Broadband ISP Plusnet UK Stops Providing BT Sport TV Service
As expected (here), UK ISP Plusnet this week confirmed that they’re no longer providing BT Sport as a part of their existing customer home broadband packages, which means you won’t be able to access the service, including the BT Sport App or via a Sky TV set-top-box.
The move to close BT Sport is not a huge surprise, since Plusnet had already walked back on its old YouView powered Pay TV service (here) and the recent Joint Venture (JV) deal between BT Sport and Discovery+ was always going to be followed by quite a few changes (e.g. new branding to TNT Sport and pricing / packages). All of this also fits into BT’s wider branding simplification programme.
Similarly, Plusnet had already stopped offering BT Sport subscriptions as part of their broadband services on 23rd May 2023 and so it was inevitable that the service itself would come to a halt. “If you have BT Sport, BT Sport over Sky, or the BT Sport App with Plusnet, they will be available up until 5th July 2023. After this date, we’ll remove your BT Sport subscription from your Plusnet account,” said the provider.
The ISP noted that those who have already paid for a month of service, running beyond the 5th July 2023, will be given an automatic refund. Customers can of course continue to sign-up via BT directly, but a monthly pass will now set you back £29.99 per month. By comparison, PlusNet previously offered bundles with BT Sport that reduced this price down to less than £20 per month.
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook and Linkedin.
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Seems like another way for isps to make more money especially as bt and plusnet are owed by the same company. Let’s hope that they provide a better service for sports if there going to start charging a lot more to people.
They want £76 for the VIP package which has a tonne of TV but no connectivity.
It looks like Plusnet is just going to become a basis ISP, nothing wrong with that as long as the price is right. I prefer that from a ISP to be honest.
Well no they are going to be EE very soon. EE will be the only consumer brand PN and BT will cease to exist.
@charles, don’t be so sure that they will become EE, i think BT will keep Plusnet as a budget provider unless they really want to lose customers, because a lot of people will not pay the higher prices that EE will have.
some people don’t want all the extras that BT and EE offers,all they want is a connection to the Internet, one of the reasons I went for plsunet and stayed with them for 9 years the longest I have ever stayed with an ISP.
They have done a few things over the last couple of months or so, which I don’t think they would bother to do if Plusnet was vanishing, like reintroducing the Perks.
I could be wrong, we will wait and see, but it would be a stupid move to combine it with the more expensive EE service.
@Ad47uk
I believe Charles is correct. Plusnet will cease to be.
@Vince
I believe Charles is incorrect. Plusnet will continue to be.
I guess EE smart add on will also disappear soon?
I’m actually quite pleased to see Plusnet simplifying back down to just being an ISP.
I’m sick and tired of the ridiculous attitude that companies have now where they only give you a good deal if you also package in all these other things you don’t want. I want my broadband provider to provide my broadband, extremely well, for the best price they possibly can without affecting customer service, and nothing else. Same for my mobile provider and mobile service.
If I want to subscribe to another service, I’ll go and get it from them. If that service isn’t worth what they’re asking for it, then I won’t buy it. Simple!
it’s so much easier now they don’t do e-mail and domains. They need to kill it for existing customers now – just go back to raw tech support for connections.
While it may be a good deal if you want the extras, it is not a good deal if you don’t. the leaflet I got from Bt, syaing i can get BT TV, netflix 100Mb.s speed for £39.99 for 24 months,the price will increase though the contract, normal price is £54, sound like a bargain, apart from the fact I have no interest in BT TV and I already have Netflix. If they lowered the price of broadband only, that may have been better, well it would not have as I have already signed up for a provider when I got the leaflet. what is strange is the 100Mb/s thing, I thought BT offered 150Mb/s
TalkTalk should go the same way and scrap YouView.
No they really shouldn’t. They give affordable TV without the need for an expensive 18 month contract
YouView is still going? That was rubbish when it was launched, I can’t see it being much better now unless they really updated the hardware,
Yeah it’s still going. I wouldn’t say Youview is bad tho. Sky is the best tho obviously
@Smith Johnson, Youview used to be awful, I mean the hardware, it was sluggish and unreliable, I remember someone getting it from BT years ago and it would take ages just to change channels and would just disconnect from the net for now reason at all. the software was clunky.
I would have chucked it out of the window if I had it. I was going to get one myself, but buy it outright, I thought it might be better than the Digital stream I had, well still have, but not used.
Freeview play is Freeview own version of youView, but is incorporated into TV sets, but it is not that much better than youview, being able to go backwards in the guide sounds a great idea and it is, but it is clunky, using different services with different user interfaces and only works on some channels.
i wonder if the digital stream box still works? I know it is not updated anymore.
Unless I stick a plug on the aerial cable i am never going to know
@Smith Johnson, i thought i would give my Digitalstream a quick try, not been used for over 8 years, due to me not having a TV licence, so I plugged it in and it started up, displayed the me nu and even the recordings and played them, menu was a bit strange to look at, just needed display changed to 1080P. Unrolled my areial cable and stuck the inner core into the socket, so it made contact and so did the outer core, no plug on cable. Scanned for channels and it found them, took about ten minutes to find the time and the names of the channels, even did a quick record. So the box still works if i ever need it. now it is packed up again and the co-ax is back rolled up on the window sill, so the goons can see it is not connected.