What is a Broadband, TV and Phone Deal?
A TV, phone, and broadband package combines three services from the same provider, giving you everything you want in one tidy package.
It can often be a good way to save money, as it may work out cheaper than signing up to each service individually. It can also cut out a lot of hassle when it comes to contracts and admin.
Which providers offer broadband, home phone and TV packages?
- Sky TV, Broadband and Phone Deals
- Virgin Media Broadband, TV and Phone Bundles
- NOW TV with Broadband and Phone
- BT Broadband with TV and Phone Deals
- TalkTalk TV, Phone and Broadband
- Vodafone Broadband, Phone and TV Deals (available if you upgrade Vodafone Pro II to Pro II Xtra)
What TV channels can I get with a TV and broadband bundle?
There are too many channels for us to list here, but check out our 'Compare TV and Broadband Deals' page for a summary table. Here, you'll find the best place to catch up on your favourite TV shows, watch Premier League football or sign into Sky Atlantic, Sky Sports, TNT Sports (previously known as BT Sport) or Sky Cinema.
Which TV service is best for me?
The premium services from Sky TV, Virgin Media, and BT offer loads of channels and are great for fans of movies, sports, and US TV imports. But these can be expensive.
NOW TV passes tend to be cheaper and may provide a little more flexibility. You’ll have more choice over the channels you get and how often you pay for your package. But the variety might be a little more limited.
What phone call packages are available?
You can generally get the following calls packages with your broadband bundle:
- Free anytime calls: Free landline calls to most numbers at any time.
- Free evening and weekend calls: Free calls to most numbers at these specific times.
- No calls: Pay the standard network rate for calls from the phone line on a pay as you go basis.
- International calls: Some packages include free international calls too, although these aren’t as common and are pricier.
What are the advantages of broadband, TV and phone deals?
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How can I find the best TV, phone and broadband bundle for me?
Once you've entered your postcode or address into our deals checker, here are a few points to consider when choosing the best deal:
Monthly price
Broadband TV and phone bundles are the most expensive packages - so be ready for higher prices.
Line rental is included, but optional extra channels are not. Pay-per-view purchases and phone calls can also be added to the monthly bill.
Remember that providers have the right to increase prices mid-contract. But if you’re worried about that, some offer fixed-price guarantees that mean your bill won't increase during the initial contract term.
See also:
Contract Length
The minimum contract lengths are often on the longer side for a bundled broadband, TV and phone deal. The standard will be either an 18-month or 24-month contract.
NOW Broadband is your best bet if you want to keep your contract to a minimum. Its Fab Fibre or Super Fibre with Entertainment Membership deals are available on a 12-month contract.
Unfortunately, you won’t find much in the way of shorter-term or one-month contracts for TV, broadband and phone bundles. Visit our guide to no-contract broadband for more information about these types of deals.
Broadband Speed
You shouldn’t have any problems with a bundled TV service, regardless of your package’s average download speed. You might be fine with a basic ADSL service of around 11Mb if you aren’t fussed for watching in HD. However, we recommend aiming for an entry-level superfast broadband service with a speed of around 35Mb. You’ll have no problems streaming TV, and it’ll easily handle anything else you might want to do with the broadband.
If you have multiple people online streaming at the same time, or if you want to view 4K content, you should choose a faster superfast fibre optic service with a higher average speed. Or an ultrafast, full fibre deal, if you have access to a FTTP network.
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What’s does FTTP mean?
Full Fibre broadband is also known as ‘Fibre To The Premises’, ‘Fibre To The Home’. This is often shortened to FTTP or FTTH. They’re all the same thing!
Instead of copper telephone wire making up the final part of the journey from that green cabinet on the street, fibre optic cables are installed right up to your home.
It’s amazing the difference in speed this small data journey can have. With full-fibre broadband you can expect to receive speeds of 1Gb+.
The downside is full-fibre is only available to a small percentage of homes in the UK, and it’s taking a good while to get everyone up to speed.
