TV
Providers
EE TV
Review
EE TV review 2021 (Apple TV)
By
Phil Wilkinson-Jones
| Monday, May 10th 2021
3/5
Apple TV
Overview
Channels
Set-top box
Add-ons
Packages and bundles
Our final verdict
Up until March 2021, EE offered its own EE TV box and package. Now, it gives customers the opportunity to have Apple TV+ instead. However, customers must have both EE broadband and EE mobile in order to qualify. So is it worth putting all your eggs in EE’s basket in order to get Apple TV+? We take a look below at the details of EE’s latest TV offering.
Apple TV+ with EE broadband
Customers wanting to have EE broadband with a TV package can now do so by signing up for Apple TV+ with EE. The main caveat to this is that as well as signing up for EE broadband you also have to have an EE mobile service as well. This can be in the form of a pay monthly handset or a SIM-only deal. Either way, it does mean you are completely tied in to EE and committing all your cash to one provider, which may suit some people but may equally put others off.
To tempt you in, EE pay monthly mobile customers or EE SIM-only customers on a 12-month contract can claim a 20GB data boost when they sign up for EE broadband. In addition, pay monthly customers also get 10% off their chosen broadband plan, making it a rather appealing prospect to go full EE.
The Apple TV+ box is a neat, stylish little box which will give you access to hours of superb TV. Choose from Apple TV originals such as comedy Ted Lasso or drama series The Mosquito Coast along with feature films such as Bruce Springsteen’s Letter to You. You can also choose to bolt on subscription streaming services such as NOW TV Memberships, Netflix and Amazon Prime to create a truly comprehensive array of entertainment options.
Sports fans will be delighted to learn that EE broadband customers can watch BT Sport for free on Apple TV+ and also on their smartphone or tablet. Enjoy Premier League football and the UEFA Champions league along with top-notch rugby and WWE. And if that’s not enough sport, you can also bolt on a NOW TV Sport Membership and get the best of everything when it comes to sports action.
To find out if you can get EE broadband with Apple TV+, visit EE’s website and click Check Your Speed to see which EE broadband services are available at your address.
Overview
Number of channels
99
Technology
Internet
Can bundle with broadband?
Required
Set-top box
EE TV box
Prices from
£32.50 per month
Channels
In terms of channels on EE TV, it’s a hybrid between Freeview and streaming services. You might wonder what’s the point of subscribing to a Pay TV service when all you get is free-to-air channels, but the value of EE TV is in the box and the features it enables. More on that later.
There are 70 completely free channels via your aerial as well as 11 HD channels. These include high-definition versions of BBC1, BBC2, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5. If you don’t have an HD tuner in your television, this already represents an improvement.
The EE TV Box supports a vast array of catch-up TV, subscription streaming services and media apps. BBC iPlayer and Demand 5 are on board, as are apps for YouTube, Deezer and live sporting action through BBC Sport. There’s also reality TV from Hayu and blockbuster movies from Rakuten TV.
There are some notable absentees however. There’s no support for Netflix or Amazon Prime, which immediately puts it at a disadvantage when compared to other streaming devices. BT, Sky, Virgin Media and TalkTalk all offer Netflix on their TV platforms. The ITV Hub is also absent – so there’s no watching Coronation Street on demand – as is All 4.
It’s very curious that there’s no way to
get BT Sport
on EE TV either. Given that EE is owned by BT, you’d think there would be a dedicated app. It’s a pity, as it would have been a big selling point.
Set-top box
We’ve established EE TV is a low-cost upgrade to Freeview, so why would you pay for it? The answer is the box.
The EE TV box lets you record up to four programmes at once. And it’s possible to store up to 600 hours of standard definition or 300 hundred hours of HD video on a 1TB hard drive. That compares favourably with offerings from EE’s rivals.
What’s more, you can nominate eight favourite SD channels, or six HD channels, and EE TV will record the entire day’s television. You can also filter by genre, so it will just
record movies, drama or sport. This means that if you tune in halfway through a programme, you can restart from the beginning.But what’s really impressive about EE TV is how it works with your smartphone or tablet. You can watch live or recorded TV on four devices around the home simultaneously and seamlessly move between them.
The EE TV app also doubles up as a remote control, so you can browse the TV guide without interrupting other viewers. You can also set remote record instructions when you’re out and about.
Unfortunately, you can’t download programmes to watch away from the home, as you can with Sky Q.
Compare EE TV packages
Add-ons
NOW TV and TV Player
These aren’t add-ons as such, as you can’t pay for them through your EE account. And you can sign up to them without having EE TV. But you can watch them through the EE TV box and they will supplement your Freeview channels nicely.
TV Player Plus offers 32 TV channels including Eurosport, HISTORY and Discovery Channel without a long-term contract. NOW TV means you can get the best Sky content and channels such as
Sky Atlantic
on your EE TV box – again without a contract.
MUBI and Rakuten TV
Again, these aren’t strictly EE add-ons. But if you’re a film buff you may want to consider subscribing to one or both of these apps. You’ll be getting a good mix of summer blockbusters, old favourites and Oscar-baiting award-winners. EE also offers discounts for various apps from time to time so keep an eye out.
Multiscreen
EE TV doesn’t offer additional boxes like Sky’s
Multiroom
service, but that’s not to say you can’t watch it from another room. In fact, your family can watch up to four different programmes around the house at the same time on the TV or on a phone or tablet.
If you’re moving between rooms, you can ‘flick’ a programme from your device to your TV or ‘fetch’ it from the TV to your device if you want to leave the room.
Packages and bundles
Bundles with broadband
Anyone signing up to EE broadband can also take EE TV for an additional monthly fee. EE offers standard broadband averaging 10Mbps and two
fibre broadband packages
averaging 36Mbps and 67Mbps. It’s worth getting fibre if you plan on making the most of EE TV’s streaming capabilities.
You can add anytime landline or mobile calls, and even international calls for an extra fee. And if you’re already an EE mobile and broadband customer, you’ll get a mobile data boost of between 5GB and 50GB a month.
Once you’ve
picked your broadband package
, you simply add EE TV to your plan and that’s it. There’s no set-up charge and because EE TV connects via a home aerial (which you should already have) and your home broadband connection (which is required), there’s no setup.
If you do take EE Broadband and EE TV, you will be tied into an 18-month contract.
TV on its own
You can’t get EE TV as a standalone product – you have to take
EE home broadband
to get it. While this might suit someone looking for a new provider, it will put off others in the middle of a contract or those who don’t want to switch.
It’s also not possible to add EE TV to a mobile subscription, so getting EE broadband really is the only option.
Our final verdict
The good
Good box with 1TB storage
Watch on phones and tablets around the house
Data boost for EE mobile customers
The bad
Only has Freeview channels
No access to Netflix, Amazon Prime or BT Sport
Only available with EE broadband
The multiscreen and mobile viewing features are so impressive it’s a shame they are limited to the basic array of Freeview channels. But what really lets the service down is the absence of some of the more popular streaming services.
It’s also worth pointing out that you don’t actually own the box and have to give it back to the company if you choose to end your subscription.
If you’re looking for a top-of-the-range service, then EE TV isn’t for you. Sure, you can access Sky Sports via
NOW TV
, but there’s no BT Sport. Similarly, Sky Cinema is available but there’s no Netflix.
But if you’re happy with Freeview, on the fence about your next
broadband provider
and want a relatively cheap upgrade that lets you pause and record live TV, then EE TV might be worth a look..
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