SPORTS fans will see their Sky bill increase from today – affecting tens of thousands of customers.
The broadcast giant’s streaming service NOW has hiked the price of its Sports Month Membership to £34.99.
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Up until today the price was £33.99, but from today it has gone up by £1 a month, adding an extra £12 a year to bills.
Users with the membership have access to all 11 Sky Sports channels.
Subscribers with the Boost add-on have also been hit with an additional price rise of £1 a month.
The Boost add-on is an optional extra which gives customers ad-free streaming, increased frame rate, availability on more devices and HD viewing.
It’s available on any NOW subscription and the price has now gone up from £5 to £6 a month.
It means any customers who subscribe to both the monthly membership and Boost will be hit with a £2 rise in total every month – or £24 a year.
The increases kicked in today, February 28.
Those who are currently subscribed under an existing offer won’t see their bills go up until it comes to an end.
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A spokesperson for NOW previously told The Sun: “We know price rises are never welcome, which is why the price of our Sports Month Membership has not increased in the past six years.
“However, like many businesses in the UK, we are facing increased costs across the board.
“Therefore, we have made the decision to increase the price of our Sports Month Membership by £1 per month, which is below inflation levels.”
Other sports broadcasters have also increased prices in recent weeks.
BT Sport hiked the cost of its Monthly Pass from £25 a month, to £29.99 on February 17.
That means customers are paying £4.99 a month more – just under £60 extra a year.
Sky Mobile customers have also been hit with a price rise as of February 14.
Bills for Sky’s out of contract customers increased by £1 a month.
BT, EE and Three are among the providers which have confirmed to The Sun they will be putting up bills by up to 14.4%.
Price rises will come into effect for millions of customers from the end of March.
Many broadband and mobile phone providers base their annual price increases on the rate of inflation plus an extra 3.9%.
December’s rate of inflation was announced last month as 10.5%, so bills will rise by 14.4%.
How can I save money on my NOW sports subscription?
If you’re looking to avoid the NOW monthly price rise on your sports membership you could cancel your Boost add-on, so you will only see a £1 increase to your bill.
But do be aware that you’ll lose out on the added features it gives you.
Sports fans could also convert their memberships to a “Sports Day Membership” which costs £11.99 for a day.
This could be a good alternative if there’s a sporting event in particular you want to watch.
Do bear in mind though that it could work out as more expensive depending on how many events you want to watch.
How do I cancel NOW?
If you’re looking to cancel any NOW subscription, you can follow these simple steps.
It’s important to note though that if you cancel, you won’t be able to watch the football or any other content through the streaming platform.
You can cancel at any time and there is no fee to leave.
Start by logging into your NOW account online.
Then click the My Account button which can be found in the top right-hand corner of the screen.
A drop down menu should pop up on your screen.
Next, click on the Passes and Vouchers option in the list.
Select the pass you are wishing to cancel and press the Cancel Pass button.
You will then be asked to select a reason for why you are cancelling that specific subscription. Click the reason for your cancellation.
Another screen will pop up asking if you wish to cancel, and if you’re happy to carry on click “I still want to cancel”.
A confirmation message will then appear on screen and you will also receive an email to your registered account.
Will I be charged if I cancel my NOW subscription?
You will not be charged to cancel your NOW subscription.
The internet TV service will take the specified payment for that month.
You will still be able to access the relevant subscription up until the end of the month you have paid for.
Last year, NOW customers were told to be aware that a £5 (now £6) a month Boost package could have been automatically added to their account after signing up to a free trial.
If gone unnoticed, the extra fee could now add £72 a year to your bill.
The Sun has outlined how to check if this fee has been applied to your bill.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected]
