A neutral, platform-by-platform read of what NOW customers actually say in 2026. Trustpilot for both NOW streaming and NOW Broadband, Reviews.io, the MoneySavingExpert forum, the Q4 2025 Ofcom complaints data, plus a Selectra audit of how NOW handles customers online. We show every score we could verify and explain what each one really means.
Headline score
1.4/ 5
Sample
9,000+ Trustpilot reviews
nowtv.com pool, May 2026
Reviewed
19 May 2026
Platform by platform
What every score actually means
Different review platforms attract different audiences and use different scales. Looking at any single number in isolation is misleading. Below is every NOW review pool Selectra could verify, with a neutral read of the main opinion on each.
Trustpilot, nowtv.com
1.4/ 5
~9,000 reviews
Mostly negative
NOW’s main Trustpilot page is one of the lowest-scoring among major UK streaming brands. The pool is skewed by self-selection: NOW does not actively solicit Trustpilot reviews after positive interactions the way Sky and BT do, so the page captures mostly complaints. Recurring themes: surprise auto-renewal at standard pricing after an introductory month, difficulty getting a human on the phone (because there is no streaming phone line) and Boost not being explicit enough at sign-up.
NOW Broadband is rated alongside the streaming side on the same Trustpilot pool but stands out for installation-related complaints: delayed activation, missed Openreach engineer slots and slow refund processing on accounts that never went live. Customers who got a clean install consistently say the line itself works fine; the friction is operational, not the network.
A more balanced pool than Trustpilot. Reviewers praise the price-to-content ratio of Entertainment and Sport passes, the lack of a long contract on streaming and the breadth of the Sky catalogue. Negatives mirror the Trustpilot themes: billing confusion around introductory pricing, slow support response and the friction of cancelling Sports inside the 6-month minimum.
The dominant view on MoneySavingExpert is that NOW Sports is the cheapest legal way to get Sky Sports without a Sky Q contract, and the bundle / saver deals (e.g. Entertainment + Cinema Saver at £13.99) are routinely flagged as the best-value streaming combo on the UK market. The complaints centre on NOW Broadband and on the auto-renewal mechanics: people who do not turn off auto-renew before the first month ends.
Ofcom’s independent broadband complaints table puts NOW Broadband at 11 complaints per 100,000 customers in Q4 2025, above the 8 industry average and well behind sister-brand Sky on 6. The streaming side is not in scope of Ofcom’s telecoms complaints table. NOW Broadband’s main complaint categories are faults, service problems and billing.
Editorial reviewers (Capital Matters, Cord Busters, Be Clever With Your Cash) are consistently positive on NOW’s pricing strategy and the breadth of the Sky catalogue. They tend to highlight the same risk Trustpilot does, watch the auto-renew, but frame NOW overall as the smart, contract-free alternative to a full Sky subscription.
What customers most often praise and complain about
When you read enough reviews, the same phrases come back over and over. These are the four most-recurring positive themes and the four most-recurring complaints, synthesised across every platform above.
What people praise most
No-contract Sky access
Forum and editorial reviewers repeatedly call NOW Sports the cheapest legal route to all Sky Sports channels without a satellite dish or 18-month tie.
Bundle / saver pricing
Entertainment + Cinema Saver at £13.99/month is widely flagged as the best-value streaming combo in the UK market when it is on offer.
Smart Stick at £15 is cheap
Reviewers consistently rate the NOW Smart Stick as a competent budget streaming device on a par with the Fire TV Stick Lite, with the bonus of voice search out of the box.
Day pass for one-off matches
The £14.99 Sports day pass is unique among UK live-sport options and is praised for letting fans watch one weekend of football without a 6-month minimum.
What people complain about most
Auto-renewal at standard price
The single most-recurring complaint across every platform. Introductory pricing (£4.99 etc.) rolls on to standard pricing (£9.99) automatically unless you turn auto-renew off, which catches reviewers out.
No phone line for streaming
Streaming support is in-app or live-chat only. Trustpilot reviewers consistently say this feels like a downgrade from Netflix and Disney+, which both have escalation channels.
NOW Broadband install delays
On NOW Broadband specifically, the recurring complaint is missed activation dates and slow Openreach engineer rebooking.
Limited live-TV rewind
You cannot rewind a NOW live channel mid-broadcast unless you have Boost. Sky satellite customers used to a full DVR find this jarring.
Selectra audit
NOW’s online presence, channel by channel
Customer satisfaction is shaped as much by the website, app and live-chat experience as by the phone line, which NOW does not offer for streaming. Selectra audits each channel directly.
Channel
Selectra verdict
Detail
Website (nowtv.com)
Good
Clean, mobile-first design with very clear pricing on the membership page. Sign-up flow is two clicks, which is genuinely best-in-class for UK pay-TV.
