 18 24mths weather you’re circumstances change tough your locked in my question is how do you get around that without paying astronomical termination fees or do you just have to put up with it until your contract ends?????

[@BeCleverWithYourCash]

Sadly you’ll have to wait, though Sky and Virgin broadband (not tv) did have break clauses if they put prices up, though that’s just changed

[@32_bits]

Now TV used to be lower quality video resolution compared to SKY.

[@bernardthompson1888]

I'm in Ireland. I went from Sky (they made it very difficult). Now have Freesat with 1Tb hard drive. Best move ever.

[@JohnnyD90]

Good video but to be honest your not really ditching Sky. Your ditching the dish for the internet. Now is Sky and recently Sky have now matched the prices on its satellite platform. I agree you are not tied to a contract but to be honest if you want the content in 4K which I do and most people probably have a 4K TV now can upgrade with a deal to Sky Q or Sky Glass to see it in Ultra HD. The beauty to record on Sky Q is still the best. I still like it that I can record the F1 Grand Prix on Sky Sports F1 Ultra HD and watch it later in it’s incredible picture. My wife still likes linear television on having a dish to guarantee a TV signal than relying on the internet that could go down. It’s a choice but with Sky Glass now available Now service is an option if you don’t want a dish and be tied to a contract. Some customers live a communal flat where you can’t have a dish installed. More or less if you speak to Sky to cancel off the satellite contract they will offer you a deal that’s cheaper than the Now service.

[@Hairdooer]

What you didn’t say is sometimes your broadband isn’t strong enough to produce sky on your screen. Wireless from 3 being one of them.

[@SteMoo]

I watch football in 4k hdr on skyQ, also have the BT TV pro box and do the same on there. The Now TV football stream is probably the worst picture quality out there, 1080 at best and drops to 720 on some devices. Savings aren’t that great either. Overall you may save a couple of quid at most, but is it worth losing the benefits of skyQ?

[@maitiu6802]

Totally agree with what you said! Watch a football match on Sky Q in ultra 4k and you’ll never go back to standard HD. Especially on a high end 4k tv.

[@vegvisirphotography5632]

I watch 4k football on hesgoal £0.

[@dancole2994]

Good luck cancelling. I've cancelled several times and for months they've continued charging me. I've blocked the direct debit, but they will still keep trying to charge me, which means I will end up with bad credit for unpaid payments.

[@ShiftyGeeza]

Been with Sky for 20 years and I've had enough. Contract ends in March and I'm itching to cancel. Hardly watch Sky TV channels anymore as it feels like for the most part I am paying a monthly subscription to watch nothing but adverts. Even more infuriating is having paid close to £5K over the years to then watch Sky TV adverts repeatedly telling me how great they are. Here's an idea Sky. If we're paying you a decent amount of money every month, how about doing us the courtesy of not showing a single one of your ads.

[@BeCleverWithYourCash]

It's so frustrating with the ads. They've added them to NOW TV too, and it's £5 a month to get rid of them!

[@kelsogirl562]

I agree - I always record anything I want to watch so that I can fast forward the ads but even the fast forwarding takes ages so I dread to think how long the ads would last in real time. At least 10/15 minutes each time I would guess. Another gripe is the number of repeats. Honestly, I could recite the script of every Only Fools and Horses episodes because they've been on so often and for so long - years and years really. Considering how old David Jason looks now and how old he looks in some of those episodes from 1981 we're looking at episodes that are 40 YEARS OLD. Sometimes I record other programmes only to find that I've already seen them a few times before - Gogglebox for instance - and you can tell how old these programmes are by their content. Things that happened years ago. It's money for old rope for Sky so, when my contract comes to an end, so will Sky.

[@kelsogirl562]

​@@BeCleverWithYourCash 10 out of 10 to Sky for cheek! These days you have to pay NOT to have something. They've got to go,

[@noelster75]

You can't compare Now to Sky Q. It's like comparing a Fiesta and Mercedes. Having a satellite signal is much more reliable than being totally reliant on your broadband strength. The UI on Q is heaps better than Now. Streaming isn't the be all and end all you know. Sometimes it's nice to know you have something recorded on your hardrive ready to watch as and when.

