20 May 10 Make the Save of the Summer with Simplifydigital
With Sky, Virgin Media, BT and others offering superb deals – Simplifydigital cuts out the legwork and selects the cheapest TV packages for the summer of sport
With the changes in the TV sports market as a result of Ofcom’s recent ruling, now is a great time for the armchair sports fan to shop around to find the best deal.
Fans can choose between a huge range of options, in both standard definition and high definition – from Freeview, through to premium Sky Sports and ESPN on the pay digital TV platforms such as Sky, Virgin Media, BT and Top Up TV.
According to Charlie Ponsonby, CEO of Simplifydigital the Ofcom accredited free and impartial advisory service for digital TV, home phone and broadband:
“It is a great year for TV sports fans, with more deals and package options on the market than ever before and there are big savings to be had if you choose your sports package carefully.”
“There are so many package options on the market, we strongly advise talking to an impartial expert before taking the plunge.”
Sport available free to air
Before paying for sport, it is worth considering what is available free to air on Freeview and Freesat.
While Freeview does not have specialist sports channels (aside from Sky Sports News), terrestrial channels BBC and ITV will be showing extensive sports coverage in standard definition, includingthe FIFA World Cup, the continuing Formula 1 season, Wimbledon and the Open Championship.
The FIFA World Cup will also be shown in high definition on BBC HD and ITV HD. Both HD channels are available on Freeview HD and Freesat. But Freeview HD will only be available to approximately 50% of UK homes in June, so you need to check availability in your area before choosing this option.
You will get the FIFA World Cup on the free to air channels as well as other sporting events like Wimbledon, but to enjoy the full range of sport this summer, customers will have to invest in a sports packageto ensure seeing live English Premier League and Scottish Premier League matches.
ESPN – for the football fan on a budget
Last year ESPN picked up the rights for both the Barclays Premier League and Scottish Premier League. ESPN is available on the Sky platform, via Virgin Media, BT Vision and Top Up TV.
Pricing for Sky TV customers who have Sky Sports is £9 per month and £12 per month for all other Sky TV customers.
The ESPN channel is cheaper when bought as part of a Virgin Media TV package. Customers who subscribe to Virgin Media’s XL TV pack can watch ESPN and ESPN HD at no additional cost. As part of the deal, these subscribers also receive ESPN Classic, featuring the greatest moments of UK and European sport. And Virgin Media TV customers on the (M) or ( L) pack will be able to subscribe to ESPN and ESPN HD for £8 a month if they already subscribe to any combination of the Sky Sports channels, or £10 a month if not.
On BT Vision, ESPN is available at no additional cost for BT Vision Value Pack (Bronze, Silver or Gold) subscribers. Whilst on Top Up TV, customers can subscribe to ESPN for £9.99 per month.
For the serious sports fan – the cheapest way to get Sky Sports
Sky Sports includes 92 live Barclays Premier League games (with the season beginning again on 15th August), UEFA Champions League, Live International Cricket, Guinness Premiership Rugby, live NFL, Ryder Cup and PGA European Tour Golf. This summer, Sky Sports’ highlights include: highlights of the FIFA World Cup, the US Open Golf and the US PGA Championship in August, US Open tennis and of course the start of the Barclays Premier League.
The best value way of getting Sky Sports is buying it as part of a digital TV, broadband and home phone bundle.
Ofcom’s ruling, which requires Sky to reduce their wholesale price for the Sky Sports packages by up to 23%, will trigger somewhat of a price war between BT, Sky and Virgin Media. This, of course, is fantastic news for the armchair sports fan.
Sky+HD (with Sky Sports HD channel), Sky Sports, up to 10 Mb/s Sky Broadband; and free evening and weekend calls with Sky Talk costs £51 per month, excluding line rental. The Sky HD subscription is included within the price. If you take the High Definition package the Sky+ HD box comes free. If you want to add ESPN you will have to pay an extra £9 per month.
