Sky is hiking the price of its core entertainment package by an inflation busting 9 per cent hitting millions of customers.
The telecoms giant says its popular package, Sky Entertainment, which includes Sky One, Sky Atlantic and MTV, is due to increase by £2 to £24 a month – an increase of nine per cent.
Some customers face potentially paying an extra £72 a year depending on what packages and services they have with Sky.
It told This is Money that the typical customer will see bills go up £3 a month on 1 April 2020, or £36 a year.
Not so holy: Sky is focusing on funding original content, including the New Pope, starring Jude Law which features on its entertainment package via Sky Atlantic
Other services seeing a price hike include Sky Broadband Essential which will rise by £2 from £20 to £22 whilst customers with a Multiscreen pass will see an increase of £1, from £13 to £14 a month.
It said since it last increased its prices in February 2019, it has produced many original shows including The New Pope, Gangs of London, Intelligence and Hitmen, suggesting the money is heading to more original content to battle the threat of streaming services Amazon Prime and Netflix.
Sky Crime and Sky Comedy channels have also recently been debuted while Sky Documentaries and Sky Nature will launch in April.
Households with Sky HD will also see their price go up by £1, from £5 to £6.
A Sky spokesman said: ‘We know price increases are never welcome, so we try to keep prices down while continuing to bring customers the best entertainment all in one place, leading customer service and even more flexibility to choose the package that best suits them.’
Customers will be contacted between now and 25 March by email or post.
Sky Cinema and Sky Kids will stay the same price at £11 and £5 per month, respectively.
Existing Sky Sports customers will also see no increase and will continue to pay £23.
Some customers will see their bills increase by up to £72 a year after Sky makes price changes
What if I want to leave?
Customers who have been put off by the changes will be able to leave their contracts penalty free, as long as they are not within their minimum contract time.
TV customers must give 30 days’ notice whilst broadband and phone customers should give 14 days’ notice.
Those who don’t want to leave Sky but are looking to pay less can contact the provider directly and try and negotiate a new deal.
This could include paying less for your monthly bill or getting more for what you pay for.
Customers looking to negotiate should do their research first and see what offers other providers have on the market, using that as a comparison to see how much you are getting for your money.
Consumers are also encouraged to use price comparison websites to see how much they could save by switching to another provider or deal.
BT launches flexible packages
Sky is not the only major provider making changes to its services – BT has revealed a host of flexible packages.
These bundles will allow users to change the channels they subscribe to every month, including its own BT Sport channels, Sky Sports and Sky Atlantic, among others.
As part of the changes, BT has integrated Now TV into its packages for the first time and gives customers access to streaming services Netflix and Amazon Prime.
Sky has announced it is increasing prices for its TV and broadband customers across the UK
It said that the new flexible packages will allow users to upgrade, downgrade or bolt-on additional channels month-to-month as their lifestyle and viewing habits change.
All of the new packages are due to launch on February 21 with the prices dependent on the level of package the customer chooses.
The prices start from £10 a month with the entertainment package and rises to £60 for the all-inclusive VIP offering.
Aside from the packages, viewers also have the option to pay for a 30-day bolt-on, which means they can subscribe to a channel for a short amount of time, without the pressure of a permanent subscription.
BT TV will be running a special launch offer for customers taking the new flexible packages, offering them BT Superfast Fibre and the new Entertainment Package from £37.99 a month.
Marc Allera, chief executive of BT’s consumer group, said: ‘Life doesn’t stand still from month to month, so we don’t believe our customers’ TV should either.
‘Our new range of TV packs bring together the best premium services, fully loaded with a wide range of award-winning shows, the best live sports in stunning 4K and the latest must-see films – all with the flexibility to change packs every month – with quick and easy search to find what you want to watch.
‘So now with a click of a button you can take out the Big Sport package to catch the top Premier League fixtures one month and swap it for VIP for a rainy school holiday with the family the next.’
Landline, broadband and mobile customers with BT are also due to see price increases of 1.3 per cent after the firm revealed it is now using the Consumer Price Index for price hikes.
THIS IS MONEY’S FIVE OF THE BEST BROADBAND DEALS
Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you click on them we may earn a small commission. That helps us fund This Is Money, and keep it free to use. We do not write articles to promote products. We do not allow any commercial relationship to affect our editorial independence.