This topic

The existing customer £6 entertainment deal

Anonymous — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 09:24:44 GMT

I currently pay Sky £28 per month to access BT Sport on Sky Q, which gets me BT Sport 1, 2, 3 and 4 in HD, plus access in blurry vision (aka Sky Go).

I saw the £6 entertainment offer and noticed that I could add take it and add on BT Sport for £16 plus £6 for the HD/4K add on for a total of £28.

I'm trying to make sure I understand the mechanics of swapping access to BT Sport from Sky, so am I getting the following right?

The £6 for 24 months is the base Entertainment TV pack, to which I can add 1 month add-ons
If I only use add-ons, I can revert back to the £6 pack at any time
If I change package from Entertainment to Big Sport, I could revert, but only at standard pricing
If I add BT Sport as a monthly rolling add on at £16 (+ £6 for HD/4K), I can record if needed
Adding BT Sport gets me access via the BT TV app
Adding BT Sports and the HD/4K pack does not get me access to the BT Sport app (it used to but isn't clear these days)
If I only have the £6 Entertainment pack active in March 2023, that is the only cost the annual price rise applies to (excluding broadband)
The IP delivered streams for channels like ITV 1, 2, 3, 4 etc. are HD as standard and do not require the HD/4K add on*

Any information on the above gratefully received.

*The wording for the HD/4K add-on during the order process states it enables you to "Watch your NOW membership and BT Sport in Full HD + BT Sport Ultimate if you have a 4K TV" and "Includes an upgrade to our 4K recordable TV box, which can record up to 600 hours of TV. 4K TV required to watch in 4K."

No mention of it being required to enable HD for anything else, but I suspect it might be.

Re: The existing customer £6 entertainment deal

Brucemeister5 — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 09:49:36 GMT

We took the £6 offer up in April as existing BT Broadband customers but new BTTV customers. We previously just paid extra for the BT Sport app(£15) and BT Sport Ulitmate (£5)via my Fire TV 4K stick.

You will have access to the BT Sport app and the BT TV app if you take up this offer. You will only have access to BT Sport Ultimate if your line speed is fast enough. Eurosport has recently been made available on the box to those with BT Sport who don’t have Big Sport but it hasn’t been announced officially yet and still isn’t available on the BTTV app or BT Player, although it is recordable on the box. We get Eurosport in HD as we pay for the add-on.

I believe that you will receive the BT Pro tv box if you are a new BTTV customer.

Everything else that you have assumed is correct as far as I know. We have the Entertainment pack( Netflix + Now Ebtertainment ) for £6 and we have BT Sport (£15) and HD/UHD (£5) and Netflix Standard (£4) as add-ons. We haven’t changed anything since we took it up and that explains why our prices may differ to those that you will pay.

Re: The existing customer £6 entertainment deal

Anonymous — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 10:24:06 GMT

Thanks @Brucemeister5.

That all sounds like it will work for me.

Basically, I was pondering whether or not to take this offer up, initially to use as a sort of multiroom, then I can make a decision when my Q contract expires.

As I said, I already have BT Sport through Sky, but it has limitations. Allegedly BT Sport Ultimate is supposedly being added but hasn't appeared and whilst I prefer not to put too much strain on my limited broadband connection, it can handle the few games a month I would watch on the app on my Xbox One S in 4K HDR.

I wouldn't be able to get BT Sport Ultimate through the box as my handback threshold is 42 Mbps.

I also pay Sky for multiroom (discounted), but it rarely gets used, hence I could save even more money by swapping it out for the BT box and still have access to plenty of core TV in the bedroom.

No point me moving anything else across currently as my Q deal is ridiculously cheap and includes Sky Sports in 4K UHD, which is handy because I am pretty sure they are deliberately over compressing SD and HD pictures delivered via satellite these days.

I sort of also like the idea of having a foot in both camps to potentially take advantage of any benefits of the recent Discovery deal. although I admit to having had access to Discovery+ through Sky free for 2 years and still haven't watched anything on it.

I assume I can use an alternate email address for the Netflix account I won't use, then switch it to the one I already use with them if I switch completely?

Re: The existing customer £6 entertainment deal

Brucemeister5 — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 12:18:11 GMT

That’s desperately annoying about your broadband speed. I believe that BT like it to be 44 Mbps before they’ll allow BT Sport Ultimate. We only get 48 Mbps but have never had a problem. In fact we’ve got BT’s unbreakable broadband and when that EE backup kicks in and drops to 30 Mbps we still get BT Sport Ultimate on the Pro tv box.

We used my partner’s email address to sign up to Netflix and Now to make sure that there was no room for any confusion. She’s never had an account with either of them before. I have and I kept my NOW account separate to enable me to still take advantage of the discounted offers on Sky Sports.

Re: The existing customer £6 entertainment deal

Anonymous — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 13:53:12 GMT

@Brucemeister5wrote:
I have and I kept my NOW account separate to enable me to still take advantage of the discounted offers on Sky Sports.

Great minds think alike! 😁

Re: The existing customer £6 entertainment deal

zulu17 — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 19:06:17 GMT

@Anonymous The BT Sport addon to your TV package will also give you access via the BT Sport app. Access to the Bt sport channels is also available on the BT Tv app as you added those channels to your TV subscription.
There are is an HD addon and a HD/4K addon to the TV package which provides the HD or HD/4K subscription channels. Which addon (normally same cost) you can take is typically governed by your broadband speed and I believe the only TV difference is whether you receive the 433/465 channels which have the BT sport Ultimate SDR and HDR channels.

Free to air channels in Ip mode would be a mix of HD and SD depending upon the agreements that BT has with the various suppliers.

Re: The existing customer £6 entertainment deal

Anonymous — Tue, 25 Oct 2022 11:58:56 GMT

Thanks for the advice, ordered and re-contracted.

