Simplifydigital.co.uk considers Ofcom’s decision to allow BT to sell discounted “bundle” deals

Sept. 22, 2009 - PRLog -- Instead customers have been obliged to pay the same price as if the services were bought separately.

This is good news for the consumer in the long run as BT is already planning aggressive discounts for customers taking their “triple play” bundle deal.

However BT still has much to do to, to make their digital TV package called BT Vision competitive from a content perspective.  BT Vision has so far struggled to attract customers reflecting the fact that it only offers Freeview (free to air) channels plus an on-demand library, much of which is pay per view.    It does not therefore offer many of the “hero” channels popular in TV households, such as Sky One, National Geographic, Discovery, FX or Paramount Comedy.

In addition BT Vision suffers from not offering Sky Sports, though it does offer ESPN Sports for free.

Charlie Ponsonby, CEO of digital TV, broadband and home phone comparison service http://www.simplifydigital.co.uk/ comments:

“In the short term BT’s bundles are likely to be better value, but BT Vision has a relatively limited on-demand library and still does not offer Sky One or Sky Sports for example, which will be a deal breaker for households serious about TV.”

“On the other hand, households looking for a fast broadband connection and limited TV, may find the BT bundle very attractive as it now comes with up to 20 Mb sec broadband as standard”

Bundle and Save!

Research from Simplifydigital.co.uk, shows that there are big savings to be made by “bundling” services with a single provider.  Customers who buy all three services from a single provider pay an average of £360 pa less than customers who buy the services from three different providers.

So as a rule of thumb, the more services you bundle, the more you save.  

Finding the best digital TV, broadband deals and home phone bundle deal is not as simple as it might seem.  Bundle deals are complicated and there are literally thousands to choose from and no obvious place to go for impartial advice.  

Recommended bundle deals this September

There are some great value budget digital TV, broadband and home phone bundles to choose from.

Sky offers the best selling basic triple play bundle.  With their introductory package, the family can enjoy their basic TV package with approximately 200 channels including Sky One; a 2 Mb/sec broadband service and free evening and weekend calls for £28.50 per month including line rental.

BT’s triple play package is also very good value if you are not big TV viewers.  The TV is provided via a standard TV aerial (and does not require a satellite dish) and is just the Freeview channels, with additional “on-demand” content, much of which is pay per view.  The BT bundle includes a good quality up to 20 Mb/sec broadband package and free weekend calls for a similar price to the Sky package.

Virgin Media’s £25 per month package has the added appeal of fibre-optic broadband, which allows you to upgrade to super-fast speeds if the family demands it!  Again for TV viewers, it’s worth noting that you are not going to receive Sky One.

Tiscali’s triple play is actually the cheapest of all at just £19.99 per month including line rental.   The TV package has the added benefit of receiving Sky One.  It does however have a very high £99 upfront set up cost.

Five easy steps to finding the perfect bundle deal

Step 1: The first thing to consider when choosing a bundle deal is your address!  Digital TV and broadband service availability varies hugely depending on your location and so too does broadband pricing.  Remember that headline cheap deals that you have seen advertised may not be available in your area

Step 2: You then need to take account of your current services.  Digital TV, home phone, mobile phone and existing broadband services are all important.  

Step 3: Clearly define what you need from your service (taking into account all members of the family!) before looking for the right deal.  Be clear of your family’s needs in terms of: TV channel must-haves and nice-to-haves; high definition TV and PVRs (like Sky+); broadband speed; broadband usage limits; wireless versus a wired connection.

Step 4:  Match your unique needs to the best value deal.  Remember the headline cheapest deal may look attractive, but may well not suit your household’s needs.  And often you will be signing up for a 12 or 18 month contract.  So you will have plenty of time to regret a hasty decision.

Step 5: Migrate your service.  Getting these service installed should be straight forward, but migrating services such as broadband from another supplier can cause problems if not properly managed.

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About Simplifydigital

Simplifydigital offers impartial advice via London based experts over the phone (0800 1 388 388) or online at http://www.simplifydigital.co.uk/ The website is specially designed to allow you to define your exact requirements and see the package options, which you can then order online, or let one of their experts place the order for you.

Simplifydigital is the only retailer of digital TV, broadband deals and home phone services in the UK to be accredited by Ofcom as impartial and their experts are available to answer all your questions and explain the pros and cons of each package option. The added advantage of Simplifydigital is that they have some exclusive deals and guarantee to be on hand to ensure that the installation goes smoothly.