TV package options to keep all the family entertained

Watching the Kansas City Royals play 2015.

It may now seem like a distant memory, but it was only around 15 years ago when most of the country only had access to five TV channels. Nowadays, most of us expect access to hundreds of hours of on-demand family entertainment whenever we require it. While this explosion in choice is welcome, it does make choosing the right family entertainment package a little trickier than ever before. Many broadband packages are now bundled with subscription TV products - these solutions can provide excellent value, but with thousands of individual packages now available, how can you be sure that you're choosing the right one?

That's why we've put together this guide to some of the best family entertainment options out there. Read on and we promise you'll find something to keep your loved ones entertained this Christmas and beyond.

Do you have the need for speed?

Many of the TV package options that we'll be discussing are delivered over your broadband connection. That means that you'll need fast internet service in order to make the most of them. A fiber service is the best option but, unfortunately, fiber is not available in all areas. A good comparison website such as Broadband Choices will be able to let you know what services are available in your part of the country. Just enter your ZIP code and telephone number to see the results.

The big two: Sky and Virgin Media

When you think of subscription TV companies, you probably think of Virgin Media and Sky. The cable and satellite operators used to have total dominance over the industry, but the emergence of a number of upstarts like EE and TalkTalk TV as well as the explosion of Netflix has made life a little trickier for these two players in recent years. The good news for customers is that this means that much lower prices are available. It's now possible to get a great family entertainment package that includes movies and a galaxy of kids' channels for under £50 a month including your broadband and line rental.

If you go with Sky, you may be able to take advantage of Sky Q, which allows you and your kids to watch the programmes you've recorded on tablets in the house and out and about. Trust us, we're sure this will be a very popular option with the little ones. Virgin Media, on the other hand, will be able to offer you their latest TiVo box which gets to know the programmes you love and offers Netflix support.

The other options

TV options from the other major providers such as EE, BT and TalkTalk are a good compromise between the cost of Sky and dumping your TV altogether and going with Netflix. They'll still allow you to watch live TV on channels like BBC One, ITV and Sky One but they also come with a huge on-demand library. All of these services offer Freeview Plus functionality which allows you to pause, rewind and record around a hundred of the most popular TV channels straight to the hard drive of the device. Most also support Netflix and other popular streaming services like BBC iPlayer and the ITV Hub.

Cutting the cord

If you feel you can live without any live TV then you could save a bundle by only taking a subscription to Netflix or NowTV. Netflix's library of content continues to grow every month and there's now a substantial library of kids' movies and TV shows. Don't forget that some shows do expire so you do risk your little ones' favourite show suddenly being unavailable one morning. Sky's NowTV service has recently launched a kids service that allows you to enjoy several of the biggest kids' TV channels and a whole library of on demand content for well under £10 a month.

The range of on-demand TV options is changing all the time and every month brings more options for keeping the family entertained. Hopefully, we've cut through some of the jargon and confusion and you'll find one of the options we've discussed will be perfect for you and your family during the holiday season and beyond.