Virgin Media offers a similar package for £45.45 per month excluding line rental. For this price you don’t get as many channels as Sky’s package and it doesn’t have Sky Sports in HD, but does have the attraction of up to 10 Mb/sec fibre-optic broadband with the option of upgrading to a much higher speed if need be.
BT is also preparing its new BT Vision packages.. If the press is to be believed BT will offer Sky Sports 1 from around £15 per month meaning you can get a BT Vision Bronze pack – which includes 70 Freeview channels as well as two viewing packs of your desire – up to 20Mb broadband, weekend calls to UK landlines and Sky Sports starting from £28.49 for the first 3 months then £43.99 thereafter. The Bronze pack also includes ESPN at no extra charge.
For the serious sports fan who wants it all in high definition (HD)
Charlie Ponsonby comments:
“For serious sports fans who want to watch in HD, Sky offers the best value of all as it has the great advantage of a wide choice of up to 40 channels in HD including the Sky Sports channels.”
HDTV provides superior picture quality which is particularly noticeable for fast-moving sports, so aficionados will hugely appreciate the improved viewing experience that Sky+HD provides.
Only Sky customers can view the Sky Sports Channels in high definition but if you take a HD pack from Virgin Media you will be able to watch HD content on ESPN along with the FIFA World Cup and other “crown jewel” sporting events in HD via the BBC HD and ITV HD channels.
Charlie Ponsonby concludes:
“Prices change almost every week as all the providers offer new and exciting deals across TV, broadband and home phone. So if you think you could be saving money and are not sure which route to take, you can speak to our impartial experts at Simplifydigital and they will be able to help you.”
About Simplifydigital
Simplifydigital.co.uk offers a unique service in the UK, providing a free and impartial consultation for anyone looking to compare broadband, digital TV, or home phone services.
Simplifydigital cuts through the confusion; offers the widest range of digital service providers available and manages the customer through the install of the services.
It is the only retailer of digital TV, broadband and home phone services in the UK to have been accredited by Ofcom as impartial and transparent and on average saves customers over £300 pa by finding them better deals.
Customers can call their London-based experts free on 0800 542 4704 or use their online service at www.simplifydigital.co.uk
Contact details
Charlie Ponsonby, CEO Simplify Digital Limited
M: 07703 502 634
DL: 020 3159 4071
E: cponsonby@simplifydigital.co.uk
Claire MacDonald, Bondy Consulting
M: 07525 399152
E: clairemacdonald@bondyconsulting.com
Tags: compare Broadband, Digital TV, HDTV, Simplifydigital, Sky Sports
09 Dec 09 Simplifydigital’s pick of the digital deals this Christmas!
There has never been a better time to snap up an amazing deal on your digital TV, broadband and home phone services.
This Christmas, you the consumer are well and truly in charge, as the top UK digital providers are competing very hard for your custom, so some of the deals on offer are terrific value!
Whether you’re looking for fibre-optic broadband; a cracking home phone calls package or a top-of-the-range digital TV package with sports, movies and high definition TV – there are some amazing deals to choose from.
Here is our pick of the Christmas digital deals…
High definition TV (HDTV)
High definition TV (HDTV) is the big seller this Christmas. It provides stunning pictures in 4 times the detail of a standard TV programme. HDTV is particularly impressive for sporting events, documentaries, movies and dramas.
Football in HD for example is a huge improvement on the standard TV experience – with players (and the crowd!) visible in extraordinary clarity. In addition, HDTV signals are also broadcast in surround sound making for a much richer sound, as well as visual experience.
In a nutshell, to enjoy HDTV you will need to make sure you have an HD Ready TV; a receiver that can decode the high definition signal, (such as a Sky+HD box, HD Freesat box, or Virgin’s V+ box); and a TV package that includes high definition programming.
The best high definition TV deals this Christmas come from Sky and Freesat.
