Discover out if this Sky different affords worth for cash.
I’ve been utilizing NOW since 2014, at first as an entire alternative for Sky TV and extra just lately as an ad-hoc streaming service alongside the likes of Netflix and Disney+.
Over time I’m assured it’s saved me 1000’s of kilos in opposition to the price of lengthy Sky subscriptions. And because of offers and tips I’ve paid a fraction of what it ought to have value, saving me much more money.
However in case you don’t benefit from these additional financial savings, I fear that it will possibly shortly develop into one other costly invoice, costing you a whole bunch of kilos greater than it must.
Right here’s every little thing it’s worthwhile to find out about it that will help you work out if it’s price signing up for – or sticking with it.
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What’s NOW TV?
NOW (it was known as NOW TV, however was confusingly rebranded) is an on-demand and dwell streaming service launched by Sky in 2012. It provides you entry to a lot of the totally different Sky channels with out the necessity for an aerial or satellite tv for pc, however you will have first rate broadband and an app in your TV or sensible stick.
There are 4 totally different passes (or ‘memberships’) you should purchase: Leisure, Cinema, Sports activities and Hayu (I’ve listed the included channels on every membership additional down the article).
You will get these individually, or have a couple of on the identical time (although you’ll solely have the ability to watch those you might be paying for, though they’ll all seem as choices once you load up the app).
How a lot is NOW TV?
Listed below are the total worth prices for all of the totally different NOW TV passes. However as I’ll clarify you’ll hardly ever, if ever, must pay these full charges.
- Leisure Cross prices £9.99 a month
- The Sky Cinema Cross prices £9.99 a month
- The Hayu go prices £4.99 a month
- There are three Sky Sports activities NOW TV passes
- A Day Cross prices £14.99 for twenty-four hours
- A Month Cross is £34.99 a month
What’s NOW Enhance?
There are additionally two additional Enhance memberships. Each take away adverts, enhance image high quality, improve sound and help you watch on a couple of gadget on the identical time. Once more, it’s doable to scale back the price of these after the preliminary month.
Enhance
- gives HD (1080p) image high quality
- Dolby Digital 5.1
- two concurrent streams
- £6 a month
Extremely Enhance
- 4K Extremely HD
- Dolby Atmos
- three streams on the identical time
- £9 a month
Why use NOW
You may ditch Sky and Virgin
For many, it’s merely a method to get Sky channels with out signing as much as lengthy and costly contracts with Sky TV or different pay TV providers.
This could make it less expensive than Sky. Even if in case you have all 4 passes you’ll pay lower than the equal full worth with Sky or Virgin. And even in case you’ve haggled your worth down in your Sky subscription, yow will discover offers to do the identical with NOW. So in most situations, you’ll lower your expenses.
Right here’s extra on the way it why I believe you should cancel Sky and Virgin.
You’re not locked in
Except you select to just accept longer-term membership, every go runs for 30-days. You may cancel at any time after which choose up your membership once more at a later date.
This flexibility is usually a large cash saver. For example, you’ve obtained the flexibility to choose and blend which channels you need at any time. Simply need Sky Cinema at Christmas? Wonderful, there’s no minimal 18 months with NOW.
Plus, as I share in my hacks to cut streaming costs, you may play the identical swapping recreation with different streaming providers – you actually don’t want a couple of service at any time.
You will get Sky Atlantic
I do know many Virgin subscribers already paying for Sky channels who take out NOW simply to get Sky Atlantic. That’s all properly and good, however it does imply you’re paying twice for the opposite channels. So it is sensible to go full NOW.
You get youngsters channels included
Sky costs £8 a month additional to get the youngsters channels, however in case you purchase a NOW Leisure go, they’re included at no additional value.
You will get Sky channels in case you can’t have a dish or cable
There will even be some individuals who’ve needed Sky for years however haven’t been ready so as to add a satellite tv for pc dish or get a cable connection. Although the Sky Stream and Sky Glass providers additionally gives Sky channels over the web, I’d nonetheless vote for NOW. Right here’s my Sky Stream vs NOW comparison.
You may ditch the TV Licence
Although I’m a fan of the BBC, in case you solely watch NOW content material on-demand (so not dwell), and in addition don’t watch another dwell TV or iPlayer, then you may cease paying the TV Licence. Nevertheless, I’d urge you to maintain paying for it as it funds much more than just TV.
