BT TV, the TV platform offered by BT to its broadband customers, is bringing back what has arguably been its best TV offer this year – but this time, there’s also a new broadband deal on top.
The TV bundle includes a subscription to two popular streaming services, along with BT’s 4K YouView recorder box, which also lets you watch Freeview without an aerial.
BT’s Entertainment Package offers the “Basic” Netflix subscription, Sky’s NOW Entertainment membership, and the 4K Pro box – and it normally costs £17/month.
For a limited time, however, BT is offering the same package for just £6/month – with a 24 months contract – for new and existing BT Broadband customers.
And this time, BT is sweetening the offer even further – with three months of free BT Broadband.
This means you’ll be getting Broadband (several plans and speeds are available), Netflix, NOW and the Freeview recorder box – for just £6/month. There’s also free Set Up (the usual price is £29.99)
Once the three months are up, you will continue to get the same BT TV Entertainment price (£6/m) until your contract ends – but the broadband cost will jump up to its regular rate.
The offer is available to both new AND existing BT customers (with a few caveats), but it’s only available until November 3, so customers will need to hurry up and check whether this is a good deal for them – see our detailed opinion below.
The BT TV Box Pro, which you get as a part of this bundle (as a loan – you don’t own the box), recently got upgraded with a new ‘Internet Mode’ – which finally lets you watch some Freeview channels without an aerial.
This makes BT’s bundle a tempting offer for those who can’t use an aerial (due to bad reception), and is in direct competition with Sky’s upcoming standalone Stream box, and Virgin Media’s Stream Box – both of which also let you stream Freeview channels via broadband.
BT has been bundling Netflix into its TV packages since last year, shortly after launching its 4K BT TV Box Pro box.
The box is a 4K/HDR YouView-based device with streaming apps and plenty of storage for Freeview recordings.
The box supports Dolby Atmos sound, has 4 tuners (so you can record up to 3 shows on separate channels and watch a fourth), 1TB of storage, a Bluetooth remote and WiFi/Ethernet connectivity.
The BT TV Box Pro also has a long list of supported streaming apps – Netflix, Amazon’s Prime Video, NOW, Britbox, BT Sport, BT Player, Milkshake and more, as well as all the standard catch-up streaming apps – BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All4, My5, UKTV Play, S4C, STV Player and BBC Sounds.
And, as mentioned, you can use it to watch many (but not all) Freeview channels without an aerial – and even record programmes from those channels to its internal storage, something both Sky Glass/Stream and Virgin’s Stream Box can’t do.
For those who want to watch in additional rooms – BT recently launched the BT TV Mini Box, which also includes streaming apps and the ability to stream Freeview channels via broadband – but it doesn’t have any recording capabilities.
BT’s “Flexible” TV packages are attached to BT’s broadband plans (you can’t get BT TV on its own, except for BT Sport, which is also available as a monthly pass and on Sky and Virgin Media).
The BT TV packages, along with BT’s broadband, come with a 24-months contract – so in practice, they’re not very “flexible” – not as flexible as standard streaming services, at least.
But the flexible part does come from being able to change your TV package every 30 days – switch from Entertainment to Sports, cancel one and add another, or just get the VIP package which includes everything (but you can’t cancel the TV contract completely, until your contract is up).
However, if you switch from the Netflix and NOW package, you will most likely not be able to get it back at the £6/month price point (as normally it’s £17/m) – so be careful with that.
In addition to seamlessly switching between packages, customers can also attach stand-alone add-ons to their packages – such as Sky’s NOW streaming plans, Amazon’s Prime Video, and more – or upgrade to Netflix’s higher tiers (to get 4K content, for example).
The cheapest BT TV bundle is the “Entertainment Package”, which includes:
Until November 3, 2022, you can get this package for £6/month, instead of the usual £17/month.
If you wish, you can later add or upgrade the package (change from Netflix’s Basic plan to the 4K one, for example – at an extra cost, of course).
You can also add some of BT’s other packages – if you want to add sports, for example.
Remember – you also need to be a BT Broadband customer (which incurs an additional cost), either a new one or an existing one – plus sign a 24-months contract, both for broadband and the TV package.
Along with the BT TV offer, BT is also currently running a broadband deal, where you get the first three months for free.
The broadband plans on offer include Fibre Essential, Superfast Fibre and Full Fibre – up to the Full Fibre 900Mbps plan.
From now until November 3, new customers taking out BT Broadband will get the first three months of their package for free, including a free Set Up Fee (usually £29.99).
From Month 4, the broadband price will revert back to its normal rate. Your exact savings depend on the type – and speed – of the plan you choose.
In addition, within the three free months, new and existing BT customers will also be able to take out Complete Wi-Fi and receive the first three months for free – saving £36 in total.
“Complete Wi-Fi” delivers wall-to-wall coverage around your home, using Wi-Fi discs to extend your Smart Hub 2’s signal.
Without BT, the Basic Netflix plan normally costs £6.99/month (after this year’s price increase), and the NOW Entertainment membership costs £9.99/month if you buy it directly.
Furthermore, Netflix is launching an ad-supported tier next month, which will cost £4.99/month – so if you’re willing to watch adverts, you’ll pay even less.
So, at the regular price of £17/month, you’re not really saving any money with the BT Entertainment Package – except, perhaps, if you take into consideration the TV Box Pro.
A similar Freeview recorder, which also includes streaming apps, like the Humax Aura (see our review), costs around £250. So you’re basically getting an expensive recorder/streaming box for “free” (but you have to give it back if you leave BT).
However, things are different with this limited-time £6/month offer – with it, you’re getting NOW Entertainment and Netflix (albeit the Basic plan) at almost a third of the normal cost of both of them together.
So looking at the price alone, it’s a good deal. BUT… remember you’re also signing up for BT’s broadband service, which may not necessarily be the cheapest or the best in your particular situation/address.
Of course, you’re also getting three free months of BT’s broadband – but you still need to calculate the total cost over 24 months (including the free months), and compare it to other broadband companies.
So first, you have to make sure BT’s broadband service is a good idea for you, AND you’re willing to sign a 24-months contract.
Then, the Entertainment Package, as an add-on, becomes a good deal. However – I’m not a big fan of long TV contracts, and you lose the flexibility that cord cutting normally gives you, when you sign up for a Netflix/NOW package for 24 months.
So, with both pros and cons, this comes down to your future plans – if you see yourself watching Netflix and NOW for the next 24 months anyway – then you might as well pay less.
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My name is Or Goren and I’ve been a personal finance writer for many years, as well as a long-time TV cord cutter and a tech enthusiast. Learn More.
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