Virgin Media is giving customers free £249 Xbox consoles in a bid to rival Sky and BT

Virgin Media is giving away free Xbox consoles in a battle to get customers to sign up to its broadband and TV against industry giants Sky and BT.

The three major TV providers are locked in a battle to sign up customers amid the cost of living crisis and Virgin's latest deal is offering a full gaming console worth £249 to new customers.

The deal, spotted by the Mirror, says an Xbox Series S console is free when shoppers sign up for a combined broadband and tv package, which start from £60 a month. The console is compatible with Xbox Games Pass which offers over 100 top titles for a monthly subscription fee.

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The Xbox comes free with the Bigger Bundle + Sports, Bigger Bundle + Movies or Ultimate Volt Bundle. Prices for each of the three options start at £60 a month, with the Ultimate Vold Bundle coming in at £85 a month.

The average broadband bill has increased by 14% a month, resulting in an increase of £2-£5 a month depending on the provider, leaving many customers to shop around for better deals when their contracts are up.

For pre-existing Virgin customers looking to buy one of the bundles, but not interested in the free Xbox console, the provider is offering £200 bill credit towards Virgin media bill payments. Shoppers only have until the end of April 20 to claim the free deal.

The new offer comes as BT and Sky launch their own promotions. BT is offering customers Sky channels and Netflix for just £1 a month for the first six months of a 24-month contract in its latest deal, while Sky has launched a deal that includes its Stream box plus broadband and TV channels for the lowest-ever