Ditching the Sky/Virgin Subscription/TV Licence/iPlayer - Anyone done it? Any Advice?

[Gimpymoo]

All we really watch is films anyway and broadcast TV is that bad nowadays (In my opinion) we mainly have music on instead or I just play games or mess around on the internet.

Films can be purchased as and when I need them so no loss there. Sky Movies/Cinema is the only thing I will miss.

The BBC store now seems viable with decent pricing so if I did want to watch a series, I could purchase it there and watch without a licence, for example Planet Earth II, £12.99 for HD Stream.

Anyone else took the "Jump"?

Negatives/positives for you?

Thanks.

 

[Captain]

Nowtv + 3 month movie pass + 3 month entertainment pass from eBay, get access to all sky movies plus on demand and box set films plus regular tv channels through the I player and itv app and access to all the sky TV box sets.

Total cost £17 a month or you can keep buying passes every time they run out.

Can cancel anytime you like but need a TV license.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

You pretty much need a tv license as standard these days even if you don't watch any tv.

"An online TV service is any streaming or smart TV service, website or app that lets you watch live TV over the internet. This includes services like All 4, Sky Go, Virgin Media, Now TV, BT TV, Apple TV, YouTube, Amazon Instant Video and ITV Hub"

Youtube is mentioned there as "live tv". So if you watch live streams on youtube you need a tv license.

I think it's very easy to ditch sky/virgin, etc. However it's nigh on impossible to ditch a tv license these days unless your not scared of being caught or you don't have any internet and use it for physical movies / boxsets only.

When my deal runs out I will ditch sky. Keep Virgin broadband. Use freeview / online therefore still require tv license.

They do need to scrap it though because it's not policed very well. They may as well just add it in to council tax and tax every home a slightly lesser amount. Would save us millions in admin costs too. Yes the licensing people would all be out of jobs but lets face it they don't do much as it is.

 

[Gimpymoo]

"An online TV service is any streaming or smart TV service, website or app that lets you watch live TV over the internet. This includes services like All 4, Sky Go, Virgin Media, Now TV, BT TV, Apple TV, YouTube, Amazon Instant Video and ITV Hub"

Youtube is mentioned there as "live tv". So if you watch live streams on youtube you need a tv license.

The key there is "Live" TV.

I have no plans to watch Live TV, just on-demand streams which are NOT on iPlayer.

The "Live" element on Youtube refers to Live TV streams on Youtube, not some dude doing a "Live" unboxing of a cabbage.

 

[SKILL]

I've gone without a TV Licence for a few years now, watch Amazon mostly these days with Netflix being re-subscribed for the odd month here/there to catch up on their stuff.

Also occasionally Google Play for paid for TV/Movies (stuff Amazon doesn't offer/is more expensive basically). For reference Planet Earth II is also available on Google Play as well.

Considering even with a good deal Sky is/was £20-30 a month on top of the ~£12 a month TV licence this way is far cheaper and I don't feel like I'm missing out. Especially as I had Amazon Prime and Netflix subs during that time as well anyway.

I've got a v1 Chromecast and Fire TV Stick to watch stuff with, love the Chromecast but I'd reccomend Fire TV (box) over the Stick, the stick is laggy in the menus, works fine when actually playing though.

 

[Gimpymoo]

I was bored last night so did this...

https://onedrive.live.com/view.aspx...=file,xlsx&app=Excel&authkey=!AGSsCEEX9vkz9Lc

Make sense to anyone?

So, for the sake of ditching Sky Sports (which I rarely watch anyway) and the ability to watch live TV/iPlayer, and not having a landline, I save about £25 a month in the first year (average including costs of purchasing equipment in the first year).

After the first year, savings go up to about £30 a month but it is certain the nowTV costs will increase although may not be by much if still trying to gain traction but IPTV is definitely going to be the way forward so costs may stabilise until it is more widely adopted maybe?

Ditching the landline seems a quick "WIN" but they way they tie their bundles and discounts up, if I remove the telephone line, that affects my bundle/loyalty discounts which negates any savings made.

If my bundle was at full price, I would switch away in a heartbeat but what averages out to be about £30 a month for each service does not seem a bad deal I guess.

Is it worth it changing?

 

[Gun9]

To all newbies who are thinking of dipping their toe into the LLF way of life, follow the threat o'gram road.

No communication works! To beat TVL simply ignore all that crap about waving your birth certificate about referring it to it as your legal entity, legal and lawful, commercial maritime courts, sending an affidavit to the queen, etc. Just do nothing, and no harm will come ever no licence here for 10 years,they have 0 powers.

Works for me.

 

[Gimpymoo]

Well, I have just cancelled everything with Virgin.

They wanted to me to commit to 12 months on a "bend over" price for broadband so I said no and they said OK.

Got the cancellation email almost immediately

Need to plan what to do now

I have two Roku 2 boxes but unsure if to open them or just sell them on.

 

[Bassmansam]

I am considering this but the price for sky sports on now tv is 33 a month , add movies on top and i don't think it works out much different from a sky or virgin package.

 

[varkanoid]

I am considering this but the price for sky sports on now tv is 33 a month , add movies on top and i don't think it works out much different from a sky or virgin package.

Yeah but I think most people with NowTV dont go for the monthly subscription and only buy a day pass or week pass for the sport they want. eg we only use it for when there is a match on for our team.

