Guides
Plain answers on what UK TV costs, what’s changing, and what to do about it.
The big change
Buying guides
Which TV should I buy? The best TVs in the UK by budgetFrom about £250 to premium OLED, most with Freely built in.Watching UK TV abroad, on a boat or away from homeWhat each service allows abroad, what to download first, and the TV Licence on a boat.Do you need a TV aerial? What it costs, and what to ask an installerAbout £250 for a new rooftop aerial, £110 for another socket, and when you can skip it.Sport on UK TV: who shows whatPremier League, Champions League, F1, the Six Nations and more, and the cheapest way in.The right box for every roomRecorders, streaming sticks and Freely boxes, by what you need them to do.
Prices
Netflix price rise 2026: what every UK plan costs nowNetflix raised every UK plan in September 2026, its third rise in three years. The new prices, what changed, and the cheaper ways in.Disney+ price rise: the new UK prices and when they reach youDisney+ has raised its UK prices again. New subscribers already pay more; existing monthly subscribers move on 18th November and annual ones on 2nd December.
New to watch
Sport
Free TV
TV licence 2026: £180 a year, and when you need oneThe colour TV licence went up to £180 in April 2026, its third rise since the freeze ended. What it costs, how it has changed, and when you need one.Is Freeview being switched off? Where things stand, and what Freely means for youThe government's preferred date to end aerial TV is 31st December 2034, with 2044 the alternative, and a decision is due. What's proposed, what isn't decided, and what Freely means for you.
Broadband and phone
TV and broadband price rises in 2027: what Sky, Virgin Media, BT and EE customers will payMost UK TV and broadband contracts now rise by a fixed amount each spring. What's already set for 2027, provider by provider, and what you can do about it.The landline switch-off on 31st January 2027: what it means for your phone, broadband and TVThe old copper phone network closes on 31st January 2027. Who it affects, what changes, and what to check before then.
Away from home
Do you need a TV licence on a boat, in a caravan or a holiday home?Your home licence covers a boat or touring caravan, with one condition. A holiday cottage is different. The rules in plain English.VPNs and UK TV: what's legal, what isn't, and when one is worth havingA VPN is legal in the UK and useful on hotel and marina Wi-Fi. Using one to watch iPlayer abroad breaks the service's terms. Here's the difference.