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NOW TV

Contract-free, low-cost access to Sky TV and Sky premium channels

NOW TV logo

NOW TV

NOW TV is the contract free way to get Sky TV and Sky Premium channels for reasonable prices. IT can be ideal if you want to dip in and out of different channels, watch your favourite sports or binge a box set.

Read on to learn about NOW TV passes, the channels on offer and whether it’s worth the flexibility.

NOW passes

The main draw of NOW TV is its flexible approach to premium television. You can watch Freeview channels with the NOW TV Smart Box, but you can also access the premium TV you want without paying for hundreds of extra channels.

You don’t even need NOW Broadband to access NOW TV passes.

NOW TV Pass Monthly Cost What you Get
Entertainment Pass £8.99
  • Live channels and on demand programmes
  • Regularly updated box sets
  • Sky Atlantic, Sky Witness, Sky One, Sky Comedy, Comedy Cetnral, GOlld, Syfy, MTV, Discovery, Vice and more…
Sky Cinema Pass £11.99
  • All Sky Cinema channels on demand
  • Over 1000 films on demand at any time
  • 12HD channels
Sky Sports Pass £33.99
  • All Sky Sports content both live and on demand
  • Most flexible of NOW TV passes as also available daily (£9.99) and weekly (£14.99)
Sky Sports Mobile £5.99
  • Cheaper alternative to the Sky Sports pass but you can only watch it on your smart phone
  • Sky Sports, Sky Sports Area, Sky Sports Action and Sky Sports News only
Kids Pass £3.99
  • Live and on demand content
  •  Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Cartoonito, Nickelodian, Nic Junior and Nick Toons included
Hayu Pass £3.99 On demand reality television

What channels does NOW offer?

NOW TV does not offer the same breadth of channels as Sky TV or Virgin Media TV. It does offer the latest films and headline shows for a fraction of the cost. Plus you don’t have to worry about contracts or installing a satellite dish.

For box sets:

  • Sky Atlantic lets you watch the big budget shows from the US.
  • A range of content from Comedy Central to Discovery.
  • Regularly updated box sets available for 30 days.
  • All available with the NOW Entertainment Pass.

For cinema:

  • All 11 Sky Cinema channels on demand.
  • The latest films including Disney, Premiere, Comedy, Action, Thriller, Select, Greats and Family.
  • Available with the NOW Cinema Pass.

For sports:

  • Available daily, weekly or monthly whenever you need it.
  • Ideal for watching matches, tournaments or an entire season of your favourite sports.
  • Dedicated channels for Premier League, football, cricket, golf, Formula 1 and more.
  • All available with the NOW Sports Pass.
  • Limited content available with Sky Sports Mobile.

For kids:

  • Huge range of cartoons live and on demand.
  • Parental PINs, age ratings and a screen lock make it hard for your child to exit the NOW Kids Pass.

For reality TV:

  • More than 5,000 new and old episodes of reality TV available on demand.
  • New episodes released the day they air in the US.
  • Available with NOW hayu Pass.

NOW TV Smart Stick and the NOW TV app

The NOW TV Smart Stick is now replacing their old box. Just plug it into your TV and use it the same way as a set-top streaming box. Includes voice search, a remote and cable.

You can buy a Smart Stick for £24.99 but look out for offers as it often comes cheap with the Entertainment, Cinema or Sports passes.

If you don’t have a Smart Stick, you can still watch NOW TV. All you need is the app and a Smart TV, or a compatible device.

You can even watch NOW TV from your desktop but you’ll need to download NOW TV Player.

Final verdict

Before you purchase NOW TV you might want to consider:

Pros

Cons

  • Good value TV and broadband deals
  • Flexible access to Sky TV
  • Lots of catch up and on demand services
  • Great range of TV passes and channels
  • Not as many channels as Sky or Virgin Media
  • NOW TV Smart Stick is a separate purchase
  • Only supports 720p HD with some 1080p content for £3 a month
  • Automatically renewing subscriptions
  • Cannot record shows