How do you stay on top of all these new, mostly American, comedies and dramas we’re always telling you are must-sees? A few years back, if you wanted to catch all the latest critically lauded shows the licence fee and a Sky subscription did the job. Now it’s nowhere near that simple. So as the TV market fragments ever further, how much will it cost you to maintain your Telly Nerd: Expert Level status? Find out with this handy guide to the top services beyond Freeview and Freesat.
Sky
from £20
A huge player thanks to its deal with HBO and its insistence on not giving Sky Atlantic – the home of Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire, The Jinx, The Wire, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and many many more – to Virgin Media households.
Having spent millions on original comedy and drama, Sky probably still hasn’t made one single must-see that would cause you to subscribe on its own in the way that Thrones might. But it’s built a fine roster: Moone Boy, Stella, Yonderland and the quietly insane Scandi-drama Fortitude have all done well.
BT
TV/phone/broadband packages start at £10 (although you can’t get BT TV without also paying for phone rental of at least £17.99); Sky customers can add BT channels for £5 if they have BT Broadband, or £19.99 if they don’t
It focuses on sport, but BT has barrelled into the quality drama market with its new AMC channel. The UK version of the network that made Mad Men and Breaking Bad, it shows those two, as well as British exclusives of Fear the Walking Dead and the critically adored Rectify, a slow-burn southern gothic drama about a man released from death row after 19 years. The Walking Dead and Better Call Saul are AMC shows but remain with their existing UK rights owners, Sky and Netflix respectively, for now.
The catch: TV buy-ins are there to drive up BT broadband subs (the TV service is free if you get their broadband), so non-BT customers can’t just pay some money each month to watch Rectify online. If you don’t want BT Broadband, forget it.
NowTV
£6.99
Essentially Sky via the internet: you wonder how many households pay for Sky without realising NowTV is there. Almost all Sky’s entertainment channels (Universal, home of How to Get Away with Murder, is a rare exclusion) are available live, or on catch-up with a 30-day window. As well as the obvious big Sky shows, NowTV is currently a way to see superb new season 3 episodes of The Americans, which airs on the Sky-only ITV Encore. Like Netflix and Amazon, it’s a cheap gizmo that makes it easy to watch stuff on your big telly.
Plus: Sky’s box sets, which are on NowTV but not in the basic Sky package (you need the £36 Family Bundle). Right now you can binge on all seven seasons of Mad Men. Sky/NowTV is a bit cagey about offering Game of Thrones as a box set, but season one is there now and S1-4 will be available from 1 October.
Netflix
from £5.99
Still the best, by far, for original comedy and drama. Orange is the New Black, House of Cards and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt are essential, as is Breaking Bad prequel Better Call Saul (it’s better than Breaking Bad itself – discuss!), which can’t be seen legally in the UK anywhere else. Narcos, Bloodline, Grace and Frankie, BoJack Horseman, Sense8, Daredevil … they’re all solid.
The much-maligned back catalogue is large, but there are gems amid the randoms: Brooklyn Nine-Nine, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Friday Night Lights, Sons of Anarchy etc. Netflix is often a season or two behind with shows that are also available on NowTV or Amazon, although if you’re starting something from episode one, perhaps that’s not a deal-breaker.
Amazon Prime
£6.58 (£79/year)
Almost a must these days, although there are only three big ‘uns so far: the fabulous original dramedy Transparent, and UK exclusives of fandom-tastic historical romance Outlander and, from 16 October, terrific hacker drama Mr Robot. A full run of The Man in the High Castle launches in November, following a very decent pilot. Other series like Hand of God, Vikings, Bosch, Turn, The Red Road and Mozart in the Jungle aren’t quite top-level.
As its victory in the Mr Robot bidding war demonstrates, Amazon is throwing cash at streaming video: there’s a collection of exclusive dayglo kids’ shows and a rapidly growing library. Unlike on Netflix, it’s all downloadable, so brave commuters can watch Masters of Sex on the train. This time next year, Amazon Prime will be the new home of Jeremy Clarkson, but until then it’s a strong option.
In conclusion …
It’s complicated. The broadband/phone combo you’re already using will affect your thoughts on signing up to either Sky or BT, and basic deals can be different in the first year when you sign up and so on.
A combination of Amazon (£6.58), NowTV (£6.99) and Netflix (£5.99) would cost £19.56 a month – giving you pretty much everything except AMC and Universal.
To add AMC to the basic Sky package (£20) is an extra £19.99 without BT Broadband (it’s bundled with BT Sports); so with Amazon (£6.58) and Netflix (£5.99) that would be £52.56 a month. If you switch to BT Broadband, AMC is an extra £5, which would be £37.57 a month.
