Want to leave Sky TV - alternatives?

JillyC8

I've been with SkyTV forever and arguing with them every 18 months to keep the cost down is wearing thin. I currently have SkyQ, Sky Signature (the most basic package), plus Broadband with a Booster and Netflix. The monthly cost has gone from £59 to £79, although they increased it to over £90 until I called them and managed to reduce it a bit.

So to cut the cost even further, I've decided I want to get rid of Sky TV and as I have a smart TV I decided to move to Freeview, but I don't have an aerial connection downstairs in my house. Would it be worth paying for an aerial connection to be installed and how much could I expect to pay? I don't have an aerial on the roof either so I guess it would be a full install.

I then decided to buy a Freesat box to see if I could connect to free channels via my satellite dish, but the box would not recognise my dish at all, even though we checked we had done everything correctly, and even though my TV supports it. So that went back to the shop.

Does anyone have any idea for an alternative way to watch TV? I want to be able to pause/record/rewind etc, so I guess I would need a box, but now I'm not sure what to do. Would an indoor aerial work well enough in anyone's experience so I could connect to Freeview? We watch Netflix mostly, and the odd Sky channel such as Sky News and Atlantic etc.

I've tried to look into NowTV but not sure how that works and if it would meet our needs. Also, if I were to leave Sky Broadband and keep the TV, would they increase the price of the TV package? I find all this confusing but am now in a 'cooling off' period with the £79 a month deal so want to try to sort. 

Any advice would be welcome, thanks.

oldernonethewiser

NowTV is delivered via your broadband and includes channels such as Sky Atlantic

Cheapest package is £6.99 per month

List here

https://www.uswitch.com/tv/guides/what-channels-are-on-now-tv/#now-tv-entertainment-channels

Freeview needs an aerial.

howlsatthemoon

For Freesat you need to change the LNB on your dish. SkyQ uses a wideband LNB Freesat needs a standard LNB

Detail_Merchant

howlsatthemoon said:

For Freesat you need to change the LNB on your dish. SkyQ uses a wideband LNB Freesat needs a standard LNB

Actually the latest Freesat box requires a wideband LNB - https://www.freesat.co.uk/get-freesat/set-top-boxes/recordable-4k-tv-box

DigSunPap

To be honest we have been considering cancelling our sky subscription. We barely seem to watch it and when we do we find there isn't anything good to watch. Plenty better choice on streaming platforms these days.

JSmithy45AD

I'm slightly confused as to your current contract? You say you've reduced it to £79 pcm from £90 pcm, is this a new 18 month contract?

If you have Sky Q then you need a Freesat box that takes the wideband LNB that Q uses, the older type won't work (as you've found). To record, you'd obviously need a recordable Freesat (or Freeview) box. Different boxes have different functions such as multiple tuners to record more than one channel at a time.

Nobody can tell you if an indoor aerial will work as it's a suck it and see scenario. Your next door neighbour may be fine but you may need a rooftop aerial. Google local installers and get a quote for a rooftop aerial.