Sky Broadband UK Plans for Price Cut Tempered by 10% TV Price HIKE

Rumours that Sky Broadband could be about to cut its internet and or phone prices (here) in order to counter the launch of BT’s new FREE TV Sport service (here) will have to be tempered against the sudden appearance of a 10% price rise warning for Sky TV subscribers.

Sky customers who log into their ‘My Sky’ account page or view their ‘Shop’ section and read the disclaimer at the bottom headed “Here’s the legal bit” are now being advised that the “Sky TV price will increase on 1 September 2013 by up to 10% in accordance with our standard terms“.

Price hikes are of course nothing new to Sky TV subscribers and many feared that some of the price freezes from past years would eventually come home to roost. If carried through to the full then this would result in the basic Sky Entertainment package rising from £21.50 a month today to £23.65 (+£2.15) on 1st September.

On top of that the same small print also notes that the ESPN and ESPN Classic sports TV channels “will cease to be available on the Sky TV subscription service after 31 July” (BT Sport now has the ESPN content).

It will now be interesting to see what price cut, if any, Sky announce this week or whether the newspapers got it wrong and they actually meant a hike. Either way, with the threat from BT, now isn’t the best time for Sky to be raising its prices or confusing consumers with mixed messages.