- Sky is raising its prices across its entire range of packages, including Sky TV
- The price changes take effect from 1 April, and customers are already being contacted
- Sky’s price hike comes just in time for HBO Max’s debut in the UK on March 26
Don’t you just love that when the top streaming services roll out another unexpected price increase? This time it’s Sky’s turn, and it’s raising its prices across the board
From April 1, a number of Sky packages will see price rises affecting millions of customers and popular packages across Sky TV, broadband and home phones. Since announcing the changes yesterday (February 18), Sky has started reaching out to customers affected by the price increases with more information about the changes with their specific packages.
Platforms like Netflix are all too familiar with this, and now it’s Sky’s turn – but what’s changing?
As mentioned, Sky TV, Broadband and home phone plans will all face the upcoming price increases, but the exact price increases will all depend on the type of Sky package you have. We have been in contact with Sky and a spokesperson has provided the following statement:
“We always aim to limit the impact of price increases as much as possible and our approach means that Sky customers continue to see some of the lowest increases in the market. These updates will allow us to continue to invest in delivering fast broadband, the best entertainment and live sport and services that our customers can rely on, while tackling rising costs in the industry.”
In addition to Sky’s comment, the company has also given us details about the increases. While Sky Broadband will see a monthly increase of £3, which equates to £36 per year, Sky TV packages will increase by £1 per month/£12 per year for the Basic plan and £3 per month/£36 per year for the Premium plan, and Home Phone will increase by £1 per month/$12 per year.
Sky’s decision to raise prices doesn’t come as a complete surprise, although it’s still pretty frustrating. Just a few weeks ago, HBO Max confirmed a March UK release starting at £4.99 a month, but shortly after the announcement an ‘ultimate’ Sky TV update was revealed, integrating Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+ and Hayu, all of which will be included in the package as standard – also coming in March.
With that in mind, it’s clear what has led to Sky’s upcoming price hike. When HBO Max finally makes its expected debut in the UK on top of the new monster Sky TV streaming package, the number of new sign-ups will no doubt skyrocket.
If the price rises have you second-guessing your Sky membership, here’s what to consider before leaving your contract.
Who can cancel?
For Sky Q (satellite TV) customers, you’ll be able to leave without paying a penalty even if you’re mid-contract, but be aware that you’ll need to act within 30 days of receiving the price rise notice if you want to leave. The same applies if you are a Sky Broadband customer.
However, it’s more complicated for Sky Glass and Sky Stream customers, who won’t be able to cancel if they’re mid-contract. If you have TV add-ons in your package, they are usually monthly rolling contracts, so they can easily be removed from your packages without strings attached to bring the price down.
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