Sky’s TV service offers a huge range of TV channels, but you can save on your monthly bills by switching to BT Vision. We compare BT Vision to Sky for you!
Comparing BT Vision to Sky
On this site, we’ve reviewed both the Sky and the BT Vision digital TV services. One of our more common questions we get, is "how do the two services compare?" Here are just a couple of questions:
Is BT Vision a good alternative to Sky? I have BT Broadband, and am looking for a TV package which gives me options to record, expand as and when I want. I don’t want to pay loads every month Martin P.
I have been offered BT Vision TV for a decent price. I have currently got Sky, is BT vision any good? Daniel
How to choose?
That’s a tricky one to answer, as it really depends on what you want from your home TV service. BT Vision is generally cheaper than Sky, so can save you money, but it doesn’t offer you the same channel choice as you get on Sky.
If, say, you can’t live without Sky One, then BT Vision is not the answer. Alternatively, if you’re paying Sky £50 a month for channels you’re not really watching, then you could drastically reduce this monthly outgoing by going for BT Vision solution.
To help you make up your mind, here are a few comparisons between BT Vision and Sky:
The TV Service
- Sky requires you to have a satellite dish and a phone line.
- For BT, you need to get your broadband from BT, get a line speed of at least 2Mbps, and be able to get a decent Freeview signal where you live
Costs
This depends on what services you sign up to, and what you want to watch. Here is a rough guide to the prices you can expect to pay:
| Setup Cost | Monthly subscription cost | |
| Prices for Sky Digital | Free | From £21.50 a month (for Sky Entertainment) to over £82 a month (all channels plus HD) |
| Prices for BT Vision | £30 | From £4 a month (Vision Essentials) to £29.90 a month (Vision Unlimited plus Sky Sports 1 & 2. ESPN free) |
Prices exclude Broadband costs and landline rental charges. May be cheaper when ordered as a package, or if a special offer is in effect.
TV Channels
- Sky offers over 300 TV channels, many of which are not available on BT Vision (e.g. Sky One, Sky Atlantic, GOLD, Disney, Sci-Fi)
- BT Vision offers 50 channels, all of which are available on Sky
Sports Channels
- Sky offers Sky Sports 1, 2, 3 and 4, plus Sky Sports News. They offer HD Sports channels too. ESPN and other sporting channels are also available
- BT Vision offers Sky Sports 1 , Sky Sports 2 and ESPN. There are no HD sports channels
Movies
- Sky offers the various Sky Movies channels, plus the Sky Box Office service. If you have a Sky broadband connection, you can also get the Sky+ Anytime on-demand movie service. Most films available from Sky are available in standard and HD
- BT Vision does not carry Sky Movies. The only movie channel is Film 4. BT Vision does offer a large number of film titles on their on-demand service (over 600 at the time of writing, including some blockbuster hits). There’s also the BT Vision Film Club (75 films a month, included in the Gold Package). There is a small selection of HD movies.
HD High Definition
- Sky offers over 50 TV channels in HD, as well as movies on demand in HD over Sky Broadband
- BT Vision does not offer any live HD channels. A small selection of movies can be downloaded in HD
Catch-Up TV
- BT Vision offers BBC iPlayer, ITV Net Player, 4 on Demand and Demand 5 catch-up TV services.
- Sky offers some Sky content “on demand” to Sky Broadband customers. Nothing from BBC, ITV, Channel 4 or 5
Set-top box
Sky and BT Vision both offer high-spec set-top boxes as standard. They both operate as digital TV recorder, support pause and rewind, offer on-screen programme guides, and allow you to use Series Link, to follow a TV series. For general use, the boxes do the same main tasks.
- The Sky boxes offer better connectivity to a second TV set, and with Sky you can use Remote Record to get a recording from a web browser or mobile phone.
- The programme search facilities on the BT Vision box are better than on the Sky+ box
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More Info on BT Vision
To see if BT Vision is available for you, and what the current offers on the service are, go to the BT Vision website
The choice between Sky and BT TV is almost a no brainer when you realise that BT don’t offer live channels in HD. Just this simple choice has helped me make up my mind as I watch a lot of sport. The thought of non-HD sport makes me shudder.
I appreciate that what BT offer is a lot cheaper but I am left with the feeling that you get what you pay for, as with most things in life.
I am moving house soon (to Glengormley….BT36)BT appeals to me currently have Sky not a big sports fan but watch a lot of Irish channels (RTE,TG4 etc) do BT have these channels on there list?