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Disclaimer: The information on this page was last updated on 04/01/2023, 15:47:30

The BT TV Guide is available to all users and customers of either BT broadband or BT TV. Sometimes, tv guides can be a whole big mess and leave you feeling unsure where to look for the channel you want. On this page, we’ll explain exactly how their TV guide works and channels it gives BT customers unique access to, and what to do if your TV guide isn’t working properly.

How BT TV works

Before we can explain how the BT TV guide works, it’s best to explain how BT TV works here first before we get into the BT TV guide.

BT TV is flexible depending on the tv package you have in place with them. So, depending on the package, you can have access to channels such as Sky Atlantic and American channels such as AMC. You can also gain access to Sky Cinema through a NOW Cinema Membership or watch BT Sports, Eurosport, and/or watch Sky Sports content through a NOW Sports Membership.

A very important thing you need to remember, before you pick your BT package and try to access the TV guide, is that you need to have BT broadband if you want to become a customer of BT TV. The two go hand in hand together. However, there’s a minimum speed attached to your broadband package, which could affect what BT TV packages you can purchase. The minimum speed as of May 2021 for BT TV packages is 32 Mbps.

You’ll also need a TV (obviously - so you can access the BT TV guide!) and a reasonably good signal for your TV so you can watch your Freeview channels uninterrupted by static.

Picking your BT TV Package

Entertainment - This package includes AMC and channels such as Sky Atlantic where you can watch original content and shows from the United States. This package also gives you access to over 300 box sets via the NOW Entertainment Membership. NOW Entertainment Membership is priced at £9.99.

Sports - BT Sports channels plus BoxNation. This means that you have access to the exclusive Premier League games that BT Sport show (usually at Saturday lunchtimes), and you can also view midweek football from the Champions League, Europa League, and Europa Conference League competitions.

Big Entertainment - A package that builds upon everything that’s included in the standard entertainment package. The only difference is that NOW Cinema is now included in the package, which gives you access to over 1,000 movies, plus the 30 that NOW adds onto their system every month. On top of the £9.99 for NOW Entertainment, you’ll also be paying £9.99 on access to NOW Cinema. All in all, this package will cost you just under £20 every month.

Big Sports - Adds to the standard Sports package, but through NOW Sports you have access to all of Sky Sports channels and the sport they show. This has a price of £33.99 a month.

VIP - Includes all of the above deals, and is designed for customers who want everything BT TV has to offer them. It is the most expensive package available, and will probably set you back around £55 per month, so be sure when you’re purchasing this!

BT TV Packages

How the BT TV guide works

The BT TV guide lists all the channels that you have access to through your BT TV package, so there is a bit of room for variety.

The great thing about the BT TV guide is that it’s not too dissimilar from all the other TV guides out there. So, how it works is pretty straightforward.

If you have a broader access to BT TV, and you pay for some of the specific BT channels, like their sports channels, then you’ll have access to BT Sports and all the content that those channels show, such as Premier League football.

BT TV guide will ultimately be tailored to what TV package you have with BT. For example, if you have the NOW Cinema Membership, then you can expect to see the NOW Cinema movies and channels on your tv guide. The same can be said if you had the Sports or Entertainment deals or another BT TV deal.

Your standard freeview channels such as the BBC channels, Channels 4 & 5, and others such as Dave will always be there.

Does it cover all the channels?

The BT TV guide lists all channels from 1-525, so there’s a lot to choose from!

It’s also split into categories so you can minimise how long you're searching the channels for.

As you can see, it’s split into:

• All Channels
• HD
• Entertainment
• Sport
• Film
• Kids
• Music
• Factual & Lifestyle
• News
• Shopping & Travel

A good thing about BT TV is that you can swap between your packages, and therefore how many channels are available to you, when needs be. For example, if you’re a drama fan and there’s a new show coming onto Sky Atlantic, but you currently have the sports package, then you can swap from the NOW Sports membership to the NOW Entertainment membership.

You can swap every 30 days during your 24 month contract with BT TV, so it’s very flexible in that regard.

If you’re struggling to know how to swap packages, or whether you can at all, contact Utility Switchboard and we’ll be able to help you.

020 3048 4598

Is it accessible online?

Like many other TV guides, the BT TV guide is accessible online.

When you search for BT TV online, and head to their website, the TV guide will be an option in a selection of options across the top left corner of BT TV’s homepage. Once you’ve clicked on that option, the TV guide will appear and you’ll be able to view the entire range of channels that are available to you through your BT TV package.

You’ll be able to view what’s on Live TV, what films and series you can rent and/or download from the Film & TV store, and what sports and kids channels you have access to.

BT TV Guide

Can I access the BT TV guide via the app?

You should be able to, because the BT TV app enables you to watch the channels you want on the go, on your smartphone or laptop, as opposed to watching them at home on your TV.

It’s free of charge and you’ll be able to watch the BT programmes you have paid for.

The BT TV guide looks a little bit different on the App, and takes on a similar, Netflix-like design in its layout. It’s split into categories such as Continue Watching, or Recommended to you and Brand New to BT TV.

You’ll be able to register the app on at least four devices, so that’s four devices where you can access the BT TV guide.

You can download the BT TV app across a whole different range of TVs from different companies. It’s accessible on platforms such as Amazon TV, Apple TV, and Samsung Smart TV.

The BT TV guide won’t load

If the BT TV guide won’t load, there’s a likelihood that problems have arisen. There’s no need to be concerned about this, because there’s ways in which they can be solved if it happens with either your Freeview channels or your subscription channels.

Freeview Channels

There’s different ways in which you need to tackle problems with your BT TV guide, if for example some channels aren’t appearing.

This is because the freeview and subscription channels rely on two different areas of connection in order to work properly.

Channels 1-199 on BT TV are freeview, so if any difficulties occur with these channels, then the solution will lie in fixing your tv aerial if there’s a faulty screen quality or poor connection.

So if problems come up with these channels, it’s likely your BT TV guide isn’t loading all the channels because it can’t gather a strong enough signal for all of them. Obstructions such as tall trees and high-rise buildings can all have an effect on signal strength.

Bad weather and local repairs can also affect it. If this is the case, then unfortunately, you may have to wait until the bad weather passes or the repairs are finished before you see any decrease in disruption to your tv guide and tv channels.

It may be none of these issues, and could just be a case of loose wires in the back of your BT box, so check that all the cables are firmly plugged in and see if that makes a difference. If not, try switching off your BT box at the power socket and unplugging it. Wait 30 seconds, and then reboot the box to see if the problem has been fixed.

Subscription Channels

With your subscription channels, if any problems arise then it’s likely you’ll need to refer back to your broadband box and internet connection in order to solve the issue.

For starters, go to settings on your BT TV and check your network settings. This will tell you whether or not your BT box is connected to the internet.

Check your BT Hub is set up correctly. If it’s plugged into the master socket in your house, and your master socket only has one socket, then you’ll need to fit something called a Minifilter, so that two sockets become available. One for your broadband box, and one for your BT landline.

A reboot of the box may be needed, which can be achieved by holding down the restart button on the broadband box.

If your box is plugged into mini adaptors, make sure those mini adaptors are plugged into the wall sockets and not into any extension leads.

And finally, check that there’s no other electrical equipment interfering nearby, such as a fan or lamps, or other electrical devices etc.

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