New customers signing up for Sky Broadband, TV, Triple Play and NOW contracts will now be tied into a 24 month contract.
According to Sky, this is to 'align with the wider broadband market and to continue offering our customers brilliant value, improved technology and deeper pricing.'
Previously, Sky contracts were 18 months, so the jump to 24 months isn’t too extreme. However, many NOW customers might be disappointed with the news. NOW were the only main stream provider that still offered 12 month contracts. Furthermore, NOW have just removed their Brilliant Broadband, Fab Fibre, and Super Fibre plans, and the option for a flexible 30-day term along with them.
Instead, NOW Broadband have today launched two new packages, NOW Full Fibre 75 and NOW Superfast, to go along side the NOW Full Fibre 100 which launched in February.
Increasing contract lengths from 18 months to 24 months comes with both pros and cons for new customers. If you bagged a good deal then you can relax knowing that this is taken care of for 24 months before you need to think about re-contracting or switching.
On the other hand, 24 months is a long time and a lot can change, you could end up stuck with a service that no longer works for you. It’s also worth pointing out that, even with the 24 month contact, prices can still change each year. Most providers raise prices in either March or April, being tied into a 24 month contract leaves you unable to shop around for a better deal when this happens.