Best Broadband, TV and Phone Deals | With Line Rental (UK)

Looking for a broadband, TV, and home phone bundle?

In this buyer’s guide, we’ve reviewed some of the best broadband, TV and phone deals on the market in the UK in 2024.

Later on, we’ve also explained more about how these deals work, and how to find the right plan to buy.

BEST OVERALL

Sky logo.

Sky Broadband

Broadband and TV

Value rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

BEST FLEXIBILITY

EE logo.

EE

Broadband, phone and TV

Value rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐

BEST BROADBAND SPEEDS

Virgin Media logo.

Virgin Media

Ultrafast Fibre + TV & Calls

Value rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Best broadband, TV and phone deals

A smart TV with a number of TV apps displayed on the screen.

Let’s begin our reviews.

Below, we’ve compared the top broadband, TV and phone packages for sale in the UK in 2024.

1. Sky Broadband & TV

If you want a broadband, calls, and cable TV deal, it’s hard to go past Sky.

They have a huge range of channels to choose from, including Sky Sports, Sky Kids, and Sky Max, as well as other channels that aren’t operated by Sky, like TNT Sports.

You’ll get a set-top box included, giving you the ability to watch shows whenever you like, as well as record live TV. You can also stream Netflix and other apps from your TV box, and it’s possible to bundle these services for a cheaper price with your Sky TV subscription. Netflix Standard is included by default, free of charge, which is nice.

Once you’ve chosen the TV packs and add-ons you want, you can decide whether you want to lock into each one for 18 months, or join on a 31 day rolling basis, in case you want to change or remove channels in the future.

Sky Broadband offers ultrafast download speeds of up to 900 Mbps in some areas with their Gigafast plan, but there are also cheaper fibre plans available if you don’t need ultrafast speeds. Sky’s broadband deals aren’t the cheapest, but they often run promotions that make them much better value for money.

One area Sky is very price competitive though is their calling plans. Later on in the checkout process, you can choose to include unlimited anytime calls or evening and weekend calls for a much cheaper price than you can BT, Virgin Media, or any other provider.

Overall, if you want a comprehensive broadband deal with TV and calls, Sky is a great choice.

Sky logo.
Overall value
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Pros

  • Reasonable calling plan costs.
  • Comes with free Netflix.
  • Massive range of channels.
  • Can choose to avoid locking into each TV pack you include.

Cons

  • Broadband tariffs aren’t the cheapest.

2. EE Broadband & TV

BT have recently rebranded many of their consumer products to EE – BT TV is now called EE TV. You can buy EE Broadband and TV on the EE website.

The great thing about EE’s broadband, home phone and TV plans is their flexibility.

The first thing you have to do is choose an EE TV package, which can be changed on a month-to-month basis, meaning it’s easy to avoid paying for channels that you’re not watching. Their TV deals come with a 150 Mbps broadband plan by default, which you can change later in the checkout process, and you can add on unlimited home phone calling minutes as well.

EE Broadband offers some of the fastest broadband in the UK, with download speeds of up to 1.6 Gbps in some areas – faster than basically any other provider. However, this isn’t available in all full-fibre areas just yet.

When it comes to TV packs, almost every possible cable channel you could want to watch is available, including Sky Sports, TNT Sports, Sky Atlantic, Sky Cinema, and kids’ channels. Plus, you can bundle other streaming services, such as NOW Entertainment, discovery+ and Netflix, which is quite convenient.

If you buy EE fibre broadband, you get their Smart Hub Plus router, which is WiFi 6 compatible. This is the latest Wi-Fi standard, and it gives you better signal and download/upload speeds than most other broadband providers’ routers offer.

There is a decent upfront fee with EE Broadband and TV, but this is fairly typical, given that you’re getting a set-top box. You can also add extra EE TV mini boxes to watch TV in other rooms in your house.

Also, no dish or aerial is required, since TV signal is delivered through your broadband connection, straight to the EE TV Box Pro.

The biggest downside to EE is the cost of their unlimited home phone calling packages – they’re much more expensive than Sky if you want anytime home phone calls to UK numbers. Fortunately though, there is a cheaper plan that offers 700 minutes per month, if you’re not making landline calls on a daily basis.

EE logo.
Overall value
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Pros

  • Flexible TV plans.
  • Comes with a WiFi 6 compatible router.
  • Can get 1.6 Gbps download speeds in some areas.

Cons

  • Calling plans are quite expensive if you want unlimited minutes.

3. Virgin Media Gig1 Fibre + TV & Calls

The big advantage Virgin Media has over other providers is their download speeds.

Their Gig1 broadband plan offers average download speeds of 1,130 Mbps, which is faster than what most Openreach providers, like Sky, offer at the moment. Only EE Broadband is faster in certain areas.

