TV writer Jake Hackney has taken a closer look at Sky and Virgin’s latest round of TV and broadband deals, with Brits able to get their hands on free iPads and supercharged fibre broadband
Sky and Virgin Media have gone head to head this month with rival TV and broadband deals, offering Brits a mixture of price drops and free gadgets. To kick off the summer, Sky has brought back a popular deal that’s seen its flagship TV and broadband package return to a record low price and is doubling its broadband speeds.
But over at Virgin, shoppers can get their hands on a free Apple iPad if they’re quick. Both options certainly are tempting, but they have some major differences that means choosing a plan could prove tricky.
There’s also a huge price difference, but with the extra monthly cost comes a host of extras. So with this in mind, we’ve taken a closer look at each deal, breaking down what’s included and what’s not.
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Read on for a breakdown of Sky and Virgin’s latest deals.
Sky’s ‘lowest price is back’
Sky’s latest round of deals brings back a price drop that proved hugely popular during the brand’s Easter sale. Leading the pack is Sky’s Essential TV and Full Fibre 300 broadband plan, now £35 per month and with 300Mbps fibre broadband for the price of 150Mbps.
Shoppers also have the option to upgrade to the £39 Ultimate TV and Full Fibre 300 broadband plan, which includes more than 35 extra channels. Both options include more than 100 channels, with favourites like Sky Atlantic allowing members to catch the latest HBO blockbusters like The Last of Us and The White Lotus.
They also include free Netflix Standard with Ads and Discovery+ subscriptions, with the option to add Sky Cinema and Sky Sports for an extra £10 and £20 respectively. This 24-month plan comes with a Sky Stream puck, the brand’s new way to watch TV that plugs straight into a TV’s HDMI port, eliminating the need for a satellite dish.
Keep in mind that, like most providers, Sky increases its prices each April as inflation rises, with prices this year already up an average of 6.2% from 2024. This suggests we may see a similar rise next year, but what separates Sky from many rivals is the option to terminate a contract early should a price rise be announced.
Brits switching to Sky now benefit from the One Touch Switch scheme, meaning customers don’t have to contact their existing broadband provider to complete the switch as Sky will do all the work on their behalf. Sky has not set an end date for these deals.
Virgin dishes out free iPads
To tempt customers away from Sky, Virgin Media is giving away free iPads with its latest deal, but the deadline to claim it is fast approaching. Until 11.59pm on Wednesday, June 11, shoppers signing up for Virgin’s Mega Volt bundle will receive an iPad Cellular 64GB (9th Gen) model.
Priced at £88.99 per month, this package is certainly more pricey than Sky, but it comes with much more. As well as a free iPad, the Mega Volt bundle offers more than 230 TV channels, including Sky Sports and Sky Cinema, 1,130Mbps fibre broadband and a Netflix Standard with Ads subscription.
It also comes with an O2 SIM card with unlimited data – ideal for popping into the iPad. One potential downside of the plan is that Sky Atlantic is not included, so many of the latest series like The Last of Us and The White Lotus won’t be available.
Another thing to note is that the iPad isn’t the latest model but Apple’s 2021 edition. It would cost around £200 if bought separately, so those considering signing up purely for the iPad may want to shop around for newer models like Amazon’s deal on the latest iPad A16.
One thing that stands out in Virgin’s contracts is that they are far shorter than Sky, running for 18 months instead of 24, so members are free to shop around sooner. This plan also includes the One Touch Switch service, plus Virgin’s WiFi guarantee, offering members minimum download speeds of 30Mbps in every room or £100 back.
Customers can also choose a subscription service like Disney+, Amazon’s Prime Video or Audible free for six months as an O2 Extra. In terms of the April price rise, Virgin adjusts its prices in pounds and pence rather than a percentage and has already confirmed the Mega Volt bundle will increase to £94.29 from April 2026, so bear this in mind before signing up.