Long before Netflix, back in the days of Telecom Éireann, there was a BBC children’s programme called Why Don’t You which famously suggested in its opening credits song: “why don’t you just switch off your television set and go and do something less boring instead?”
File that under “it wouldn’t happen now”. In the attention economy of the 2020s, it’s never been more vital for media companies to lock eyeballs in a tractor beam, lest audiences not only switch off their television set, but also do something wild like stop paying for all the TV they’re currently forking out for every month.
Amid the glut of audiovisual options, the channels and services we either subscribe to or swerve is very much a “choose your own adventure” situation.
Some of us are natural television “maximalists” who will sign up to every streamer we can to avoid FOMO, while also staying faithful to the pay-TV service that gives us the linear channels we have grown up with and are not about to abandon anytime soon.
But for anyone wondering if the time has come to “cut the cord”, for anyone suffering from subscription fatigue and for anyone seeking the best combination of services for their needs, a household TV audit may be the answer. Here’s a checklist of questions to ask yourself before making any rash decisions.
Do I watch the BBC?
It’s strange that it has come to this but if you believe the BBC still broadcasts many of the best programmes and if you want to follow its news and current affairs output, that will likely determine your entire approach to your TV needs.
That’s because, of course, the BBC iPlayer is not available to viewers in the Republic of Ireland. Even though there is undoubtedly a customer base here who would love to cut out various middlemen and pay the BBC directly for access to iPlayer, the BBC prefers to go down the route of selling international programme rights.
There are two main ways to access the BBC’s linear channels. One option is to pick them up via free-to-air satellite, the other is to sign up to a pay-TV package from Sky, Virgin Media Television, Eir or Vodafone.
But a massive beware here: the new generation of “streaming TV” services delivered over the internet rather than via cable or satellite, offer only limited, patchy recording facilities. Due to tedious rights restrictions, you won’t be able to record BBC programmes in most cases.
And unless you pay for a virtual private network (VPN) that does the trick, you won’t be able to access the iPlayer either. You’ll be snookered.
Should I not ‘upgrade’ to streaming TV then?
If you don’t want to be sent back to the mid-1980s or whenever you last had no capacity to record programmes, avoid streaming TV for as long as possible. It will make it harder to keep up with your favourites, whatever the providers say.
This might not be a massive problem for viewers who rarely watch the BBC, as they will be able to catch up with other broadcasters’ shows via their players. Even conceptually, however, the inability to record will be a deal-breaker for generations of TV watchers weaned on videocassette recorders.
And for heavy BBC consumers based in the Republic, the regression here is substantial and upsetting.
As a result, the ability to shop around for good value on TV packages – an important facet of competition in any market – is constrained by the fact that some providers are now pushing new customers on to their streaming boxes. Subscribers may be refused access to the “older” generation of box that has better recording functionality.
I don’t care about recording. What’s on offer now?
Let’s start with Sky Ireland. Under its streaming product Sky Stream, the Sky Ultimate TV package, also known as Sky Entertainment & Netflix, is currently being advertised for the discounted price of €25 a month for the first 12 months if you agree to this minimum term. This rises to €41 a month when the introductory offer expires. This package notably includes Netflix – accessible on one screen only – and Discovery Plus for no extra cost.
Sky Q, meanwhile, is Sky’s “classic” satellite television service, billed as “the alternative to streaming”. It is one of the few non-streaming services still listed on the websites of pay-TV providers, though its availability is subject to location. It starts at €30 a month, and a dish is required.
Should I bundle TV with broadband?
Yes, but every operator except Sky will oblige you to do that anyway. If you do bundle at Sky, Sky Stream plus broadband starts at €50 a month for 12 months, jumping to €101 per month after this period ends.
Virgin Media Ireland’s streaming TV box is sold as “Loaded TV”. Bundled with 500Mb broadband, it costs €50 a month under a 12-month contract, rising to €104 a month. Bundled with 1Gb broadband under a 12-month contract, it costs €60, rising to €114.
