Household bills including water, council tax, broadband and TV are on the up this month, but we found a way to beat the hikes with Sky’s new TV and Netflix package
Millions of Brits are being stung by a rise in household bills this month as many inflation-linked price hikes take effect. Dubbed ‘awful April’, costs for electricity, water, council tax, broadband, mobile phones and TV are all set to increase.
It comes at a time when many Brits are already feeling the financial pinch, but there are ways to cut costs, such as consolidating TV and streaming subscriptions into one affordable package. Last year, Sky introduced a range of budget-friendly TV bundle that include a free Netflix subscription, starting with the £15 Essential TV bundle.
This offers more than 100 TV channels including Sky Atlantic, plus free access to Discovery+ and Netflix Standard with adverts subscription. The latter typically costs £5.99 when subscribing directly, meaning Sky members are effectively paying £9.01 for Sky TV.
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It’s worth noting Sky customers can upgrade to the ad-free Standard option for an additional £6. Over a year, this amounts to £72, saving £83.88 compared to the £155.88 it would cost to subscribe to Netflix directly, reports the Express.
Sky also allows existing Netflix subscribers to keep their accounts and will move the payment to their Sky bill to avoid paying twice. This follows Netflix’s price rise of up to 20% earlier this year, with the streamer’s Standard tier now priced at £12.99 per month.
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TV lovers can now get Sky TV, Netflix and Discovery+ for £15 per month with the new Essential TV bundle.
This delivers live and on-demand TV without a satellite dish or aerial and includes hit shows like The Last of Us and Squid Game.
Sky’s TV packages come on a 24-month contract and the company states that its prices ‘may change’ during this time. Earlier this year, Sky increased the cost of its TV and broadband bundles by 6.4%, so we could expect a similar rise in April 2026.
Virgin Media also offer free Netflix subscriptions with some of its pricier TV contracts. These deals are shorter at 18 months and justify the higher price tag with more benefits, such as the £69.99 Biggest Combo bundle boasting more than 210 TV channels, Netflix Standard with adverts and 516Mbps fibre broadband.
For those wary of being tied down, Sky also offers the Essential TV bundle on a flexible 31-day rolling contract at £18 per month. Customers can upgrade their package with extras like Sky Cinema and Sky Sports from £10 and £20 extra, respectively.
Sky users have been sharing their experiences of the brand on Trustpilot, with one customer saying: “I’ve been with Sky for over 20 years [and] only had one problem which they sorted within 48 hours – great service.”
Another said: “Switched to Sky Stream it’s the best decision I’ve ever made. Installation takes care of itself, the remote even auto tunes itself to the TV. The best part is the ability to have a single charge for all your streaming subscriptions. I can subscribe to Disney+, Paramount+ etc. and they’ll be billed under a single bill from Sky.”
A third said: “I spoke with Sky [and] the advisor was pleasant, professional and provided me with valuable advice. I received excellent customer service.”
Not all customers are singing praises, though, as this member said: “The TV and internet service is generally reliable and of good quality. However, when encountering issues and reaching out to customer service, the experience can be frustrating, as the representatives often provide confusing responses and fail to explain the problem adequately.”