BT TV order

I note it still says "Boxnation" on the order confirmation, but I know that has been pulled.

Re: The existing customer £6 entertainment deal

Brucemeister5 — Tue, 25 Oct 2022 12:51:35 GMT

Yes, I believe that Box Nation will no longer be available to order for new customers from 4th November and will no longer be available to watch for existing customers from 17th November. Discovery channel is being provided as a replacement I gather.

Interesting to see that the 4K ultra HD add-on has been included in your order, although you stated elsewhere that you don’t intend to use the Pro tv box that you will be sent.

Re: The existing customer £6 entertainment deal

Anonymous — Tue, 25 Oct 2022 14:21:38 GMT

I decided to get the box so I can put it through its paces before my Sky Q contract expires in May 2023. Price wise it is the same as having BT Sport on its own via Sky for me.

I'm back mentally where I was with Sky before I left many years back to join BT in the first place, basically when I don't have Sky, I miss it, when I am with them, I hate it!

Nothing like having both services side by side for a while to work out what is really important to us. My biggest worry has always been putting strain on my broadband connection when I am trying to watch something in 4K and the kids are watching stuff whilst talking to friends.

With recent storms I lost my satellite connection for the first time in a while and found that our broadband may only be 55 Mbps, but it handled everything we threw at it at a peak time of the day, with ease, so I feel a bit more relaxed about moving back to IP delivery if that's the route we choose.

I change my mind every year about TV. Sometimes I am going to stick with Freeview + apps, then go with BT, then Sky, the only consistent is my hatred for Virgin Media! 🤣

Re: The existing customer £6 entertainment deal

Anonymous — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 14:54:14 GMT

Honestly, sometimes I just can't help but laugh at BT's systems, but when it costs me money (however small the amount), it really is frustrating.

So as per the thread, I signed up to the £6 Entertainment deal yesterday (less than 24 hours ago to be precise), but the only way during the ordering process to get a BT Box Pro was to add the HD/4K add-on.

Guess what email I got this afternoon?

Join BT TV offer

So not only are they offering me a service I purchased yesterday, but they are also now offering the hardware I was after without any additional cost.

Beyond frustrating. It's only £6, but I added BT Sport for £16 when I still have a month to go with Sky so at least I could use the 4K I was made to pay for.

Anything a mod can do? Should I complain or should I make a cuppa and just get on with it?

Grrrr....

Re: The existing customer £6 entertainment deal

jllewellyn — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 15:28:44 GMT

Hi All,

I too am interested in this £6 deal.

If I don't choose the HD Upgrade, does that mean nothing is HD at all? I undestand that the netflix subscription is SD, but what else? Is NOW TV SD to? Or is it SD on the Set top Box but HD via the Now TV on the web or mobile app (assuming you get normal NOW TV access)

Also are any of the channels HD live via the STB in IP mode?

The box will be connected to broadband, not an aerial if that makes any difference.

Sorry for the in depth questions but it isnt very clear on the website and 24 months is a long contract, so want to make sure.

Thanks

James

Re: The existing customer £6 entertainment deal

Anonymous — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 15:39:38 GMT

My understanding so far is that the live channels in IP mode (i.e. the Freeview style ones), are a mix of HD and SD.

The HD/4K add-on enables the HD versions of the NOW TV channels included in the Entertainment pack, otherwise they are SD.

Netflix is in SD, although that is changing to 720p HD later in the year. To increase Netflix picture quality requires a separate subscription, the HD/4K add-on has no impact on it.

So, your £6 =

A mix of HD and SD Freeview channels
AMC in SD
NOW TV Entertainment live channels in SD (allegedly up to 720p in the app)
Netflix Basic in SD

If you add the HD/4K add-on for an additional £6 you get:

A mix of HD and SD Freeview channels
AMC in SD and HD
NOW TV Entertainment in SD and HD (HD on the live channels and in the app)
Netflix Basic in SD

Re: The existing customer £6 entertainment deal

jllewellyn — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 15:43:36 GMT

Beautifully detailed answer, thanks so much.

James

Re: The existing customer £6 entertainment deal

Brucemeister5 — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 16:12:48 GMT

The Netflix SD that’s included in this deal will be changing to 720p from early next month I believe. We currently pay £4 extra to get Netflix Standard, but I’m seriously considering downgrading this as we don’t really use Netflix all that much. We can always change back if we feel that the extra £4 is really worth it.

Re: The existing customer £6 entertainment deal

Anonymous — Tue, 01 Nov 2022 12:52:38 GMT

To bring this full circle, I cancelled BT TV today within the 14 day cooling off period.

I think the new BT Pro box is much better than the old versions in terms of power and I found the (non HDR) picture on 433 very good.

Sadly the rest of the box is a UX nightmare still. Too many little foibles and button presses to do simple things, black screen when flicking through channels for no reason (so you have to go backwards and forwards to see the channel you want), and whilst the SD quality of IP delivered channels is indeed good, I didn’t find the HD versions were any better than what I already have.

Final nail in the coffin was while my youngest was testing it and asked me where Disney+ was on the box. I explained that she could access it via the smart TV and that it would be in better picture quality than through the old Sky mini box, to which she replied “I don’t care, its easier when it is all in one place”.

Enjoy it if it works for you, but it isn’t going to work in our house, so back it goes.

Re: The existing customer £6 entertainment deal

wellfan — Wed, 02 Nov 2022 17:58:04 GMT

Yep, 720p on my newly installed BT TV Pro today. Absolutely no difference on picture quality compared to the piggyback Netflix Standard that I was "borrowing" from my son. Went from 480 to 720 yesterday. Also my Hisense TV must be doing a great job at upscaling it. So no need for me to pay any more than the 6 quid.