NOW account portal
OK
Memberships page lists every pass with renewal date and price. The auto-renew toggle works but is visually subtle, which is at the root of most cancellation complaints.
iOS / Android apps
Good
Well-rated apps (~4.4 on iOS, ~4.0 on Android) with stable streaming on Boost-quality lines. Casts cleanly to Chromecast and Apple TV. Voice search works.
Smart TV / console apps
Strong
Present on every modern smart TV brand, Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, PlayStation and Xbox. Coverage is broader than Apple TV+ and on par with Netflix.
Social customer service
Mid
@nowtv on X (Twitter) replies in working hours but pushes most queries to in-app help. No live agent on Facebook Messenger. Slower than Netflix or Sky.
Live chat / phone
Weak
No phone line for streaming customers, only the in-app help centre and a chat-bot that escalates to a human after a few exchanges. Phone is available for broadband only on Sky’s 0333 759 1310.
Selectra verdict
Aggregated from all platforms above
NOW scores roughly 3 out of 5 on Selectra’s aggregated read. The streaming product itself, the catalogue, the apps, the day-pass pricing, the smart stick, is genuinely competitive with Netflix and Disney+. The friction sits almost entirely in the billing flow (introductory pricing rolling on to standard) and the missing phone channel for streaming customers. The broadband side is below average on Ofcom and sits in budget-ISP territory.
Best for: short-term Sky access (a football season, a Sky Cinema binge, a holiday Kids Pass), households that want to avoid an 18-month satellite contract, anyone who values being able to pause every pass with one click. Not best for: live-TV power users who expect a DVR, customers who anticipate needing to phone for help, and households wanting the deepest Openreach support if they pick NOW Broadband (Plusnet is a stronger budget alternative on the same network).
Pros
Cheapest legal route to Sky Sports without a Sky Q contract.
Monthly rolling passes, one-click cancel from your phone.
Smart Stick at ~£15 is a competent budget streaming device.
Sports day pass for one-off events, unique in the UK market.
Cons
Standard streaming is 720p, you need Boost (£6/month) for 1080p.
No phone line for streaming customers, in-app help only.
Auto-renewal can catch you out on introductory pricing.
NOW Broadband sits above the industry average for Ofcom complaints.
FAQ
NOW reviews, your questions answered
Why is NOW’s Trustpilot score so low?
Two reasons. First, NOW does not actively solicit Trustpilot reviews after positive interactions, unlike Sky or BT which email customers after a clean engineer visit. That means the public Trustpilot pool is dominated by people who landed there to complain. Second, the standard NOW pricing model (introductory month followed by standard pricing) genuinely does catch some customers off guard, generating recurring billing complaints. The streaming product itself is good; the friction is in the billing flow and the lack of a phone line.
Is NOW Broadband worse than other UK ISPs?
By Ofcom Q4 2025 figures, NOW Broadband had 11 complaints per 100,000 customers, above the industry average of 8 and well behind sister-brand Sky (6). It is not in the worst bracket (TalkTalk, Vodafone) but it is not a Which? Recommended Provider either. The line itself is on the Openreach network, so once it is installed the technical performance is the same as Sky or BT on the same address. The friction is operational: install delays and a less-resourced support team.
Is NOW worth it in 2026?
For the streaming side: yes if you want Sky content without Sky’s contract. The Entertainment, Sports and bundle pricing is the best in the UK market for Sky catalogue access. Just turn off auto-renew the day you sign up so the introductory price does not roll on to standard pricing without you noticing. For the broadband side: average-to-below-average ranking on Ofcom complaints, so we suggest you look at Plusnet first if you want a budget Openreach ISP with a better support record.
How does NOW compare to Sky?
Same parent (Sky UK), mostly the same content, very different commercial deal. Sky gives you the full live-TV experience (Sky Q box, DVR, rewind, mini guide, every channel in the catalogue) on an 18-month contract. NOW gives you a curated subset of the same channels on a monthly streaming pass with no DVR by default and no minimum term outside Sports. For a household that watches live football and would otherwise pay Sky £80/month, NOW Sports at £34.99 is the obvious win. For a household that wants the deepest catalogue, the rewind on live and a single integrated bill for TV + broadband, Sky is still the better fit.
What is Selectra’s overall NOW verdict?
NOW is a credible, well-priced streaming product wrapped in below-average customer service. It is the right choice for short-term, contract-free Sky access (sports seasons, specific drama series, school-holiday Kids Pass) and the wrong choice for people who want the depth of a full Sky subscription or who expect to need to phone customer services. NOW Broadband is acceptable as a budget Openreach ISP but is not the standout pick in its segment.
Convinced or curious?
Compare NOW’s current passes with the rest of the market
See every NOW pass with its May 2026 price, or compare NOW against Sky, BT TV and other UK pay-TV providers.
