BT TV is back with this year’s Black Friday deals – and this time, with a significant price drop on its TNT Sports package, offering a tempting deal for sports enthusiasts.
BT’s TV platform, which is tied to the company’s broadband offer, comes with a 4K Freeview recorder/streamer, and a flexible set of content packages.
Sports fans are the main winners this year, with BT TV offering the Sports Bundle, which includes TNT Sports, for just £1/month.
However… yes, there’s a catch: it’s £1/month for the first three months only, and then it goes back to the regular price (with a 24-month contract).
You’re still saving some money in the short term – but we’ve seen better offers from BT in the past.
Also discounted are the Big Sport bundle, which includes both TNT Sports and Sky Sports, as well as the VIP Bundle, which includes sports along with entertainment (from Sky), NOW Cinema (also from Sky), and Netflix.
Curiously, there are no deals at all on the Entertainment bundle (which includes Netflix and Sky’s NOW Entertainment), but hopefully, that will change as we get closer to Black Friday itself.
While these deals are somewhat disappointing, compared to last year – they can still be beneficial for some customers. It also looks like BT are focusing on broadband deals this time around, with three free months of broadband service.
Read ahead for all the details and my analysis.
- BT TV Black Friday Offers For New Customers
- BT TV Black Friday Offers For Existing Customers
- BT Black Friday Broadband Offers
BT’s TV Platform Explained
BT’s TV offer is currently based around its 4K Pro Box, which the company launched in 2021.
The box is a 4K/HDR YouView-based device with streaming apps and plenty of storage for Freeview recordings.
It supports Dolby Atmos audio, has 4 tuners (so you can record up to three shows on separate channels and watch a fourth), 1TB of storage, a Bluetooth remote, and both WiFi and Ethernet connectivity.
The BT TV Box Pro also supports quite a few streaming apps – Netflix, Amazon’s Prime Video, NOW, Discovery+ and more, as well as all the standard catch-up streaming apps – BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, My5, UKTV Play, S4C, STV Player and BBC Sounds.
While not as comprehensive as standalone streaming devices like the Amazon Fire TV sticks or Roku (there are a few major apps still missing – such as Disney+) – BT’s box does include most of the important ones.
In addition to the streaming apps, you can use BT’s box to watch some (but not all) Freeview channels without an aerial – and even record programmes from those channels to its internal hard drive, something both Sky Glass / Sky Stream and Virgin’s Stream Box can’t do.
It’s worth noting that BT is now preventing ad-skipping on ITV’s channels, when in internet mode – even if you record the content – something that was met with frustration by many customers.
For those who want to watch in more rooms – BT also offers the BT TV Mini Box, which includes the same streaming apps and the ability to stream Freeview channels via broadband. But the Mini box doesn’t have any recording capabilities.
BT’s “Flexible” TV packages are attached to BT’s broadband plans (so you can’t get BT TV on its own).
It’s also important to note again that BT TV’s packages, when bundled with BT’s broadband, require a 24-month contract, which limits flexibility compared to standard streaming services.
The “flexible” part in the name comes from being able to change your TV package every 30 days – switch from Entertainment to Sports, cancel one and add another, or just get the VIP package, which includes everything (but you can’t cancel the TV contract completely until your original contract is up).
However, if (in the future) you switch from any of the discounted bundles you will most likely not be able to get them back at the current discounted price point – so be careful if you choose to do that while you’re still under contract.
It’s also worth mentioning that BT is migrating its TV business to EE (which is also owned by BT). Therefore, in December, existing BT TV customers will be switched over to EE TV.
But, other than a new name, you won’t see any changes, as your billing will stay the same, and the way the boxes work will stay the same as well.
In a few months, EE TV is planning to offer a brand new bundle – which will be based on an Apple TV 4K box – but we’ll have to wait until 2024 for that.
BT TV’s Black Friday Offers
From now until November 16 (though they may end up keeping some of the offers until the end of the month), you can get some of BT TV’s plans with a discount.
The headline deal is certainly eye-catching: BT TV’s Sport bundle, at a mere £1 per month.