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What does ADSL mean?
ADSL stands for ‘Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line’. It’s broadband technology that allows the transfer data across regular telephone lines. You can make calls at the same time as being connected to the internet.
An ADSL line will, at minimum, allow for a broadband connection of up to 8Mb. These days, that’s pretty slow and won’t allow you to do much other than emailing or basic web searches.
ADSL2+ is now available at nearly all exchanges across the UK with slightly faster data transfer rates of around 10-11Mb.
For more information on this, check out our guide to what broadband speed you need.
Data limit
You should find that all but the cheapest TV, broadband and phone packages offer unlimited broadband. In fact, on Broadband Genie, you’ll only find unlimited broadband providers.
Streaming TV uses lots of data, so unlimited is always best for a bundled TV and broadband deal.
However, do read the small print as what you think ‘unlimited’ means might differ from your broadband supplier! Read more about potential restrictions in our guides to traffic management and fair use policies.
Effective cost
Here we take the monthly prices but work in any upfront fees. Remember, setup fees can be higher with TV bundles. We’ll also show you special offer discounts and any freebies you might be able to get.
We’ll show you what you’ll actually pay per month over the whole contract — that can be a real eye-opener!
Frequently Asked Questions about broadband, TV and phone deals
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Do I need a TV licence if I have a TV, phone and broadband bundle?
A TV licence is required to watch any live TV content, regardless of how you watch it, including channels on Freeview. TV bundles do not include a TV licence.
Streaming TV from services such as Amazon Prime, NOW TV or Disney+ doesn’t require a licence, but you will need one for BBC iPlayer.
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How are TV, broadband and phone services installed?
They are installed much like any other broadband connections. The exception is Sky. Unless you sign up to Sky Glass or Sky Stream, you’ll need to have a satellite dish installed at your property.
Activation can take around 14 days. You’ll be asked to choose a convenient date around two weeks after taking out a deal for your services to be activated.
In that time, you should receive your equipment, like the TV box and router. You should be able to set these up yourself, but you can always give your provider a call if you have any questions.
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Will I need an engineer?
Setting up a bundled broadband, TV and phone deal is easy and you can often do this yourself. However, you’ll need to arrange an engineer visit:
- To install a Sky dish
- To install a fibre, phone, or Virgin Media line if it’s not already present at the property
- To repair a damaged line
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What streaming services can I get included in TV and phone bundles
Netflix can be added to Sky, BT, TalkTalk, and Virgin TV and phone deals. Similarly, Disney+ can be added to Sky. And as mentioned, Vodafone and EE give access to Apple TV. BT TV now includes Netflix as part of its Entertainment bundle, or as an add-on for sports packages.
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Do I have to pay extra for a TV set-top box with a bundled broadband deal?
This will vary depending on the package. You may find that setup costs are higher for bundled TV, broadband and phone deals. But you shouldn’t have to pay for the set-top box outright as a new customer.
Your set top box may remain the property of your broadband provider during your contract, and you might be asked to return it in good condition. You’ll be told if this is the case when you sign up. This will be the same for your bundled Wi-Fi router.
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Is it easy to switch to a broadband, TV and phone deal?
Switching broadband is easy. If you need more help, you can read our guide to switching broadband.
In most cases, your new provider will handle most of the admin for you, including cancelling your existing service. This will definitely be the case if you’re switching between providers who are both on the Openreach network.
If you’re still under contract for one of the individual services, such as your TV, you may find it a little trickier and might have a cancellation fee to pay.
Expert Summary
Broadband, TV and phone deals can be a practical way to get all three services. It means you’ll only have one bill and one company to contact for tech support.
However, it can be rather expensive and if you’re not going to watch all the channels or make landline calls? It’s probably not going to be worth it for you.
One alternative is to look into a broadband and phone deal instead.
Alternatively, there are many options now for signing up to streaming services without a lengthy commitment. NOW TV passes offer lots of flexibility, and you can sign up, regardless of whether you’re with NOW Broadband or not.