Alternative to sky TV(satellite)

iguy · 06-03-2025 09:21PM #1

Apologies if this is the wrong place,

Currently I'm paying 58 euro per month for everything (including netflix) except sky sports and kids,

My contract is up next month, and it goes up to 116 euro per month,

I rang sky today telling them there'd be no way I'd be paying double, they said the best they could do would be 99 euro, I scoffed and counter offered 70 euro, the guy said no, then I said the most I'd go to is 75 euro, if not I'd like a full cancellation, we spoke about removing the movies package and Netflix which the guy said the best he could do would be 78.50.

I told him no thanks, complete cancellation when contract is up the end of next month, he then said he'd try to see could I keep Netflix.

He noted we utilise all the service provided to me very well, between me and the rest of the house hold the sky box(s) is/are active(on) on average of 14 hours per day and even longer at weekends,etc, he could even tell me how many times we watched netflix and watched movies.

I personally don't watch TV much, my partner and my mother who lives with us watch sky a lot.

The dish is modern, the q version,

Main box sitting room and 3 mini boxes(kitchen & two bedrooms)

Can I get a similar set up via free to air and a box that records, easy to navigate, especially for my mother.

My father has a set up in his house, a box he bought in Aldi or Lidl over a decade ago, and I'm able to input/scan channels for him, but his box is bog standard, and he has saorview, so gets his Irish channels that way,

We already have saorview set-up,

But I heard of multi boxes.

Sorry for long winded post,

Tldr

Need alternative from sky q, recordable box and multiple rooms, etc.

batistuta9 · 06-03-2025 10:27PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123239128#Comment_123239128

don't be telling them you're doing it or asking them, just cancel & do it. can sign up online now too. could have a bit down time waiting for boxes/installer though

yeah they don't really care. most people will just go onto full price like your fil, then the ones that do ring about cancelling a lot don't go through with it & accept a little discount.

years ago when we had it, you needed to go through with the cancellation, ask to be put through to them on the phone as well. then they'd get back to you just before or after it was cut off with a decent offer, not sure it still happens.

ArrBee · 06-03-2025 10:56PM

I went through this a year ago and it is still cancelled.
It's been a challange for the rest of the house but we are coping OK.

We went with a combi Sat+ saorview box that could record for all the free to air. + apps on a different player for "on demand" stuff from RTE, TG4, BBC, ITV, Virgin (All4 don't seem to have android TV app?)

we did find the usability and reliability a step back compared to sky but the savings are worth it.

jjnos11 · 06-03-2025 11:16PM

you could try ringing comreg. A friend of mine was on an old contract. She rang them before the renewal, told them she would leave, they were saying she’d need a new sky box ect. She ended up getting the new contract for the same price.

Best of luck there gone so red tape

yabadabado · 06-03-2025 11:54PM

Go with an enigma 2 box.If you have a sat dish and aerial you will get all uk freesat and saorview channels.

Can record on them if you add a hard drive.

batistuta9 · 06-03-2025 09:33PM

easiest thing probably would be just go through with cancellation & sign up as a new customer with someone else on the houses name.

you need to know what channels are being watched/recorded before going the free to air route as some will be only on pay tv

iguy · 06-03-2025 10:02PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123239066#Comment_123239066

We did that already, twice, first time was in my name, then my partner, and then my mother's name last year, mam rang gave me permission to speak and I asked could she possibly cancel and it would be put in my again, not possible apparently, basically I was told they know that was what we did over the years and we all share the same surname and it should have never had happened in the first place, the guy(Irish)I was dealing with was nice enough, but straight to the point type of guy, stern even, I was put on hold 5 times whilst he could see what "he could do for me".

I got the feeling they, sky don't care about retaining customers and hope people will pay mad money, in my opinion is only worth 70 or so euro,

My father in law has the whole lot they can offer and he's 20+ years with them and pays 173 per month, should be 181 but they gave him an 8 euro discount last year, madness and he's too loyal to them to let them go or even go with Vodafone or eir, etc.

In my father in law's case it's just him and the mother in law in the house who work, barely look at their TVs,

Where in my home only I work, and my partner and mother make up the majority of the viewing hours.

iguy · 06-03-2025 11:03PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123239182#Comment_123239182

I did a quick Google, it's actually very easy to do it, added everything else we already have, total monthly cost came to 58 euro and a possible 120 euro set up fee(cost of loan) for the mini boxes.

As you mentioned there will be down time, but once signed up the sky go app is available with a lot of content that can be casted to my TV's.

Still prefer fta set up now, the sky cost was 58 p/m x 12 = €696 plus we paid 120 extra for the mini boxes, in view of that amount we'd be willing to spend max of 1000 euro for a long term set up, where we can record some channels, the ones that carry the UK soaps especially for the mother and oh.

I'm not that bothered, there are plenty of channels I can flick through and find something suitable to watch.

dxhound2005 · 07-03-2025 01:06AM

My usual advice would be to try life without Sky for a month, and use the satellite tuner in the TV if it has one for Free to Air. But I think that is snookered by the Sky Q LNB. A different LNB and maybe a new dish would be needed? Fourteen hours a day is a lot of viewing, but it could be that a high percentage is stuff that is free anyway. Certainly the soaps are.

Netflix is a IPTV Streaming service for which no dish is needed, and there are others. I think they have flexibe contracts. There is a IPTV forum here, and it looks like Streaming will be the way in the longer term, no satellite dishes. Of course there is the Broadband bill to pay as well.

If your father is happy with that old Lidl box (a Silvercrest?), well and good. But a better replacement would not cost a lot.

icdg · 07-03-2025 07:47AM

Yeah unfortunately with the Sky Q default setup (wideband LNB - low noise block, that’s the device on the arm of your satellite dish that the wires go into) the only easily swappable FTA reciever is the Arrris Freesat 4K. Which isn’t cheap (£260 sterling) and you’ll need to import from the UK (that’s not as bad as it sounds, you can buy it on Amazon). So plugging into the back of the TV won’t normally be an option. (Some people might have a “hybrid” LNB that supports both Sky Q and other receivers, but you’ll have had to request that when Sky Q was installed originally).

OP, you maybe need to go back to first principles and think about what channels you watch. Freesat will suit you if your main watching is BBC, ITV, Channel 4. It is no good for RTE, VMTV or TG4 and carries a limited selection of Sky content (Sky News, Mix, and Arts). If you want Irish channels you will have to contemplate using the player apps or seeing if you can access Saorview with a “rabbits ears”. The latter may not work in all locations and you may need to invest in a roof top aerial and have that professionally installed. If you want premium sports or movies or access to the likes of Sky Atlantic then Now TV is a lower cost option. You could also check out your broadband provider as you may be able to add basic cable tv from eir or Vodafone at a reasonable cost.

joebloggs32 · 17-03-2025 11:50PM

I ditched sky almost 10 years.

Got set up with an aerial for Saorview and all 3 tv sets also had a satellite tuner so I was able to get all the freesat channels.

I was an early adopter of NowTv. I cut my ougoings to sky by about 60 quid a month.

I currently have both sports, movies and entertainment sling with ultra boost (which gives ad free box sets and 3 devices simultaneously) for around €40 per month. That is on top of my Saorview and freesat set up. Id hate to even consider what that package with Sky would be costing me.

Alternative to sky TV(satellite)

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