Digital TV Services Compared – Comparison Table

Not sure which of the digital TV services suits you best? Try our handy Digital TV comparison table, with links to useful links on UK digital TV

Choosing the right digital TV service for you can be tricky, so here’s a summary of what each service offers in the way of TV channels, on-demand content, catch-up TV and high definition content. We also give you some information on how to get the channel and how much it costs. We also link to our various reviews of the UK TV services.

UK TV – Who offers what?

Service	Channels	On Demand	Catch-Up TV	Availability	Cost	HD
Details | Site	40+	Large choice	BBC, ITV, Ch4 & Five	Via aerial & Broadband > 95% of UK	From £4 a month	Small on-demand HD selection
Details | Site	100+	None	BBC iPlayer on some boxes	Via dish 98% of UK	One-off £130 (Box £50, install £80)	5 HD channels
Details | Site	40+	None	BBC iPlayer on some boxes	Via aerial > 95% of UK	From a one-off £20	4 HD channels
Details | Site	300+	Some, with Sky Broadband	Some Sky content	Via dish 98% of UK	From £21.50 a month	50+ HD channels
Details | Site	40+	Large choice	BBC, ITV, Ch4 & Five	Via aerial & Broadband > 95% of UK	One-off £250, or free with Broadband	4 HD channels
Details | Site	70+	Large choice	BBC, Ch4	Via aerial & phone line Some areas only	£19.99 a month. £30 set-up	No HD
Details | Site	160+	Best choice	BBC, ITV, Ch4	Via cable network Cable areas only	From £6.50 a month (with Virgin Phone)	28+ HD channels + on demand
Free-to-air Satellite	200+	None	None	Via dish 98% of UK	Use existing dish, or install your own	3 HD channels

How to choose the best TV service:

Most people who are looking to change their TV provider are doing so for one of two reasons:

• Channel choice – Perhaps looking for more channels, or to get into HD
• Cost – Often scaling back by switching from the rather expensive Sky satellite TV service

If you’re looking to change, take a look at the above table to get a feel for what’s on offer, and if you still need help, we have loads of pages on our site to help you to make the best choice. Below are links to a few pages on our site that may be of help.

TV Help and Advice:

• BT Vision Help and Advice
• Freesat Help and Advice
• Freeview Help and Advice
• Sky Help and Advice
• TalkTalk TV Help and Advice
• Top Up TV Help and Advice
• Virgin Media Help and Advice