If you don’t fancy spending £299 on a YouView set-top box, or you’re unwilling to get a free box by switching your broadband to TalkTalk, then you might want to consider the alternatives:
BT Vision
This is probably the closest match to what YouView offers. Here’s a summary of what BT Vision offers:
- Freeview, plus extra content over the Internet
- 7-day catch-up TV from BBC, ITV, Channel 5 and Channel 5
- Sky Sports and ESPN sport available
- Box Office Movies service
- No download restrictions – watching video over Broadband won’t affect your download allowance
To find out more, go to www.bt.com/btvision
Sky Anytime
This option will require you to sign up for a Sky subscription. You’ll need a Sky box, satellite dish and a subscription. What you’ll get is access to Sky Anytime+, which is a video-on-demand service offering catch-up TV and box-office films.
At the time of writing, the Sky offering doesn’t include catch-up TV services from the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 or Channel 5.
Fetch TV
Offered a similar service to YouView, but went into administration at the end of 2011
3View
Offered a similar service to YouView, but as of 2012, appears no longer to be in business
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