NOW TV execs and cons
What’s good about NOW
I’ve coated a lot of the advantages above, however listed here are the primary ones to think about:
- 30-day rolling contract
- Cancel once you need
- Flexibility to decide on the passes you need
- Cheaper per go than Sky
- A great deal of offers to carry the worth down
- Get Sky Atlantic with out signing as much as Sky
- No want for a satellite tv for pc dish or cable
- Obtainable on most sensible sticks and a few sensible TVs
What’s dangerous about NOW
Now isn’t excellent although. In the event you do find yourself paying full worth for all of the passes and Extremely Enhance, that’s an enormous £79 every month. It won’t even be higher worth than Sky (those self same channels would value £124 a month at full worth however you get Netflix included),
And the addition of adverts is a proper ache. I believe most individuals will need to pay for Enhance every month for its additional options. At £6 to £9 that’s a rip-off, and actually provides to the fee. However in case you get the worth down, as you may with all of the passes, it’s not so dangerous.
Plus, I really feel there’s been much less to observe over latest years. For instance, the rise of Disney+ has meant Marvel, Star Wars, Disney and Fox content material (eg The Strolling Useless) left Sky. A great cause to not pay each month.
And during the last three or 4 years there have been fewer hacks and freebies which beforehand helped me actually minimize what I pay. Extra just lately some welcome and present buyer affords have launched minimal phrases between six and 12 months, taking away the flexibleness that helps hold NOW cheaper.
Right here’s a listing of the primary points to concentrate on:
- Not full HD or 4K or encompass sound except you pay for NOW Enhance
- Adverts in case you don’t add a NOW Enhance membership
- Can solely stream on gadget at a time with out NOW Enhance
- A number of go prices can add up
- Fewer affords than there was
- Some affords require a six to 12 months dedication
- Content material library is getting smaller as different providers take again rights (eg Disney+)
- You may’t document
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Getting NOW TV for much less
Although there are fewer particular affords than there was, it’s nonetheless doable to pay lower than full worth more often than not.
I write about one of the best affords on my NOW TV deals page and usually replace it after I spot new promotions and financial savings, however listed here are just a few locations to look.
First time NOW TV offers
New clients can usually rise up to 50% off Leisure and Cinema passes, usually for a couple of month. Although be careful for lengthy minimal phrases. You is perhaps higher off paying full worth for one month after which attempting the following hack to scale back the worth for futher months. Sadly there’s not a 7-day free trial.
Cancelling for offers
Once you go to cancel your memberships you’ll normally be supplied a reduction for altering your thoughts. These can differ in accordance with particular person clients and the time of 12 months, however I’ve virtually at all times been supplied some type of low cost.
This has labored for me on the Enhance memberships too. Right here’s extra on how to cancel NOW.
Checking your emails
NOW will usually e mail you a reduced and even free go – although provided that you aren’t already signed as much as that membership. Another excuse to hit cancel!
Solely paying once you want it
If you’re paying for different streaming providers on the identical time there’s no approach you will get your cash’s price from every one. Benefit from the flexibility to cancel and rejoin later however specializing in one streaming service at a time.
Will NOW prevent cash?
It actually is determined by what you might be at present paying!
If you’re signed up for the likes of Sky TV or Virgin Media then I believe you’ll almost certainly save money switching to NOW.
Not solely is it cheaper every month for every tier/go, however you’ve got the flexibleness to combine up the passes with out having to pay for the essential channels.
However in case you’ve already ditched Sky and solely have streaming providers like Netflix and Disney+, you would possibly discover NOW works out costlier. If you find yourself including NOW to your subscriptions with out cancelling one of many others then you’ll clearly spend more cash.
Nevertheless, in case you solely signal as much as NOW once you need to watch it and / or when there are particular affords (and there ceaselessly are), then you can be paying far much less.
