The term TV plan is commonly used to denote a pay television subscription. In Switzerland, TV plans are offered as digital TV or cable TV packages. A subscriber to a TV plan pays a recurring fee to a service provider in exchange for access to specific television channels.
Many consumers in Switzerland pay for a TV plan without even knowing it because TV plans are often provided as a package deal along with cable TV connections. Landlords pass the subscription fee on to renters as part of the amenity charges billed along with the rent. As a renter you have the right to terminate unwanted TV plans and have the charge removed from amenity charges.
Modern TV plans offer numerous practical services including time shifting, digital video recorder functionality and video on demand. TV plans have primarily been offered by cable TV network operators like UPC and Quickline.
More recently, telecom service providers like Swisscom, Sunrise and Salt have begun to offer TV plans. Internet TV plans which let you access TV channels via the Internet provide an alternative to the TV plans offered by cable and telecom network operators. In Switzerland, Internet TV plans are offered by Zattoo, Teleboy, Wilmaa and Quickline, among others.
In Switzerland, bundled offers which include TV, broadband and landline plans are widely used. Some service providers only offer TV plans in combination with other services like broadband Internet connections.
There are major differences between the various TV plans available in Switzerland. While public Swiss TV channels are included in all plans, many budget plans only let you access many popular channels in standard definition (PAL) rather than high definition (HD). There are also differences in the channels included in different TV plans, and these are most apparent in relation to foreign channels and special-interest channels. Because of these factors, it is important to get informed about which channels are included in a plan and the resolution in which they are broadcast before you subscribe.
Important information about terminating TV plans: If your TV plan is provided by your landlord along with your rental home and the fee is included in amenity charges which you pay along with your rent, you will have to specifically ask your landlord or their representative property manager to terminate the cable connection. In this case, you should be able to terminate the plan without a long notice period. If, on the other hand, the subscription is in your name and you pay your bill directly to the television service provider, you will have to give notice directly to the service provider yourself, in keeping with the term and notice period which you subscribed to.
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