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