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U.K. incumbent also hikes broadband, calling prices, but freezes line rental cost.
BT on Friday announced that from the beginning of August, BT Sport will no longer be bundled free of charge with its TV service.
The U.K. incumbent has also hiked the monthly price of its broadband packages, and the cost of phone calls. Line rental charges will stay the same.
BT has been championing low-cost access to sports content ever since the official unveiling of BT Sport back in May 2013, and it was keen to point out on Friday that although it will begin charging for the service, the price – £3.50 per month – is still relatively low.
"This is half the price of a Sky Sports pass on [Sky’s streaming service] Now TV for a single day," BT said, in a statement.
The fee will only apply to customers who opt for BT’s entry-level TV packages. BT Sport will continue to come free with its Total Entertainment and Entertainment Max bundles.
For BT broadband customers who watch BT Sport on the app, the price will stay put at £5 per month. BT broadband customers who receive BT Sport through Sky TV will pay an extra £1.50 per month from 2 April. Non-BT broadband customers who tune in via Sky will pay an extra £1.
BT broadband customers will also have to pay more from the beginning April. The cost of its DSL service will increase by £2 per month, while fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) customers will pay an extra £2.50.
BT’s call prices are also going up.
Its anytime calling plan will increase by £0.49 to £8.99 per month, and its evening and weekend plan will increase by £0.30 to £3.80 per month. Call rates will go up by £0.01 per minute, and the call set-up fee is being increased by £0.02 to £0.21.
Line rental has been frozen at £18.99 per month. Furthermore, BT Basic – its subsidised tariff for low-income households – will continue to cost £5.10 per month.
Rules enforced by regulator Ofcom allow customers to exit their contract early without paying early termination fees in the event their service provider increases the monthly subscription fee agreed at the point of sale.
In a bid to take the sting out of the price hikes and dissuade anyone from jumping ship, BT said that broadband customers will receive a personalised, but as yet unspecified, special offer when they are notified of the increase.
The telco has also pledged to begin automatically compensating customers if it fails to deliver on one of its service promises. BT said it will share more details about the scheme at a later date.