Andy’s Evaluation: What I paid for NOW within the final 12 months
Listed below are all of the passes I had with NOW from August 2024 to the tip of July 2025, together with how a lot I paid due to reductions and offers and the saving vs the total worth of every go.
| PASS | MONTHS | AMOUNT PAID | FULL PRICE | SAVING |
| Leisure | 12 | £39.89 | £119.88 | £79.99 |
| Enhance | 5 | £10 | £30 | £20 |
| Enhance Extremely | 7 | £28 | £63 | £35 |
| Sports activities (Month) | 7 | £149.93 | £244.93 | £95 |
| TOTAL | £227.82 | £457.81 | £229.99 |
Not like most years I’ve had the Leisure go and a Enhance repeatedly for the total 12 months, and with my soccer crew Crystal Palace featured extra on dwell matches, there was a rise too on Sky Sports activities passes. Nevertheless, I didn’t trouble with Cinema in any respect – there’s actually not as a lot on there as there was.
Even so, the whole I paid was greater than half the total worth NOW costs and this was largely all the way down to cancelling every month for a greater deal.
How do you watch NOW TV?
You want a good web connection to stream programmes by way of NOW. If you are able to do this already with iPlayer then you definately’ll be okay for NOW.
Plenty of sensible TVs and sensible sticks can have a NOW TV app built-in, and that is the simplest method to watch NOW TV. Alternatively NOW TV might be streamed by way of your pc, cellphone or pill (and downloaded to the latter two).
In the event you don’t have the app then it’s worth buying a smart stick to plug into your telly. These don’t should value a lot, with offers usually working to get then for as little as £22. In addition they have apps to allow you to watch Netflix, iPlayer and different on-demand providers.
You may register your account on a vast variety of gadgets although you may solely watch on one by one except you pay for one of many Enhance memberships.
I watch on my Samsung TV within the lounge, or by way of a Roku stick related to the bed room TV. You can even get the app on gadgets and TV corresponding to LG, Amazon Hearth Sticks, Xbox X or S, Ps 4 or 5 and extra. Right here’s the latest list of supported devices.
What channels are you able to watch on NOW TV?
Right here’s extra element on all of the totally different NOW TV passes and the channels out there on every one.
The Leisure Cross
With this go you get entry to all the primary Sky TV channels together with streaming of Sky Atlantic, Sky Max and extra, plus full field units of recent reveals and basic sequence corresponding to Recreation of Thrones, The Sopranos and West World (the precise titles do come and go all year long). It’s additionally the one method to get Sky Atlantic in case you don’t have full Sky TV.
There was a separate Youngsters Cross, however that was merged with the Leisure Cross in 2021.
The NOW TV Leisure Cross provides you entry to fifteen Sky channels and 6 youngsters channels.
- Sky Showcase (dwell solely)
- Sky Max
- Sky Atlantic
- Sky Witness
- Sky Arts
- Sky Crime
- Sky Nature
- Sky Documentaries
- Sky Comedy
- Sky Historical past
- Comedy Central
- U&Alibi
- MTV
- U&Gold
- SyFy
- Boomerang
- Cartoonito
- Cartoon Community
- Nickelodeon
- Nick Jr
- Nick Toons
The Sky Cinema Cross
This film package deal has all of the movies on Sky Cinema (previously Sky Films) channels. The movies are typically newer films than these on Netflix and Amazon, together with loads of classics.
- Sky Cinema Premiere
- Sky Cinema Hits
- Sky Cinema Motion
- Sky Cinema Animation
- Sky Cinema Household
- Sky Cinema Comedy
- Sky Cinema Sci-fi Horror
- Sky CInema Thriller
- Sky Cinema Greats
- Sky Cinema Drama
- Sky Cinema seasonal (eg Christmas)
Our podcast
Take heed to Money Chats, our award-winning podcast, offered by Editor-in-chief Andy Webb and Deputy Editor Amelia Murray.
Episodes each Tuesday.
The Sky Sports activities go
The NOW TV Sky Sports activities Cross provides you all 9 Sky Sports activities channels plus Sky Sports activities information
- Sky Sports activities Foremost Occasion
- Sky Sports activities Premier League
- Sky Sports activities Soccer
- Sky Sports activities Cricket
- Sky Sports activities Tennis
- Sky Sports activities Golf
- Sky Sports activities F1
- Sky Sports activities +
- Sky Sports activities Motion
- Sky Sports activities Information
The Hayu Cross
The NOW TV Hayu Cross options reveals corresponding to Maintaining with the Kardashians and the Actual Housewives of Atlanta.
