Sky TV and broadband price rise coming in April ― and Sky finally revealed how much extra you’ll have to pay
Sky has confirmed plans to increase broadband and TV bills by 6.7% on average from April 1, 2024
SKY PRESS OFFICE
Sky has confirmed broadband and TV bills will be increasing by roughly 6.7% for customers nationwide from April 1, 2024. That means if you pay £50 a month for your broadband and Sky TV, you’ll need to find an extra £40 a year to keep enjoying that same package.
If you’re currently a Sky customer, the brand will be contacting you with the exact calculation of your new bill in the coming weeks.
If you’re not happy with the increase, Sky will let broadband customers leave penalty-free no matter who much time is left in the minimum contract term. All you need to do is contact the customer care team within 30 days of being told of an upcoming price increase.
Sky is an outlier amongst broadband and television providers in the UK, which almost all set their annual price rises based on measures of inflation, like the Consumer Price Index (CPI) or Retail Price Index (RPI) — a practice that Ofcom wants to ban in the coming month.
Devesh Raj, who is Chief Operating Officer at Sky, confirmed the 2024 price rise for almost all Sky customers
SKY PRESS OFFICE
BT, Plusnet, EE, TalkTalk, and Three customers can expect monthly bills to increase by 7.9% in April. All these firms link set annual price rises based on a measure of inflation, although BT has announced plans to shake up its policy so that it’s closer to Sky TV later this year.
Meanwhile, Virgin Media O2 customers will need to hold their breath a little longer. The company sets its prices based on the RPI figures announced in February.
Confirming the price rise coming to Sky TV and broadband customers, Chief Operating Officer Devesh Raj said: “It’s never welcome news that the cost of products and services are increasing, especially at a time when many households continue to face tightened budgets.
“From April 1, most of our TV and broadband customers will see a monthly increase to the cost of their package, with the average increase across our products being 6.7%. We have worked hard to keep our prices as low as possible,” he adds.
Sky says it will freeze social tariffs for broadband and mobile customers. These affordable plans are only available to customers who are eligible for Universal Credit.
Why the increase in price? According to Sky, the annual price hike reflects “the increasing external costs Sky, and the entire industry, continues to face ― whether that’s the energy we are using to power our data centres, investments in the technology we need to develop our products, or the amount we pay wholesalers for our connectivity infrastructure”.
However, it has also pledged more investment into its services to offer “faster, more reliable” broadband, “unmissable entertainment, or the latest innovative technology”.
Sky COO Devesh Raj promised 8,000 extra hours of sport coverage, including football, tennis, and rugby league, for those with a Sky Sports subscription. Sky will launch a brand-new Sky Sports Tennis channel later this month at no extra cost to existing subscribers.
He also highlighted some of the biggest TV shows coming to its platform in the coming months, including the second series of House of the Dragon, The Sympathizer, and The Regime.
Reflecting on the announcement, Rocio Concha, Which? Director of Policy and Advocacy, said: "It's very disappointing to see Sky raising prices for customers in this unpredictable way. Consumers deserve pricing certainty rather than being blindsided with more above inflation hikes.
"Unlike people trapped by their contract when prices rise, Sky customers can take action. Customers should send a message to Sky by voting with their feet and taking advantage of their right to exit within 30 days.
“Our recent research found, on average, Sky TV and broadband customers could save £152 by switching.”
"Ofcom's current proposals to ban inflation-linked price rises don't extend to the 'prices may vary' terms that Sky is using for these ad-hoc hikes. The regulator should commit to closing this loophole and banning all forms of unpredictable price rises to protect millions of people."
It’s been a gruelling few years for broadband and paid-TV customers.
Following months of spiralling inflation figures, broadband customers who held a contract with BT, EE, TalkTalk, or Vodafone saw their monthly bills skyrocket by over 14% last year. Virgin Media O2 was close behind with a 13.8% increase for all customers in early 2023, while Sky customers saw bills for broadband and television rise by an average of 8.1%.
Although things are a little easier this time around ― and Ofcom is looking to step-in and set new boundaries for broadband companies looking to racket-up bills each year ― most British households will still be paying much more for their broadband connection and satellite channels.
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Switching between broadband brands that rely on Openreach infrastructure, including BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Plusnet, and EE, is easy. You don’t even need to inform your current provider that you’re looking to switch. Simply sign up for the new deal and the new supplier will contact your previous provider to organise a switchover date so you’re not left without internet for more than a day.
Unfortunately, moving between Openreach-powered connections and separate fibre networks, like the one used by Virgin Media O2, Giganet, and Hyperoptic is a little more onerous and you’ll need to organise the shut-off date yourself.
However, that’s set to change with the introduction of new rules from Ofcom in the coming months.
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