But there’s a catch – this price is only for the first three months, after which it jumps to £18 per month for the remainder of the 24-month contract.
The Sport bundle includes:
- All 4 TNT Sports channels
- Eurosport 1 and 2
- Discovery+ (Premium – which also includes the streaming versions of Eurosport and TNT Sports)
- The BT TV 4K Pro Box
This short-term saving is a draw for new customers, but the subsequent price increase is something to consider for those looking for a longer-term bargain.
Also, the one-time activation fee is waived – so that’s a saving of £30-£40 (they keep changing the upfront fee for some reason).
For those wanting more extensive sports coverage, the Big Sport bundle, which includes both TNT Sports and Sky Sports, is being offered at a reduced rate of £35 per month, down from the usual £43.
This deal holds for the entire 24-month contract, offering a more consistent saving over the long term.
The most comprehensive package, the VIP bundle, has also seen a price cut. The VIP bundle includes:
- NOW Entertainment Membership, which includes Sky’s TV channels such as Sky Atlantic and Sky Max.
- NOW Cinema Membership which includes Sky’s live and on-demand movie channels
- NOW Boost which adds Full HD (1080p) and removes the adverts from on-demand content.
- Netflix’s Standard Plan (Not the Basic one! This is the one with Full HD and no adverts)
- All 4 TNT Sports channels
- Eurosport 1 and 2
- NOW Sky Sports (with all 11 Sky Sports channels)
- Discovery+ (Premium – which also includes the streaming versions of Eurosport and TNT Sports)
- The BT TV 4K Pro Box (which lets you watch Freeview over broadband)
You can now get this bundle for £60/month (instead of £76/month), for the entire duration of your contract – 24 months – and without an upfront fee.
This represents a discount of £414 over the two years (if you also count the waiver of the upfront fee).
You also need to remember that – as with most pay-TV and broadband companies these days – prices may change during your contract period, in line with inflation, every year.
BT’s Black Friday Broadband Offers
Customers who aren’t yet signed up for BT’s broadband, can get discounts on most of BT’s broadband plans as well – namely, they can get three free months of broadband, depending on the speed you choose.
So, if you combine the offers, you can get three months of broadband AND the Sports Bundle (with TNT Sports) for just £1/month, for the first three months.
It’s difficult to compare broadband prices and offers directly, since prices often depend on your location and the type of plans and speeds you can get, so it’s best to check the full list of BT’s Black Friday broadband offers here.
Are BT’s Black Friday Offers Good?
When placed against BT TV’s previous promotions, this Black Friday offer seems less generous.
In the past, BT TV offered the Sport bundle at just £1 per month for a longer six-month period, which undoubtedly provided greater value. The reduction to a three-month offer might not sit well with those who are aware of these past deals.
If you look at the standalone Discovery+ Premium streaming subscription, which includes TNT Sports and Eurosport – it costs £29.99 – so of course, if you’re a TNT Sports fan, getting it for £1/month for 3 months, and then £18/month for the rest (along with Discovery+ and Eurosport) is still a decent deal.
When compared to TNT Sports on other platforms, it’s also worth remembering that you’re getting the 4K Pro box as well – which is a fully-featured Freeview and streaming box (but it’s a loan – you have to return the box if you leave BT).
It’s also a good price when compared to TNT Sports’ price on Sky Stream – where it’s currently priced at £28/month (but Sky is offering its own set of Black Friday deals – so check them out as well).
Virgin Media recently removed TNT Sports from its traditional TV bundles – so it will now cost extra for new Virgin Media subscribers.
However, Virgin Media probably has the best TNT Sports streaming offer – as you can currently get TNT Sports for just £10/month (but only with Virgin Media’s broadband and its Stream box).
The Best Discount: The BT VIP Bundle
If you want to maximize your discounts, the BT TV VIP Bundle – which isn’t discounted often – offers the best value at the current £60/month and no upfront fees.
But, as always, my main issue with it is that you’re locking yourself into BT for 24 months – which is something to take note of.