Provider price hikes: How much will bills rise in 2025?

Ash Walker • 19 Feb 2025 Guides

Will your monthly costs be affected?

Get in touch to review your options on 0300 131 9887

You may have heard that your TV or broadband prices will be going up this April - you may have even been told about the changes by your supplier, even if you’re in the middle of your contract period.

But why is this happening? Does it affect you, and is there any way to get around it? Check out our guide for all the answers.

Why are prices rising in April 2025?

Many TV and telecoms providers raise their prices annually, usually around the start of the financial year. These price hikes are usually in line with inflation, and designed to give providers some protection against projected increases in running costs.

You should have been notified before signing your current contract if your supplier was planning on raising its prices - with a percentage value, a pounds-and-pence amount, or with something along the lines of ‘X supplier reserves the right to increase prices at any time’.

How are price rises calculated?

Historically, price rises have matched the CPI value (see below), or used it as a base level for each increase. However, this year has seen a big change in how price rises are implemented.

As of 17th January 2025, TV, mobile and telecoms providers will no longer be able to institute percentage-based mid-contract price hikes, without facing a penalty.

The new regulations were put into place by Ofcom, and some suppliers implemented the changes to their new contracts late last year. Remember though that this only applies to new customers; if you had already signed up before the changes came in, you’ll still be on the old percentage-based model that you originally agreed to.

If you’re unsure, it’s worth checking when your contract started, and what kind of contract you’re on.

What is CPI?

CPI stands for Consumer Price Index. It’s a key economic indicator that tracks how much the prices of goods and services that people buy change over time - essentially, it measures inflation.

The table below shows how the GB CPI value has risen over the past ten years.

Historically, suppliers have raised their prices by the CPI value every year, as a way to cover increasing running costs. In recent years though, many suppliers have also chosen to add an additional 3.9% to the CPI value when calculating price increases.

However, as already mentioned, since 17th January 2025 providers are now unable to institute inflation-based price increases on TV, broadband and mobile contracts without facing a penalty. This has changed how many suppliers calculate and communicate their price increases.

Do all providers raise prices mid-contract?

Many providers have historically instituted mid-contract price rises every year. However, there are some providers - usually smaller companies - that promise no mid-contract price rises as a selling point.

Check the sections below to see if your current provider will be raising prices in April 2025.

Which providers will be raising their prices in April 2025?

The majority of TV and broadband providers will once again be raising their prices this April. Check out the sections below to find out if you can expect your monthly bill to go up.

Sky

This year, Sky has chosen to stick with a percentage-based price rise, which means you’ll be subject to the same increase regardless of when you signed your contract.

This April, you can expect your bill to go up by 6.2%, across both TV and broadband packages. Although it’s worth bearing in mind that Essential TV is not subject to a price increase this year.

Virgin

If you signed your contract after 9th January 2025, you can expect your bills to go up by a flat rate of £3.50 per month, every April. However, if you’re still on an older contract, things get a little more complicated.

Contracts signed before 9th January 2025 are still subject to a percentage-based price hike. Virgin has historically calculated these price increases based on the slightly higher RPI (Retail Price Index), rather than CPI, and this year is no different.

Unfortunately, since this value has yet to be announced, Virgin haven’t revealed the amount of their percentage-based price hike just yet. You can likely expect it to be in line with the other major companies, though.

BT

BT instituted their new pounds-and-pence price increase model way back in April last year, which means any contracts signed after 10th April 2024 will be subject to flat price hikes this April. You can expect TV subscriptions to go up by £2 per month and broadband to increase by £3.

If you’re still on an older contract - from before 10th April 2024 - you’ll still be subject to a percentage-based price increase, which will be 6.4% this year.

Is there a way to avoid price rises?

Unfortunately, price rises have become the standard for most major providers, and since they’re typically advertised upfront - and are therefore agreed to when signing a contract - it can be difficult to avoid them.

If you’re truly unhappy with a price hike, it might be a good idea to think about switching suppliers. It’s always free to switch if you’re at the end of your contract period, and seeing as you’ll likely be moved automatically to a much higher out-of-contract price, it’s usually a good idea to move to a new deal or a new supplier altogether.

However, if you’re still mid-contract, you may have to pay early exit fees to leave before your contract ends.

Either way, it’s always worth speaking to someone on the phone about your options. Depending on your contract, you may even be able to switch to a new supplier for free; it’s always a good idea to ask.

Call our helpful team now on 0300 131 9887 if you’re thinking of reviewing your options.