Bundled with a 1Gb broadband service under a 24-month contract, the price starts at €65 a month, but doesn’t rise to €114 until after the end of the two years – meaning you could save €528 if you’re prepared to tie yourself up for this longer period.
At Eir, the 1GB broadband service costs €44.99 a month under a 24-month contract, rising to €85.99 a month after this time. Adding Eir TV costs €9.99 a month and includes Prime Video, taking the non-introductory total to €95.98. The price will rise by the rate of inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), plus three percentage points, every April.
At Vodafone, the post-offer price rise is not as steep. Its broadband and TV bundle, delivered via its new streaming box TV Play and a 500 Mbps broadband service, costs €55 for the first six months, rising to €65 per month thereafter. It also applies an annual price rise of CPI plus three percentage points.
Note: Always check what the price will be after the end of any introductory offer period. Remember there are usually savings to be had by agreeing to longer contracts. And remember that not all broadband services are available in every area and that not all channel line-ups are exactly the same.
This is exhausting. And expensive. What about the old-school approach?
Technically, the old-school approach to television isn’t that old. In 2011, RTÉ launched Saorview, the State’s free-to-air digital terrestrial television (DTT) service, which effectively replaced the analogue TV network when it was switched off in October 2012.
If the only television channels you want are the Irish ones, accessing Saorview through an aerial is the best option, as it’s free. It also has Sky News and the Sky-owned game show channel Challenge on there for some reason.
Could I live on a streamer-only diet?
One “slimline” but potentially satisfactory option is to supplement free-to-air Irish channels accessed via Saorview with a streaming service or two.
Alternatively, if you’re not fussed over faffing about with aerials, you could simply sign up to your streamers of choice, dropping in on the free broadcaster players such as RTÉ Player and Virgin Media Player when desired. If you do this without owning a traditional television set, you are not liable, at present, for the €160 annual television licence fee.
The savings will not be as deep as they used to be as the most popular streamers have put up their prices in recent years. But if you have either lost the linear television habit or never had it in the first place, a flexible, pick-and-mix streamer approach will be the way to go.
Netflix, the market leader, costs €8.99-€20.99 a month. Disney Plus, its main challenger internationally, is priced at €10.99 a month or €109.90 a year. Apple TV+ costs €9.99 a month, although if you buy a new Apple device you will get three months free. Prime Video, without the Amazon Prime delivery service, costs €6.99 a month.
Now, the streamer owned by Sky, costs €11.99 a month for an entertainment membership, which might appeal to people who aren’t Sky TV customers as it the only other official means of accessing premium HBO and Sky dramas. You can get it for €5.99 a month for the first six months if you agree to a six-month term. There’s also an introductory six-month offer of €11.99 a month for a combined entertainment and cinema membership (Sky Cinema), reverting to €23.98.
And then there’s a long tail of niche services, many with loyal customer bases: Hayu, for instance, costs €5.99 a month, and no self-respecting fan of the Real Housewives franchise would be without it.
Something is missing here. What is it?
It’s sport. There’s no way round this: premium sports channels will inflate your monthly television costs like nothing else. Sky Sports, if purchased from Sky, costs €20 a month for the first year, but after that the price is €45 a month.
Availing of a sports membership from Now is another way to access the same content. This will also cost €20 a month, or €27 a month with Premier Sports and TNT Sports rolled in (the same introductory price if purchased through Sky Sports) under a 12-month contract, reverting to €38.99, or €72.98 with Premier Sports and TNT Sports added. Under a no-contract service, the combined introductory offer is €30 a month for the first year.
Only subscribers themselves can say whether they are getting value-for-money from these, or any other, packages. But the prices highlight the wisdom of attempting a strategic cancellation every now and again. If you’re coming to the end of an introductory period and you move to cancel before the price jumps, you may find you are offered an extended spell on the lower rate. Result.
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