Plus, with Virgin, you can still get the same huge range of cable TV channels that Sky, BT, and EE offer, giving you the ability to watch the Premier League, F1, UFC, and Champions League, as well as movies, American dramas, Nat Geo, the Discovery Channel, and HBO box sets.

Virgin Media TV is a bit more streamlined than most other cable providers though, in that fewer bundled streaming services are available to include. You can get Netflix, but other streaming services like NOW TV and Disney+ aren’t available to purchase.

A big advantage of Virgin Media is they give you anytime landline calls to UK numbers free of charge, on many of their broadband and TV packages. You don’t have to pay an extra monthly fee, like you do with Sky.

Also, the monthly costs on their broadband plans tend to be very reasonable, given the download speeds on offer.

However, Virgin Media’s customer support isn’t as good as most other major providers at the moment, according to Ofcom research. Their customers submit more official complaints and wait longer to speak to customer support compared to BT, Sky, and EE customers.

Virgin Media logo.
Overall value
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Pros

  • You get free inclusive landline calls on some plans.
  • Low broadband monthly costs.
  • Fast download speeds.

Cons

  • Customer service isn’t the best.

4. Vodafone Pro II Broadband

Rather than offering cable TV, Vodafone gives you inclusive access to Apple TV+, as well as a free Apple TV 4K device, with their Pro II Broadband deals.

Apple TV is like Netflix, just with a different range of shows, and the Apple TV 4K device allows you to easily cast TV programmes, including on other apps like Netflix, to your TV. It also gives you access to Apple Fitness and Apple Arcade, allowing you to play games or do workout sessions from your living room.

Vodafone Pro II Broadband is available with download speeds of up to 910 Mbps, and it also comes with a range of other extras, including a mobile broadband backup device, preventing your internet from ever going offline.

You also get a WiFi 6E router, giving you the best possible Wi-Fi signal throughout the house, and there are no upfront costs for new Vodafone Broadband customers.

If you want anytime landline calls to UK numbers as well, there’s another add-on called “Xtra” you can include on any Pro II Broadband deal.

The downside to Vodafone is its monthly costs are quite high. You end up paying a lot for the included extras, especially given that you don’t get access to Sky Sports, TNT Sports, or any other cable channels.

Vodafone logo.
Overall value
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Pros

  • Includes free Apple TV+ for 24 months.
  • Comes with a range of useful extras.
  • No upfront fees.

Cons

  • Expensive, given no cable channels are included.

What you need to know

A smart TV with a number of TV apps displayed on the screen.

In this part, we’ve explained some key things to consider when comparing different broadband, TV, and phone deals.

How do broadband, phone and TV deals work?

Most broadband providers, except Virgin Media, no longer sell combined packages that come with broadband, cable TV, and home phone service, in large part because landline calling packages are becoming less popular in the UK.

Instead, you’ll likely need to buy a broadband plan, and then add on the TV channels you want, and a home phone package.

When you bundle a TV package onto a broadband plan with the major cable TV providers, like Sky, BT/EE, and Virgin Media, you’ll get a TV box included, allowing you to tune in to different cable channels and stream shows on apps like Netflix and Amazon Prime, as well as rewind and record live TV.

If you have multiple TVs, you can choose to add on smaller TV boxes for use in these other rooms, for an extra monthly cost.

On the other hand, with cheaper broadband providers, or if you choose a cheaper TV bundle, you might only get access to certain streaming apps, rather than being sent a TV box. You’ll need to cast shows to your TV using a Chromecast, or by logging into a streaming app on your smart TV.

In terms of landline phone add-ons, by default, many fibre broadband plans come with no landline service these days. You will need to pay a bit extra to have the ability to make pay as you go calls.

On top of this, you can also add on anytime calls to UK landlines and mobiles with most providers, or just get evening and weekend calls, which is a better choice if you don’t use your landline much.

Essentially, if you want a broadband, phone and TV deal, you’ll need to build it from scratch. This will require a bit of extra work compared to buying a single package, but will give you a lot of flexibility when shopping.

How to get the cable TV channels you need

Woman watching TV eating popcorn.

Most cable TV providers have a range of different channel packs that you can pick and choose from.

To get the cable channels you need, and avoid the ones you don’t, look for a provider that allows you as much flexibility as possible in choosing between different TV channel packages.

Here are some common TV packs you’ll find available on the market.

  • Basic Sport: channels such as Eurosport, and potentially TNT Sports with UFC.
  • Premium Sport: all sports channels, including live Sky Sports with the Premier League.
  • Entertainment: Sky Max, Sky Atlantic, and HBO – this normally also includes documentary channels like Discovery, although sometimes these are available separately.
  • Movies: Sky Cinema and other on-demand films.
  • Kids: Sky Kids, Cartoon Network, and other kids’ shows.
  • Asian channels: Indian reality TV, movies, and other Asian TV shows.
  • Streaming: many cable TV providers now offer the ability to bundle Netflix and other streaming services with your package.

