What is better virgin media or sky?

Virgin Media and Sky are two of the main contenders for quality broadband, TV and phone. Virgin Media and Sky have some major differences in their services. When it comes to broadband, Virgin is all about broadband download speed, with its top speed double Sky's top offering. However, Sky has around four times the number of standard channels offered by Virgin. Line rental costs are roughly equal, but Virgin allows you to take broadband without paying line rental if you don't want a home phone package. This is not an option with Sky.

Broadband

Virgin Media broadband runs on fibre cables. Depending upon coverage in your area, Virgin offers a choice of three levels of speed: up to 50Mbps, up to 100Mbps, and up to 152Mbps.

Virgin is also the only UK provider to offer broadband either with or without a landline, so you can save on the cost of line rental if you don't need a ho

Sky has basic, copper-cabled broadband in addition to fibre. Copper cable broadband(ADSL2+) has the widest reach of any broadband service, and provides download speeds of up to 17Mbps. Sky fibre products offer two speeds separated by price. The up to 38Mbps fibre service is cheaper than the up to 76Mbps fibre, and both benefit from unlimited downloads and uploads.

TV

Virgin Media is a cable TV provider. Most of its TV packages can be taken alone or with a phone plan. There are four packages to choose from. The TV M package has over 60 channels and is only available with the Big Easy Bundle. TV M+, TV L, and TV XL can be taken as stand-alone TV services, and feature over 120 channels, over 170 channels, and over 230 channels, respectively.

Sky

Sky's TV service is supplied via a satellite dish. Its TV products are called bundles, and have names relating to the included content, such as the Sports Bundle and Movies Bundle. They can all be taken alone without broadband or phone. The bundles all have 240 free-to-air channels as standard.

Customer service

Virgin Media

Customer satisfaction for Virgin Media's broadband as the highest in the industry, tied with Sky. Satisfaction levels for its TV service met the industry average, at 77 per cent. Customer satisfaction with its home phone (landline) provision was ahead of the competition, far above the industry average.

Sky

Customer satisfaction amongst broadband providers places Sky at the top of the board, tied with Virgin Media.

Satisfaction ratings for Sky's TV service are the highest in the UK, beating both BT and Virgin Media by a significant amount. Customer satisfaction for Sky's landline service was just above the sector average, with the provider coming second to Virgin Media.