Two thirds of pay-TV customers are on bundle deals, paying £672 a year on average
Millions of families paying for bundle TV and internet deals could be wasting hundreds of pounds a year because they don’t actually need all of the services. According to research from Freesat, most (67 per cent) pay-TV customers are on deals which include subscription channels and either, or both, a broadband connection and landline minutes, with the average subscriber spending £672 a year.
Despite this high cost, one in four (25 per cent) admitted that most of their viewing time is spent watching free channels, while one in three (37 per cent) said they watch very few of the subscription channels on offer. This trend is supported by previous Freesat research, which found that 98 per cent of the most viewed broadcasts with Sky TV customers in 2016 were aired on free channels.
The study also found that one in four (24 per cent) bundle customers do not use their landline minutes at all, with this figure rising to 30 per cent among those aged under 45. A huge number of customers are also in the dark when it comes to their service. In the study, 40 per cent of respondents thought it was essential to pay for a landline to receive satellite television, but this is not the case.
According to the research, those enticed into buying bundle deals are also less likely to switch to cheaper options. More than one in ten (12 per cent) customers said they would not consider ending their contract or moving to a cheaper alternative because of the hassle associated with quitting a bundle and setting up a new broadband service.
Freesat spokesperson Guy Southam said: “Bundle deals can seem like the easiest option, especially for people who have just moved into a new property and want to set up their TV and internet services in one go. But our research has shown that these deals can be a waste of money for a lot of customers, and can also discourage people from shopping around and switching to cheaper options in the future.
“Any customers on bundle deals should consider how much they actually watch the channels they’re paying for and which of the extra services they’re using. With cheap broadband deals now very easy to come by, any hassle associated with switching internet provider should not be a reason for staying on an expensive bundle.”
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