Buy a broadband TV bundle in Ireland only if you would pay for Sky or live sport anyway. For everyone else — Netflix, Disney+, Prime, YouTube, RTÉ Player — the cheaper move is fibre or cable on its own, then the apps you actually open. The set-top box is not how you get streaming.
Four retailers in our dataset still sell a real TV add-on: Sky, Virgin Media, Eir and Vodafone. They sit first in this ranking. Pure, Digiweb, Imagine, Three and Starlink sit after as “skip the bundle” — buy Netflix yourself. Broadband intros below are August 2026; the TV extra is a second bill on top, not a free upgrade.
Sky’s 500 Mb fibre is still €27.99 → €50. Virgin’s 500/1 Gb is €30 → €70/€72. Eir’s 500 Mb is €34.99 → €75.99 plus €4 each April from 2027. Vodafone’s 500/1 Gb is €40 → €55. A sport pack on a bad thereafter is two mistakes. Check the Eircode first — find broadband.
When a TV bundle is worth it — and when it is not
Irish “free TV with broadband” ads are usually a broadband teaser plus a TV product you would have paid for. If Premier League, Sky cinema, Virgin channels or a linear Eir TV pack is already in the household budget, one bill can be convenient. If the house lives on streamers, you are paying for a box and a channel list you will not use.
| Household | Bundle? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Live Sky / sport is non-negotiable | Yes — start with Sky or Virgin | That is the product. Broadband is the pipe. |
| GAA, RTÉ, Netflix, Disney+, YouTube | No — broadband only | Those are apps. You do not need the ISP’s telly. |
| Want one bill, watch a bit of linear TV | Maybe Eir TV / Vodafone TV | Convenience, not value. Price the apps first. |
| Renting, waiting on fibre, or rural wireless | No | Do not lock sport into a 5G or satellite stopgap. |
Streaming (Netflix, Disney+, Prime, Now as an app) is cheaper for most Irish homes than a live-TV bundle with sport. Only bundle if the channels are the reason you pay. Broadband ranking without the telly: best broadband for streaming.
Who actually sells TV with broadband
tvBundle in our dataset is a yes/no: does this retailer sell a live-TV add-on worth discussing. It is not a claim that the TV is good, or that the broadband intro includes it.
| Retailer | TV in the mix? | Broadband intro → after | Honest read |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sky | Yes — Sky TV / sport is the reason people pick them | €27.99 → €50 (500 Mb) | Best case for a bundle: you wanted Sky anyway |
| Virgin Media | Yes — Virgin TV + Sky add-ons | €30 → €70 / €72 (500 Mb / 1 Gb) | Urban cable + live sport, if that is the street |
| Eir | Yes — TV + Prime-style packs | €34.99 → €75.99 (500 Mb) | One bill on the widest wire; thereafter is the trap |
| Vodafone | Yes — optional extras | €40 → €55 (500 Mb or 1 Gb) | Most streamers can skip; fibre is the product |
| Pure / Digiweb / Imagine / Three / Starlink | No live-TV empire | See cards below | Buy Netflix yourself. That is a feature. |
Sky is first because the TV is actually the product — “often the cheapest intro fibre, plus the TV people actually want.” Virgin is second because its own TV and Sky sport add-ons are why a Virgin street still bundles. Eir is third: TV exists, coverage is the case, the €75.99 thereafter plus April €4 is not. Vodafone is fourth among bundlers: TV add-ons are optional extras most streamers can skip. Reviews: Sky, Virgin, Eir, Vodafone.
Skip the bundle: fibre without the box
If you would not pay for Sky or sport as a standalone, do not let a “free TV” tile pick your ISP. The independents and the stopgaps are the honest broadband-only shop.
- Pure Telecom — Irish-owned, 100 Mb €30 → €40, no built-in April hike on the plans we track. No live-TV empire. Pure review.
- Digiweb — NBI and SIRO specialist. SIRO Gigabit €37.95 → €50. No TV bundle; rural fibre is the product. Digiweb review.
- Imagine — 5G Home Basic €40 rolling, freeze on selected plans to December 2030. Do not add sport to a wireless stopgap. Imagine review.
- Three — promotional 5G €25 for 24 months, then €40. Plug-in router, no TV. Three review.
- Starlink — residential from €35 rolling monthly. Last-resort pipe, not a telly platform. Starlink review.
On the same Open Eir / SIRO / NBI glass you can often buy Sky (with TV) or Pure (without). The glass did not change. Pick the bill that matches whether you actually watch linear sport. Network map: Open Eir vs SIRO vs NBI vs Virgin.
Streaming vs Sky vs Virgin TV
A 4K stream does not need a broadcaster bundle. It needs a competent line and Wi-Fi that reaches the TV. Live sport and linear channels are the only honest reasons to add TV to the broadband order.
| What you watch | Do you need the ISP’s TV? | Broadband that actually matters |
|---|---|---|
| Netflix / Disney+ / Prime / YouTube | No — apps on the smart TV | 500 Mb FTTH is the Irish default; 1 Gb if the house is busy |
| RTÉ Player, TG4, Virgin Media Player (apps) | No | Same as above. A VPN is a different problem. |
| Now, GAA GO, DAZN as apps | Usually no | Stability on match night; fibre over 5G |
| Sky Sports / Sky cinema / linear Sky | Yes — Sky (or Virgin + Sky add-on) | Pipe still matters; the bundle is the channels |
| Virgin TV channel list + sport add-ons | Yes — if you are on a Virgin street | Take 1 Gb at the €30 intro; model the €72 thereafter |
Speed for a streaming house is a download problem; sport is a “will it stay up at 8pm” problem. Neither is solved by a set-top box. See what speed do I need and broadband for streaming.
How we ranked TV bundles
Retailers with tvBundle === true sit first, in the order the TV product actually matters: Sky, Virgin, Eir, Vodafone. Everyone else is ranked after as skip-the-bundle, by overall score. We do not invent channel-pack prices. Broadband intros and thereafter are the August 2026 figures from the same dataset as the hub.
- Would you buy the telly anyway? If no, ignore the bundle column and shop fibre like best fibre.
- Intro vs thereafter. A cheap Sky 500 intro plus sport is still a €50 broadband hangover. Virgin’s TV sits on a ~€70 year-two pipe.
- Availability. Virgin TV requires a Virgin street. Sky TV does not require Sky’s own last mile — Sky retails Open Eir, SIRO and NBI.
- Advertised speed, not lab Mbps. SPEED on the cards is the advertised download on the cheapest tariff we list.
Affiliate links never change the order. Confirm the TV pack on the order summary; broadband-only is the default for most Irish homes. Head-to-heads: broadband comparisons.