Plus you can get the passes cheaper than the NowTV website elsewhere and there was the movie offer on now for £1 movies for a month and the movie offer Oct to Dec 2016 for £1.66 a month. So if you look round you can get it cheaper. I dont normally use movies as I never have time to watch them.
I also picked up 6 months entertainment for £12. Just look on fleabay.

 

[Bassmansam]

Yeah but I think most people with NowTV dont go for the monthly subscription and only buy a day pass or week pass for the sport they want. eg we only use it for when there is a match on for our team.

Plus you can get the passes cheaper than the NowTV website elsewhere and there was the movie offer on now for £1 movies for a month and the movie offer Oct to Dec 2016 for £1.66 a month. So if you look round you can get it cheaper. I dont normally use movies as I never have time to watch them.
I also picked up 6 months entertainment for £12. Just look on fleabay.

True, guess i will buy a day pass when arsenal are on. Virgin 100mb will do for the bb. Its a shame BT don't do a day pass, i'm going to cancel my account with them soon.

I just checked fleabay and there are some great prices for movies and entertainment, how can people be making profit on these? Not that i'm complaining as i will buy some.

 

[powned]

Youtube is mentioned there as "live tv". So if you watch live streams on youtube you need a tv license.
.

That's insane, anyone else find that morally objectionable?

I've not paid my TV licence for 15 years, I never will. Never had any trouble, I just put their mail in the bin. I don't watch TV, but I do watch a lot of stuff on youtube, pray for my soul.

 

[Gimpymoo]

That's insane, anyone else find that morally objectionable?

I've not paid my TV licence for 15 years, I never will. Never had any trouble, I just put their mail in the bin. I don't watch TV, but I do watch a lot of stuff on youtube, pray for my soul.

Do not be so silly.

They do not mean the whole of youtube.

What they mean is a TV broadcaster who may simulcast their channel on youtube.

 

[vanandjuanunited]

No licence for past five years or so. Don't miss normal TV at all. If I want this watch live football I go to the pub or round to a friends. Episodes I get through catchup sources etc.
Despite telling tvl I don't need a licence they still threaten me but all letters go in the bin.

 

[Gimpymoo]

Well...

Virgin offered me everything all in for £81 a month and will throw in a V6 box too.

I would spend £40 on broadband, leaving £40 for me to spend on TV/Movies and telephone elsewhere.

All in phone sim = £15
NowTV - Entertainment/movies = £15

Saving a tenner and not sure if worth it for the hassle.

Personally, I am not impressed with the Roku/NowTV.

Very limiting feature set compared to a standalone STB, no recording (Yes, I know that is not the point of a streaming box but useful none the less).

Search function does not cover all apps. Have to use Apps own search for example.

Channel hopping is cumbersome if not an option really. Switching between channels is cumbersome.

You cannot shortcut to the live channels on the home screen for BBC, ITV, CH4, Ch5 channels or the streaming channels on nowTV. You have to open each separate app beforehand then navigate to the live stream.

I think I expected too much. My PC does a better job in my opinion regarding accessibility/usability.

IPTV is the way forward but we need to get away from these under specced, low power boxes in my opinion.

I personally do not believe IPTV can yet be used as a direct replacement for conventional TV through a STB. As an addition to an existing setup as a way to get cheap subscription TV, it will do the job, just.

There is a HUGE market out there for someone to release an IPTV box which functions like a conventional STB, the technology is definitely there but nobody wants to make the first move it seems.

BT TV seems to be the nearest thing but that has limitations on live channels and is not available "off network".

Ditching everything for a few months would be an interesting experiment. Who knows, it might not be that bad.

4G Internet, cheap all in sim for phone calls, PC for streaming etc.

 

[Kenai]

All in one entertainment - Am I missing anything obvious?

Moving soon and looking at sorting internet and TV etc.

The obvious three contenders are Sky, Virgin and BT.

Now in terms of packages, the offers are as follows;

Virgin - 200Mb, 245+ Channel TV including BT Sport HD and Sky Cinema HD, Tivo V6 UHD box etc. for £55 per month (up to £80 after 12m). 12 month contract.

BT - 52Mb, 140+ Channel TV including BT Sport UHD and Sky Cinema (SD?), YouView UHD box, etc. for £65 per month (no increase that I can see). Downside being it uses the internet for TV, sucking up 30Mb worth of connection? 12 month contract.

Sky - 40Mb, 270+ Channel TV including Sky Cinema HD, Sky Q HD box. for £68 per month. 18 month contract.

Is it just me or does Sky seem wildly expensive in comparison? To get a UHD Q box is £200, no Sports at all without adding another £18 per month bundle...

I feel like i'm missing something somewhere, everyone seems to have Sky but to me it just seems to be mind blowingly expensive in comparison to the others?

 

[Woden]

The £55 virgin bundle doesn't include movies or sports.

 

[Schizo]

The £55 virgin bundle doesn't include movies or sports.

I have that £55 bundle and i get everything.

 

[Woden]

I have that £55 bundle and i get everything.

My contract up so I've been looking around.

On the VM website its £80

 

[Kenai]

The £55 virgin bundle doesn't include movies or sports.

It includes BT Sport HD and Cinema HD.

http://www.virginmedia.com/shop/bundles/full-house-movies-bundle.html