Vodafone throws down the gauntlet to Sky with a new TV box and £10 price tag

Vodafone TV is the newest addition to the competitive UK paid-for TV landscape. Starting from £10 per month, it's also one of the most affordable options available.

Announced at an event last month, Vodafone TV supports a swathe of popular streamers and apps, including HBO Max, Prime Video, Disney+, Netflix, Spotify, and hundreds more, as well as terrestrial channels like ITV, BBC, Channel 4, and of course, GB News.

• Vodafone turbocharges broadband with record speeds, and that's not all

Everything is beamed over Wi-Fi or a wired internet connection, so your television won't be tethered to an aerial. That also means you won't have to worry about bad weather disrupting your signal. Vodafone TV relies on Freely to bring free-to-air channels to your screen, so you'll benefit from all of the features built into that system, including the ability to pause and rewind live broadcasts, bounce between live and on-demand boxsets, and restart in-progress shows.

If you're not familiar with Freely, built by the same team as Freeview and Freesat, and is forecast to overtake both by the end of the decade. It adds a slew of features that aren't possible on either of those other platforms, with deep integration with catch-up services like BBC iPlayer, ITVX, and Channel 4.

While Freely was initially only available with the purchase of a new Smart TV built from the ground-up to support this new platform, over the last year, there has been an influx of set-top boxes that bring its best features to your existing set-up. Other TV boxes like Manhattan Aero and Humax are also Freely-powered.

One differentiator between Vodafone TV and some of its rivals: it comes with more than 300 games streamed over the internet and playable with a Bluetooth controller at no extra cost.

Several genres are available, including puzzles and arcade racers. Vodafone will regularly refresh the catalogue, so you should always have something new to look forward to playing.

Despite its dinky footprint, Vodafone TV is capable of delivering 4K picture quality with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, provided the film or television you're watching supports these premium formats. The telecom wants to ensure a seamless experience across devices, so you'll be able to use its companion app for a Sky Go-like experience to pick up where you left off as you watch at home and on the move.

Vodafone TV supports multiple profiles, so each household member will have a personalised list of recommended shows and films, and current progress in television boxsets without jumping between platforms. Since Vodafone TV boasts unfettered access to the Google Play Store, you'll be able to download thousands more applications and games, including the likes of Spotify, DAZN, Prime Video, and Apple TV.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

• Sky TV builds an AI-powered assistant to answer (almost) ANY question about film or TV
• Sky Glass Gen 2 review
• US bans robot vacuums from Dyson, iRobot, and more — could UK be next?
• EE unleashes its fastest broadband speed yet
• iPhone Air review
• You could be paying too much for Microsoft Word, UK watchdog confirms

You can add subscriptions to some of these popular plans via your Vodafone account, so you only have to worry about a single Direct Debit payment each month.

If you already subscribe to Vodafone Entertainment plans with your phone bill, which unlocks access to Disney+ or Prime Video, you can combine that with Vodafone TV Essential (Vodafone TV + Netflix + HBO Max) to create a single subscription — Vodafone TV Ultimate for £25.50 a month.

Like rivals EE TV and TalkTalk TV, Vodafone reserves its TV service for existing mobile and broadband subscribers. It's available to buy directly from Vodafone (online and in-store) as well as Currys. You'll still need to purchase a qualifying Vodafone Home Broadband or mobile plan at the same time to buy a set-top box in Currys stores.

Prices start from £10 per month, which includes the Vodafone TV set-top box, access to 300+ games to stream, and 150+ live television channels via Freely. For £17 per month, Vodafone will also bundle access to a subscription to Netflix Standard with Ads (usually £7.99) and HBO Max Standard with Ads (usually £5.99) too.

When subscribed separately, these two streamers alone would cost you £13.98 per month — and that's without any way to watch your content or stream live television.

For a limited time, new Vodafone Pro Broadband subscribers will be gifted Vodafone TV Essential (worth £17 per month) at no extra cost for 24 months. That deal expires on October 28, 2026, so you'll need to act fast.

If you're subscribed to Vodafone Together – the telecom's multi‑plan family offering – anyone with an existing Pay Monthly mobile line can add Pro Broadband and TV with an additional £4 monthly saving, bringing the total for Pro Broadband + Vodafone TV Essential to just £35 per month. In other words, if you're willing to go all-in with Vodafone for your mobile bill, home broadband, and now, television streaming... you'll save the maximum amount.

If you don't want to bundle all of these subscriptions together, Vodafone offers the chance to add Netflix and HBO Max via Vodafone Subscription+ on a 30‑day rolling basis, so you can cancel anytime.

Rob Winterschladen, who serves as Consumer Director at VodafoneThree, said: "Households are dealing with a TV set‑up that’s become far too complicated – juggling multiple apps, long channel bundles and services they often don’t use.

"Our research shows that more than a third of people haven’t changed their TV provider in the last five years, with the perceived hassle of switching a big blocker and, as a result, they are still paying for features that should be standard.

"Vodafone TV gives customers a smarter alternative: one simple, intuitive experience that brings their favourite entertainment together and helps them cut out unnecessary costs. With Netflix and HBO Max included for £17 per month, it delivers exceptional value from day one."