Ditch the dish and get Sky on demand at a considerably low cost over the common service? That’s what Now gives: the perfect of Sky distilled right into a Netflix-like on-demand streaming service (plus some stay broadcasts tossed into the combination for enjoyable). It’s been doing t for years, however with the arrival of Sky Stream you may be questioning if (a) Now’s days are numbered and (b) the way it differs from the corporate’s newer, shinier streaming platform. Nicely, we’re right here to reply these questions and extra, with our full information to What’s Now TV.
What’s Now TV?
Now’s a streaming service, a little bit like Netflix, Prime Video or Disney+. It gives a wealth of content material on demand, in addition to stay broadcasts, streaming the lot by way of your own home’s broadband hyperlink (or your cell knowledge, if you happen to’re watching on a smartphone or pill on the transfer).Now’s owned and operated by British broadcaster Sky, with a content material providing that displays that.
How a lot does it price?
Now works on a “move” system: you buy passes (normally billed month-to-month) so as to add to your membership, with every move providing you with entry to completely different content material.
Cinema Membership costs £9.99 a month and provides you entry to all the present Sky Cinema motion pictures and 1,000 different on-demand movies.
Entertainment Membership is £9.99 a month and provides you entry to 24 stay Sky channels (together with six youngsters’ channels) and on-demand exhibits from all of them.
Sports activities Membership works barely otherwise and could be bought in three completely different types. Day Membership is £11.99 and provides you entry to all 11 Sky Sports activities channels for a single 24-hour interval, whereas Month Membership (£33.99) gives the identical however, effectively, for a month. Lastly, there’s Cellular Membership, which prices £9.99 a month for present members and gives 5 Sky Sports activities channels (Premier League, Motion, Enviornment, Racing and Information) in your Android or iOS smartphone.
There’s additionally Now Enhance, which prices £5 a month on high of no matter you’re already paying. This will increase streaming high quality to 1080p from the standard 720p, provides Dolby Digital 5.1 encompass sound, ups Sky Sports activities channels’ body price to 50fps (besides on Xbox consoles and LG TVs, for some motive) and lets you stream on three units concurrently quite than the standard one. It additionally removes the adverts you in any other case sometimes see with on-demand content material.
We’ve got robust opinions about Now’s video and audio high quality and system limitations, that are actually poor and really stingy in comparison with nearly each different streaming service on the planet. Most rival platforms now provide 4K UHD content material and permit simultaneous streaming on a number of units at no further price – and don’t even get us began on Now’s love of unskippable pre-roll adverts. Enhance goes a way in direction of fixing these points (though it actually ought to be providing 4K UHD by now), however the reality it’s an additional £5 on high of every little thing you’re already paying is tough to swallow.
What are you able to watch?
Now’s huge power lies in the truth that its greatest content material can’t be discovered anyplace else (bar Sky Stream: see under for extra on that). The sports activities providing is unmatched in streaming, and significantly interesting if you wish to watch stay Premier League soccer or F1 racing, whereas Sky’s take care of HBO means it’s the one place to observe the likes of The Sopranos, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Recreation of Thrones and The White Lotus. A few of the greatest TV exhibits round, in different phrases.
The Cinema Membership is interesting for barely completely different causes. Whereas Sky’s unique film choices are merely first rate quite than an enormous draw, Cinema tends to premiere huge film releases forward of the opposite streaming companies (though this doesn’t all the time apply: Disney/Marvel movies will likely be on Disney+ first, whereas Netflix and Prime Video get a couple of huge movies first too).
The place can I watch it?
Now’s principally app-based. There are apps for cell units, computer systems, consoles, streaming units and sensible TVs, and most of the people will watch by way of certainly one of these: simply set up the app, check in and also you’re able to go.
Now additionally gives its personal {hardware} units within the type of the Now Good Stick and Now Good Field, that are helpful if you happen to’re watching on a non-smart TV or projector.
What about Sky Stream?
Don’t get it twisted: Sky Stream and Now are two completely separate companies, regardless of their shared Sky heritage. Sky Stream is newer and a bit shinier, supporting 4K UHD, Dolby Imaginative and prescient and Dolby Atmos and requiring its personal (very compact) set-top field. Its worth of entry can be larger than Now, that means we predict the 2 will peacefully co-exist – no less than in the intervening time.
Discover out extra about Sky Stream in our information right here: Sky Stream: What you should learn about Sky’s new TV service