[@BeCleverWithYourCash]

True! But for the vast majority of channels you can get the recording box and better signal via Freeview or Freesat without the long contract and high fees. So we're only talking about a handful of channels really. I think it comes down to how much more you're willing to pay for the extras via Q (and now Glass).

[@noelster75]

@@BeCleverWithYourCash a better signal with freeview and freesat? How are they better? And the UI with freesat and freeview is not even close to Q's is it? I admit it's premium content with a premium cost. But if you're going to fork out on an expensive TV and sound system you want your content to match that quality.

[@nikbr112]

I cancelled now tv programme schedule was rubbish Netflix had more choice but i still like your videos keep up the good work

[@BeCleverWithYourCash]

Thanks Nik. I tend to get the odd month of Now to watch certain shows (eg Succession or The White Lotus) then cancel it until the next time there enough shows to binge!

[@traciesmobile683]

No one should pay £80 or £100 for TV. It is easy enough to get it for much less. I think it is convenience that keeps people with Sky /Virgin. I remember when now had the devices that you could get freeview on. those were a good idea. One reason we have kept Virgin is the ease of being able to watch non local TV without having to change any settings.

[@BeCleverWithYourCash]

Yeah it's certainly the easiest option to stay with Sky or Virgin, but once you get used to the change I think it's well worth it for the financial gain.

[@Lou-Lou.]

If your paying near £100 for sky then you have added nearly every package, if you just have Sky signature, which includes box sets and add Ultimate tv youd be paying around £30 a month for 300 tv channels, hundreds of boxsets and Netflix, sky is only expensive if you add everything...

[@ericajohnson3504]

sounds great in theory, but if you live in a remote area of the UK/ Scotland then Freeview is nothing more than BBC, ITV & Channels 4 & 5. No other TV channels available.

[@landte1]

A fair few points however the whole time you have missed out the benefits of sky Q over Now. This would be better if it was an unbiased review instead of hammering. With Now tv you don't get the functionality of Q hotshots wound your home. You don't get engineers services, you don't get UHD and HDR on your sports and movies and documentaries. You don't get mobility of access around the home. You only pay multiscreen once. Sports isn't 20 its now 17 a month And please don't tell people you can unplug your Q box and plug in a free view box as it won't work. Q works on a different frequency to Freesat so you can't just buy a free view box and plug it in if they had Q previously. Take a more unbiased view and go in depth on both pros and cons of both.

[@bobrew461]

Get rid of all that crap. And within a month you won't miss it at all!

[@alexandercopeland]

I was waiting for him to tell how great 4K HDR is on Now but it never got a mention. If the future is Now then where are these features?

[@landte1]

@@alexandercopeland the future isn't Now TV the future will be Sky Glass.

[@sheebasolomon]

Sky Glass is coming!

[@scottchristie6734]

@@alexandercopeland Sky are working on bringing this to Now.

[@roundtheloopandback]

Absolutely true did this years ago and saved a fortune

[@ChangesOneTim]

Divorced that dreadful company ten years ago when Murdoch still owned it. Fifty-five quid a month down the drain - and that was without sports and box office add-ons. What a con. And because I cancelled by email and then letter (enclosing all viewing cards), instead of ringing their 0800 blah blah blah number for them to try to talk me out of it, Sky ignored it and kept on billing then sending me chasers then sending me a bailiff letter then something purporting to be from the County Court. It took a further six months and a letter from me threatening to sue them for harassment. I then got a phone message inviting me to 'discuss' cancellation with them. God knows how much Sky costs today, but I cannot imagine it's value for money.

[@alrockman2131]

What do you advise to use if I'm living in the Republic of Ireland, maybe a dodgy box would be best option do u think

[@absmith6237]

Make Race Baiting a thing of the past, get rid of SLY Sports!

[@michaelharkin3150]

With now boost THREE households share logins to watch at same time.boost was a god send

[@davidsworld5837]

i went from sky when it was £40 a month and moved to freesat costing £90 box but now i moved to even better i have video to show you how to save even more money. all with no tv licence. if you keep sky you need a tv licence so watching sky cost another £160 a year on top of what you pay.

