BT Vision vs. Sky+ vs Virgin TV

Watching television is one of those pleasures in life enjoyed by almost all of us. There are movies, reality shows, sports events (and let’s not forget our favourite adverts) all available with the click of a simple button. However, in today’s busy world, many people do not stop to wonder whether the service they have makes the grade.

There are currently three major broadband providers offering television services to meet your ever changing demands and needs: BT Vision, Sky+, and Virgin TV. Maybe you are wondering, what is the difference? Television is just television, right? Well, yes and no. Depending on your expectations of the television service, quality, and performance, various providers offer various benefits.

Sky+ offers specialised and customised equipment allowing for instant rewind, one-touch recording, advanced parental controls, and an interactive on-screen TV guide with built-in reminders so you don’t miss your favourite show.  With Sky+ the consumer stays in control of their viewing experience. With a fee of 99 as a one-off cost, the consumer is offered reduced installation charges and programme fees if requirements are met.

The standard installation for Sky+ is 60 per month unless the consumer subscribes to multiroom services and then the installation fee is waived. The programme subscription is 10 per month unless the consumer subscribes to 2 or more of the premium channels offered by Sky+ and then the fee is waived. The purchase of 2 premium channels costs 15 per month; 4 premium channels cost 18 per month; 6 premium channels cost 21 per month. Additionally, multiroom service costs a minimum of 10 per month. The hardware for the multiroom package costs either 49 or 99 initially.

BT Vision offers a unique on-demand service not offered by other service providers while offering 40 freeview channels. With BT Vision the consumer gets the one-touch recording options common with the advanced packages of many cable companies. Additionally, BT Vision offers the ability to rent specific programmes on-demand. Read full BT Vision review.

The BT Vision V-box, including the free BT Home Hub wireless router for optional broadband, is free for Total Broadband subscribers or 199 for non-subscribers. The installation fee is 60, and the connection fee is 30. Additionally, BT Vision offers TV Show and TV Replay for 9 per month, kid’s shows for 6 per month, Music Videos for 6 month, and TV for 6 per month, or all the packages for 14 per month. The best thing about this is that you are not stuck in an agreement any specific time for the additional packaging. You stay in control, and the agreement is billed and made month-to-month.

BT Vision works by allowing you to rent the programming you want when you want it. Each on-demand programme is rented for a 24-hour period and is recordable on the internal hard drive for future viewing. The charges per show varies for only a few pence to a few ’s depending on what you watch.

Virgin TV cannot be excluded from the viable options in advanced television watching within the UK. Virgin TV offers crystal clear television viewing with up to 500 additional films at your beck and call. The Virgin YV packages run in conjunction with Virgin Phone services rather than the Broadband requirements of BT Vision and Sky+. With Virgin TV, you can choose from the 39 channel digital pack free with Virgin Phone service, 83 channel digital pack at only 11.50 with Virgin Phone services, and over 129 channel digital pack at only 20.50 with Virgin Phone services.

Additionally, Virgin TV offers on-demand viewing of over 500 films with prices ranging from 1.50 to 3.75 per film.  For an additional 10 to 15 per month, the Virgin TV viewer can get the V+ service which allows for pausing, rewinding, and recording of those “must not miss” shows.

Which service is right for you? All three service providers offer excellent packages perfectly suited to specific consumers. Depending on what you want, you will find either BT Vision, Sky+, or Virgin TV is the right choice for you. If you already have BT Total Broadband, BT Vision will probably be most beneficial for you; if you are already a Virgin Phone service users, Virgin TV will probably be the most suited to your needs. However you look at it – consumers have more options today than ever before for excellence in television viewing. Choosing the right pack is after all, a personal choice best made by deciding what you want, and how much you are willing to spend initially.