Do I need a satellite dish?

These days, to get TV service, you don’t need to have a satellite dish installed.

Most of the time, your cable TV will be delivered through your broadband connection. Your TV box will connect to your Wi-Fi router, allowing you to get access to TV over the internet.

Many Sky customers currently use a satellite dish, but with their new Sky Stream product, you can now access Sky TV using your broadband connection.

How to calculate what broadband speed you need

EE 5G home broadband Ethernet speed test.

Apart from the range of cable TV channels you choose to include, the other main thing that will determine how much you pay each month is the broadband speed you get.

While ultrafast fibre broadband is great to have, it can also be very expensive, especially when paired with a cable TV and home phone bundle.

The more people live at home, and the more time you spend online, the faster an internet connection you’ll need to avoid buffering when watching TV, and lag when gaming.

For most families, a 50-75 Mbps download speed will offer plenty of bandwidth, but you might want 100-150 Mbps if you’re streaming TV over your broadband connection, especially if it’s common for multiple people to watch TV or get online at the same time.

To learn more, find out exactly what internet speed you need.

Inclusive calling plans explained

When you buy a calling plan with a broadband deal, the following types of packages are normally available:

  • Pay as you go: you’ll pay per minute for each landline call made. You’ll also have to pay a monthly fee for the phone service as well, with many providers. This is especially likely when using a full fibre broadband service where paying line rental is not required.
  • Evening and weekend calls to UK landlines and mobiles, giving you inclusive calls at certain times, such as from 7pm to 7am. Sometimes, you can buy weekend calls separately as well.
  • Calling minute packages, giving you a certain number of landline phone minutes you can use each month.
  • Anytime calls to UK landlines and mobiles.
  • International calls – normally restricted to a certain number of minutes each month to a certain number of countries.

For most people, getting an evening and weekend calls plan, or a bundle with a certain number of minutes, is the best choice. Unless you make more than 20 minutes’ worth of landline calls a day on average, it’s probably not worth paying for anytime calls.

Is it worth paying more for extra TV add-ons?

Person using a TV remote.

Some cable TV providers, especially Sky, like to offer extra products or services you can choose to include when buying a TV deal.

For example, you might be given the option of paying for:

  • Extra TV boxes, to use in other rooms with TVs.
  • Dolby Atmos audio.
  • The ability to skip ads on certain channels.
  • Ultra high definition (UHD) video quality.
  • TV streaming hardware, such as an Apple TV 4K.

Most of the time, these add-ons are not worth paying for, with the possible exception of getting more set-top boxes for different rooms in your house.

These extras can be quite expensive, and many of them, especially hardware devices, can sometimes be purchased separately for a cheaper price.

Before including a certain add-on, it’s important to carefully consider whether or not it’s actually worth buying. For example, before paying more for 4K UHD video streaming, you need to check that your TV is capable of supporting ultra high definition video.

Conclusion

You’ve reached the end of our broadband, TV and home phone bundles buyer’s guide.

Still not sure which provider to choose? Leave a comment below with any questions you have, and we’ll get back to you.

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6 thoughts on “Best Broadband, TV and Phone Deals | With Line Rental (UK)”

    • Probably Virgin Media with their O2 Volt SIM deals, or BT, which offer a similar thing with BT Mobile SIM bundles. Virgin Media’s landline deals are normally a bit cheaper, so they might be the better deal.

      Reply
  1. 2 old married couple want to watch ordinary tv be able to telephone family ( not excessive),no sport,,s , mainly soaps. And earn channel.
    Can you advise a package for this as we have no idea what to change to paying £30 month going to £104 aged last.have cancelled Please advise.

    Reply
    • NOW Broadband Fab Fibre might be a good choice – you should be able to get a package for £30-£35 per month, depending on the phone calling package you choose. It sounds like you might not need cable TV – soaps and similar shows can be accessed cheaply using streaming services, which you might want to buy separately from your broadband. If you do want to access cable TV, getting a plan for £30 per month might be tricky.

      Reply
  2. At the moment we are paying £71.36 a month for a land line/TV/broadband package with Virgin.
    We don’t need to stream but just to record from the TV to watch later. We don’t need ultrafast broadband but on the other hand we don’t want it to be slow. What we pay now seems a lot so is there a more economical way we can take advantage of ? We are both in out 70s .

    Reply
    • Hi, Sky might be worth looking at, especially if you need a landline. You could get their TV box with only very basic streaming included, so you’re not paying too much for it. BT is also worth looking at, but their landline plans are much more expensive.

      Reply

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