Survey: Customers turning away from TV and broadband bundles due to lack of value

An Opinium survey of 2,002 people in the UK, commissioned by Zen Internet, claims that customers are increasingly moving away from TV and broadband bundles, with streaming services said to offer better value.

According to the study, 2 million of the 10 million households in the UK that have a broadband and TV package are considering cancelling it, with 1.7 million said to have already done so. Zen’s study also utilised data from the Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board (BARB).

The study claims that streaming services offer better value, with the average streaming platform costing around 23p per hour watched, compared to £1.30 per hour with the average TV sports package.

However, despite having concerns over the cost, 2.9 million households still don’t want to lose access to their TV and broadband bundle offerings. Many households, for instance, rated their sports TV channels as being important, despite their high cost per hour of viewing.

The COVID-19 lockdown has seen an increase in the popularity of streaming platforms, with 12 million signing up to a streaming service during lockdown according to Ofcom, including three million who never previously had.

Zen Internet Chairman and Founder Richard Tang said: “Even before the pandemic hit, it was clear to see viewing habits were changing with increased popularity of streaming services versus traditional TV packages. However, there are still a lot of people that rightfully don’t want to lose out on their TV subscriptions.”

“Fortunately, with the emergence of ultrafast broadband, consumers no longer need to be tied into broadband and TV bundles where they’re getting value from some channels, but not from others. Today, consumers should know they can pick and choose their channels and services without being tied to a bundle, including their favourite sports packages, making use of a separate broadband connection that reliably underpins it all.”