Sky has by far the largest range of digital TV channels to choose from in the UK, with 35 HDTV channels on offer including Sky OneHD, documentaries, drama, Sky SportsHD, Sky MoviesHD and more. This Christmas Sky is offering a terrific deal on Sky HD with Sky Movies. The deal offers Sky 1 Mix, Sky HD pack and Sky Movies from £44 per month – plus a free Sky+HD box. There is a £30 set up cost.
Freesat on the other hand offers over 140 channels with no monthly subscription, including ITV and BBC in high definition.
As Charlie Ponsonby, CEO of Simplifydigital comments:
“HDTV is the next big revolution in TV entertainment in the UK. It has moved from a niche luxury for the few, to an affordable mass-market entertainment phenomenon – as such it will be one of the big sellers this Christmas.”
Best value digital bundle deals – digital TV, broadband and home phone
All the top UK providers offer great “triple play” bundle deals. These are typically the cheapest way to buy your digital TV, broadband and phone services.
In fact Simplifydigital’s recent research show that customers save an average of over £460 per year by switching to the best value bundle deals.
These deals come in all shapes and sizes. At the value end of the market, Tiscali is offering the best deal of all this Christmas.
The Tiscali package is just £9 per month (excluding line rental) for digital TV, broadband and home phone services!
The package offers 65 digital TV channels including Sky One and a range of on-demand TV content; up to 8 Mb/sec broadband with unlimited downloads; and free weekend calls. Tiscali is also throwing in a Tiscali+ box for free – normal price £100! The Tiscali+ box is a PVR (like Sky+), which allows you to pause and record your favourite TV programmes.
At the top end, you can get Sky’s market leading HD service with Sky Movies; up to 10 Mb broadband and free evening and weekend calls from £54 per month. The Sky+HD box is free with a £30 set up cost.
Alternatively Virgin Media offer super-fast, up to 20 Mb/s fibre-optic broadband size (XL); 175 TV channels (size XL); and free daytime, evening and weekend calls for £5.50 for the first 2 months and then £47 per month. The package has a £35 set up fee and is only available in cable areas.
Best value broadband and home phone bundle deals
Again there is lots to choose from in the crowded broadband market. At the value end of the market, TalkTalk is offering a cracking deal this Christmas.
TalkTalk already offers one of the best value broadband and home phone services, offering up to 8 Mbs wireless broadband for £6.49 per month (excluding line rental of £11.25). The package is exceptional value and includes free evening and weekend calls. What’s more TalkTalk is offering £30 of gift vouchers to every new customer.
At the other end of the spectrum, for the ultimate Christmas treat, why not go for Virgin Media’s unbelievably fast XXL broadband service. This up to 50 Mb/sec fibre-optic broadband service is by far the fastest available in the UK from the top UK providers.
It doesn’t come cheap, but the speed has to be seen to be believed. Virgin XXL Broadband costs £28 per month (excluding £11 line rental). This is reduced from £35 per month.
About Simplifydigital
Simplifydigital.co.uk offers a unique service in the UK, providing a free and impartial consultation for anyone looking to save money and compare broadband, compare digital TV, or compare home phone services.
Simplifydigital cuts through the confusion; offers the widest range of digital service providers available (including Sky, Virgin Media, TalkTalk, AOL, Orange, 02, Top UpTV etc); and manages the customer through the install of the services.
It is the only retailer of digital TV, broadband and home phone services in the UK to have been accredited by Ofcom as impartial and transparent and on average saves customers over £300 pa by finding them better deals. Customers call free on 0800 1 388 388 or use their online service at www.simplifydigital.co.uk
Contact details
Charlie Ponsonby, CEO Simplify Digital Limited
DL: 020 3159 4071
E: cponsonby@simplifydigital.co.uk
Tags: Broadband, compare Broadband, Digital TV package, HDTV
26 Oct 09 Simplifydigital.co.uk predicts a surge in HDTV as it becomes the must have gift this Christmas
High Definition TV (HDTV) is set to be the big home entertainment “must have” this Christmas , as costs come down and a raft of winter’s most talked about programmes receive the HD treatment, according to Charlie Ponsonby, CEO of digital TV comparison service Simplifydigital.