[@terryclements8897]

You need tv license even with free view, and streaming, even if you don’t watch the BBC , it’s the law , i player you need tv licence , the only way round it is stream internet ,

[@ep1929]

@@terryclements8897 you don't need licence if you stream itv ch4 ch5 (catch-up - not live), netflix , prime etc The BBC must be loosing serious money now as I know quite a few people who have ditched their licences.

[@sadiebaxter6167]

Thank you. I have been paying £83 monthly. Not for much longer

[@total-idiot-at-work]

Do you believe there's a TV service that lets you watch all sports matches for only €4.50 per month? It's called Govix TV, and I'm really interested in it.

[@terryclements8897]

Looking forward to sky glass pre ordered

[@BeCleverWithYourCash]

I'm going to look into this soon. There's no 18-month contract, but you are buying a TV that you might not need! Will report back.

[@markhare7574]

i had been with sky for years. I cancelled it a few months ago and went to freeview recorder and use all my smart tv apps. Got a now sucription and save over 60 a month. winner.

[@funksocks]

The most annoying aspect of Sky is the packages. As someone that watches football, Sky force me to pay for all the human effluent channels too. I’m highly unlikely to watch a low-brow US thriller about criminals, even less likely to want to experience a lifestyle programme about people with neck tattoos. For Sky, it's an easy £20 a month and the additional adverts you’re are forced to endure, even though you are paying for a ‘premium’ service. I just managed to get Sky Sport on Now for £21 for six months, but as the picture (at 720p) is similar to how streaming used to look on dial-up internet, you're forced to add the 'boost' package at £6. The alternative is to take your glasses off while watching, or view from another end of the room you’re currently in. Overall; is it any wonder some opt for 'dodgy streams' instead?

[@muckypaws2460]

Sky has the better box tho BY FAR but BT’s new pricing with Sky I agree is awesome

[@mauricelevy9027]

Thanks .Unfortunately no use if one is a Formula one addict and Channel 4 coverage is not with watching .

[@martinmowbray4304]

You only briefly mentioned broad band and no land line calls. Virgin gives you the fastest broadband and cheapest landline deals. Usually 3 in 1 bundles . You don’t need the sports or movie channels. That’s what we have. No Disney rubbish either. Otherwise nice vid. 🙂

[@BeCleverWithYourCash]

Yeah, I still think you're better off getting the broadband separate to the TV package - though occasionally cashback might make it a decent deal in year one.

[@johnkean6852]

Get rid direct debits NOW b4 youre forced to when vacc boosters are £50 a shot

[@gordonfreeman5958]

I like that Sky are so easy to haggle with though, and you can do it through online chat in your own time, don't need to stress out over the phone. I messaged them the other day to try and upgrade our internet and price match some Virgin offer i found online - they ended up majorly cutting the costs of every element of our TV and broadband bills, even discounting by an extra £10 a month AFTER i'd agreed to their offer 😂

[@dennistonrockstone]

Thanks for the info, I might have to try that👍🏿

[@gordonfreeman5958]

@@dennistonrockstone I'd never done it before but I think I much prefer having the time to think through and calculate things in my own time rather than sitting on the phone. I filled out the cancellation form (which you can find on the Sky website if you correctly navigate their 'help' pages maze). They'll send an email later that day giving you a link to an online chat about cancellation - from there you can negotiate your TV and Broadband bill. You might also just be able to access the chat straight away from the 'help' page that talks about cancellations, rather than sending the form

[@stevie13]

This all sounds great! One question though, the only thing I WOULD record is rugby on Sky Sports, for example the British Lions series on this month. I would wait until convenient time to watch and continually stop/start. Would a Virgin box with record facility for NowTV do that? I think you mentioned recording via a box wouldn’t work for all sky channels. Whats the specifics there? Thanks

[@BeCleverWithYourCash]

There’s now on demand for sport on now tv - it was added a few months ago. So you’ll be able to watch it later and stop/start.

[@sebaszwarc6028]

recording yourself is always better than rely on on-demand section of content which can be suddenly removed without warning

[@PatrickEvans-x1v]

Just get a chipped box with hard disk drive.

