Consumers wasting cash on unwanted TV packages

Broadband has become a vital part of modern-day life, and people regularly spend hundreds of pounds a year on securing the best possible service. A decent TV subscription is often part of that service, but when it comes to package deals, do you really benefit? According to research from Freesat, you could be wasting money.

The research found that 67% of pay-TV customers have package deals that include subscription TV channels, a broadband connection and landline minutes, with the average subscriber spending £672 a year. Yet 24% don't use their landline minutes, and 25% mainly watch free channels, with 37% admitting they watch very few of the subscription channels on offer, despite paying for them.

This means a lot of that expenditure could be going to waste, and confusion could only be adding to the issue – 40% of respondents thought they had to pay for a landline in order to receive satellite television, when in reality this isn't the case, meaning they're paying for something they may not even need.

Despite all this, it seems that some are resigned to staying where they are, with 12% of customers saying they wouldn't consider ending their contract or moving to a cheaper deal because of the perceived hassle associated with quitting a bundle, and the difficulty in setting up a new broadband service. But it doesn't have to be that way!

Freesat spokesperson Guy Southam commented on the findings: "Bundle deals can seem like the easiest option, especially for people who have just moved into a new property and want to set up their TV and internet services in one go. But our research has shown that these deals can be a waste of money for a lot of customers, and can also discourage people from shopping around and switching to cheaper options in the future.

"Any customers on bundle deals should consider how much they actually watch the channels they're paying for and which of the extra services they're using. With cheap broadband deals now very easy to come by, any hassle associated with switching internet provider should not be a reason for staying on an expensive bundle."