“ HDTV is now Sky’s leading digital TV package and the company has over 1 million HDTV customers. What’s more, 80% of all Freesat boxes sold are HDTV boxes, and Freeview is preparing to launch free to air terrestrial high definition TV early next year – so it really will be a bumper period for HD”, he says.
Is HDTV worth the additional spend?
Most definitely. HDTV provides a picture with four times the detail of standard TV programmes and is particularly impressive for sporting events and documentaries, as well as movies and dramas. Football in HD for example is a huge improvement on the standard TV experience – with players (and the crowd) visible in extraordinary clarity. In addition, HDTV signals are also broadcast in surround-sound making for a much richer aural and visual experience.
Who is broadcasting HDTV content and how do I access it?
To enjoy HDTV, viewers will need to make sure they have an HD Ready TV; a receiver that can decode the high definition signal, such as a Sky+HD box, HD Freesat box, or Virgin’s V+ box; and a TV package that includes high definition programming.
There are four HD packages to choose from:
• By far the largest range of HD programming is provided by Sky with their Sky+HD service – this offers 34 channels broadcast in HD, including premium Sky Sports and Sky Movies as well as drama and documentaries from among others Sky OneHD, National Geographic HD, Discovery HD, History HD and Sci-fi HD.
• Virgin Media also offer HDTV with their HDTV service. This offers 7 HD channels including National Geographic in HD, FX HD and ESPN HD (which shows 46 live FAPL games); as well as a library of HD on-demand content.
• BT Vision does not offer any linear HD channels, but has a selection of on-demand HD content to choose from.
• Freesat, which offers HDTV without a contract or subscription payment, and offers two HD channels: BBCHD and ITVHD.
The HD Autumn Schedule highlights
Broadcasters are rapidly increasing the range of content broadcast in HD, as a result this autumn will be an HD feast – The pick of the schedule is as follows…
BBCHD offers costume dramas in HD such as Emma, as well as popular entertainment show Strictly Come Dancing, and the unfolding Criminal Justice in HD.
ITVHD offers movies, drama and sport in HD – including the Coca Cola League, European World cup Qualifiers and the Champions League.
FXHD offers great drama in HD including Burn Notice and the US version of Life on Mars.
National Geographic HD has a full schedule in HD including Alien Worlds, Oceans in Glass and Megastructures.
Sky1HD has American favourites – House Season 6; Bones, Season 5; Fringe Season 2; Lie to Me Season 2 together with a new sci-fi series Stargate Universe.
Sky Movies Premiere HD’s autumn season includes something for everyone to enjoy, including: Pineapple Express, Ghost Town, Taken , Saw V , Get Smart, How To Lose Friends And Alienate People, The Changeling and The Women.
Sky Sports 1 HD’s schedule includes Barclays Premiere League Games; Champions League; Super League Rugby; LA Liga and the ATP Master on November 22nd
HDTV best buys this autumn
Charlie Ponsonby, from digital TV comparison service Simplifydigital.co.uk concludes:
“For families looking to watch a wide range of content in high definition – from drama, to documentaries, sports and movies – then Sky is the only realistic choice. Sky’s commitment to the HD revolution is really starting to show in terms of the breadth of content that they offer relative to the competition.”
The Sky+HD box also has all the features of a Sky+ box allowing viewers to pause and record live TV. In addition Sky recently cut the price of their HD box to £49.
Virgin Media offer just 7 HD channels, including ESPN HD, which shows live FAPL action in high definition. In addition, they have a wide variety of on-demand content in high definition.
For the budget HD viewer who is happy to watch only BBC and ITV programming in HD, then Freesat is a good choice, but the HD content may feel limited. Freesat does also have additional Freeview channels to watch in standard definition.
BT Vision offers a limited range of HD content on-demand and no HDTV channels and is available only to BT Broadband customers.
Tags: Digital TV, HDTV