[@sinetwo]

Really good tip on cycling through subscription services in order to get value!

[@BeCleverWithYourCash]

Once you get into the habit it’s an easy way to save

[@LS-id5hc]

Fox TV and discovery gone. Thanks for nothing SKY.

[@BeCleverWithYourCash]

Yes, it's a shame - though Fox just doesn't exist at all anymore, not just with Sky. The big shows, like the Walking Dead, are now on Disney+

[@LS-id5hc]

@@BeCleverWithYourCash also no more talking dead. This country is going back to the dark ages.

[@shadgrind]

Yeah Disovery + free for a year, then you can’t live without it! So you pay up or lose it. What about Sky 1 going and now we have Sky Max and Showcase, what’s the betting they start charging for them soon?

[@Lily_The_Pink972]

I record loads of stuff because so many programmes I watch clash. I use subtitles a lot and these aren't available of a lot of the catch up services. Searching through Netflix and Prime is a pain. So Sky functionality wins out.

[@BeCleverWithYourCash]

You can get the record function via Freeview or Freesat for most channels. Though, not for Sky Atlantic, Max etc

[@colinturner4158]

Sky taking advantage of everyone splitting up the programs

[@thelastpilot4582]

How often to record TV on my sky box "Every day I never watch live TV". In the day I watch 10 min at breakfast, 15 at dinner and 10 at tea time. Evenings I watch you tube. No programs match my schedule.

[@DanielGreen07]

Cancelled Sky for Virgin in September. Half the price and 3 times better broadband speed. No brainer. We never watched the actual sky channels we were paying for. Think they're ripping people off, feel like they're losing thier way.

[@BeCleverWithYourCash]

There are decent shows on Sky, but I think the vast majority of people are just watching Freeview channels, so they're paying well over the odds!

[@scottjock]

Weve had a free sat box for ten years now. It's fine. Must have saved thousands

[@naaniyenllcuisine4201]

in this times where money does not really grow on tress this is really help I have just cancelled my sky tv and was looking for way i could still use my tv to internet. what was the name again you said to connect to the tv so i could purchase sky would soon come for their box.

[@terryclements8897]

If can’t afford it don’t buy it end of ! , love the sound of your own voice , I have sky Q love it ,

[@BeCleverWithYourCash]

I'm glad you're happy with your Sky Q and how much you pay for it. But lots of people will be much better off financially by ditching Sky and getting the same channels via NOW

[@jameslearmonth2043]

Why would a company introduce NOW at the prices you mention when they already successfully operate a profitable SKY TV?

[@HotdogSosage]

I need like 4/6 channels for my grandmother. What's my alternatives?

[@GAZ77780]

My contract ends on July 31st next year so do I cancel on the last day of June then

[@GoodGuyChucky-666]

I got sky, got the basic package, my dad pays for it, if it was upto me, I would get rid of it as you get more for your money with Netflix, amazon prime and Disney plus

[@davidgreen3350]

I have B.T with NOW for the Sky Sport channels Broadband £28.51 TV Entertainment £47.02 so I can watch all the sky sport channels and all B.T sport channels - I can disable Sky monthly but don't because I enjoy F1.

[@reeldeal5367]

So how much do you pay for everything all channels and your broadband?

[@Stimm002]

I only ever watch recorded programs, you can't watch the F1 on demand. So basically all the channel you can record, after being a box, you don't need to because they all have thier own streaming service as per your argument and all the channels you might want to record like the sky channels you can't record. Also I looked into Now and it was just as expensive these days.

[@Dunno-h8r]

I had sky for over 10 years till my daughter was in hospital for 2 years for a transplant and I had to live in the hospital with her and was told I would still have to pay the £110 bill I was getting for a year before I could cancel I will never giving those people my money ever again and the service is terrible, I tell anyone I know to use some other company

[@jbob34345]

I just want to watch the premier League in the best quality possible, nothing else but it's so complicated. Virgin don't even advertise their 'stream' box which i think is the cheapest (with 4k) Really disappointed with the industry options, and how complicated the pricing structures are.

[@aussieexpress]

Hi Andy, What about prime? are you sponsored by NOW?