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Price of Sky and Virgin TV bundles up 50% in seven years

Paloma Kubiak
Written By:
Paloma Kubiak
Posted:
Updated:
10/01/2017

The cost of subscription TV bundles have risen by 50% on average since 2010, more than double the rail fare increases bemoaned by commuters.

Pay TV subscribers to popular Sky TV and Virgin Media bundles have seen the price rise at four times the rate of wage inflation (12%) and twice as fast as UK rail fares (23%) in the last seven years.

Research by Freesat, a subscription-free satellite TV service, revealed that in 2010, a basic Sky package topped up with sports channels cost £35 a month, but subscribing to the equivalent package today – the original bundle – with added sports would cost £49.50. That’s a 41% increase.

Sky’s top end bundle – the complete bundle – which includes movies and sports, has risen by 65% from £48.50 in 2010 to £80 in 2017.

Virgin Media’s basic package has risen from £29.99 a month to £45 a month over the same period – a 50% increase.

Sky last increased prices in June 2016 which saw some customers face hikes of £72 a year and a survey by Freesat found that 42% of TV customers feel ‘taken advantage of’ by regular price hikes. A further 45% believed the reasons offered for regular price increases were unclear.

Jennifer Elworthy of Freesat, said: “The cost of Pay TV is becoming increasingly unaffordable, leaving wage growth a long way behind.

“Our research has found that 99% of the most watched shows of Sky customers are available on free-to-air. With so much quality free TV available, consumers don’t need to make sacrifices to enjoy great entertainment.”