Alternative to Sky for TNT Sport

kazsbk14

MotoGP/World Superbike fan here looking to find a cheaper alternative to Sky.....

My current Sky deal is coming to an end in the next 3/4 weeks.  I pay £63 for BB, basic TV package and TNT Sports.  Sky have told me my package will increase to £86 so I called earlier to see what deal they could do (having previously been successful at this on my last deal).  However, today I was told there were no better deals and I was better off paying the £86 for a few months and then calling back to see what updated deals there were!  I think not.....

Could anyone advise if the below would work/what are the drawbacks?:-

Cancel everything through Sky.
Take up a separate BB deal - Vodafone quoted at £25 per month.
Buy a Roku box (one-off payment).
Subscribe to Discovery+ for access to TNT Sports and Eurosport - £30.99 per month.

Monthly cost would be £55.99 but out of bike season I could cancel the Discovery subs which would mean I'm only paying for BB.  

Never had a Roku box though or anything similar so not 100% sure this would work.  

Any advice?!

LinLui

Just my experience, but you never, ever ask them for a deal. They won't give you one. You check out the competition / aternatives. Then you phone the team to cancel (not customer service - cancellation) and tell them you are cancelling. They will ask why. You tell them you have a better offer - but don't say who or what. They ALWAYS find me a deal to stay. And do remember to hmm and hah, and don't be impressed - there is often wiggle room for a little more off their first offer.

born_again

TNT is part of discovery+ now

You can subscribe direct.

jbrassy

I think your suggestion is a good idea. I've never owned a Roku box, but I own a Google Chromecast and think it's really good. Discovery+ works really well on it.

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/1184736

When you get Sky, you are also paying for a load of channels you probably never watch and you're tied into a long term contract. I prefer the flexibility of unbundling. Just get a decent Freeview+ box for live TV and subscribe to the streaming services you actually want to watch and cancel whenever through Chromecast / Roku. 

kazsbk14

jbrassy said:

I think your suggestion is a good idea. I've never owned a Roku box, but I own a Google Chromecast and think it's really good. Discovery+ works really well on it.

When you get Sky, you are also paying for a load of channels you probably never watch and you're tied into a long term contract. I prefer the flexibility of unbundling. Just get a decent Freeview+ box for live TV and subscribe to the streaming services you actually want to watch and cancel whenever through Chromecast / Roku. 

Thanks - suppose I hadn't really thought about live TV so will have to get a Freeview box as well!  Should still be cheaper though than sticking with Sky.  

I do record the MotoGP practice sessions etc so will lose that, but actually think they're all available on Discovery+ anyway so I won't miss anything. 

And you're correct, when I think about what I do actually watch at the moment, there is nothing specific to Sky!

jaybeetoo

If you have BT broadband you can get TNT Sport/Discovery+ for £20 a month.

kazsbk14

@jaybeetoo - How?  Is this a special promo deal or something?  Be interested to know how you access it....

jaybeetoo

@kazsbk14 It’s their normal deal.  As a BT customer, just sign on the BT web site.  Make sure you don’t go for the EE TV option - select Discovery+ including TNT Sports.  You can watch in HD on Amazon Fire, Roku, on a smart TV, AppleTV, etc. etc.

https://www.bt.com/sport/buy

jbrassy

kazsbk14 said:

jbrassy said:

I think your suggestion is a good idea. I've never owned a Roku box, but I own a Google Chromecast and think it's really good. Discovery+ works really well on it.

When you get Sky, you are also paying for a load of channels you probably never watch and you're tied into a long term contract. I prefer the flexibility of unbundling. Just get a decent Freeview+ box for live TV and subscribe to the streaming services you actually want to watch and cancel whenever through Chromecast / Roku. 

Thanks - suppose I hadn't really thought about live TV so will have to get a Freeview box as well!  Should still be cheaper though than sticking with Sky.  

I do record the MotoGP practice sessions etc so will lose that, but actually think they're all available on Discovery+ anyway so I won't miss anything. 

And you're correct, when I think about what I do actually watch at the moment, there is nothing specific to Sky!

This Freeview box allows you to record live TV and is seen as one of the better boxes on the market:

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/3100000

If you get that alongside a Chromecast, you'll be sorted. 

I bought a Freeview recorder and Chromecast around 5 years ago and they've saved me a small fortune compared to subscribing to Virgin or Sky. Just get yourself a decent broadband connection. 

kazsbk14

@jbrassy Thank you for that.  I actually think I might have Freeview built into my TV though as I bought it post 2010, when apparently it was built in as standard on all new TV's!  But I guess a new Freeview box would allow me to record, where's what's built in on the TV wouldn't?

I am definitely leaning more towards this idea so that I'm not tied in to Sky, or any other big contract!

jbrassy

kazsbk14 said:

@jbrassy Thank you for that.  I actually think I might have Freeview built into my TV though as I bought it post 2010, when apparently it was built in as standard on all new TV's!  But I guess a new Freeview box would allow me to record, where's what's built in on the TV wouldn't?

I am definitely leaning more towards this idea so that I'm not tied in to Sky, or any other big contract!

Yes - modern TVs have freeview built in. The only reason to get a box is if you want to record live TV. If you don't want to record TV, just buy the Chromecast / Roku.