Is a Now TV Pass really better than Sky? Offers & Packages

You might have heard the TV providers Sky TV and Now TV being talked about interchangeably. That’s because Now TV is Sky’s streaming service which gives you access to the movies and shows you want. It’s comparable to other streaming services like Netflix or Amazon Prime video due to having similar flexible terms and conditions. Here at Selectra, we have looked into Now TV Packages in detail so you can see the most important points at a glance.

Now TV Stick and Smart Box

There are many devices that can stream your Now TV Content. The most common options are the Now TV Stick and Now set-top box, the Smart Box. The Smart Stick is a small device which plugs directly into your TV’s HDMI port and allows you to watch live content on your TV.

You can pause and rewind live TV, record your favourite programmes, and since this device is so small, you can take it with you while travelling.

The Now Smart Box is similar. For all TV packages with any company, you normally need to have a set-top box and Now has its own. Like the Smart Stick, the box also plugs directly into your TV and can also pause and rewind content. Unlike the Smart Stick, this one is not really designed to be taken with you. On your Now account, you can register 6 different devices and watch on two devices at the same time. This means you could be using both the Smart Stick and Smart Box and 4 other devices.

Although the Now TV Box is a great addition to your entire Now TV experience, it is not compulsory to have a TV pass with Now TV. You can get one to watch your content through Now TV but you can also use other compatible devices such as PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Smartphones, Tablets and others with Now TV.

A compatible device and an internet connection is all you need to enjoy the service. Keep your eye out for any current deals which might give you the Now TV Box plus some channels. Without any offers the Now Smart Box comes in at £45.99.

Now TV Pass

One of the main reasons customers choose to get their entertainment through Now TV is because it doesn’t require a long-term commitment like with Sky (or any other TV package provider) but you still get all of Sky's best content.

With Now TV, you pay for a rolling-monthly pass with the package or packages you want. Since there’s no long-term contract, you can cancel NOW TV at any time and this is a big advantage for some customers. They love the flexibility to sign up anytime and cancel anytime with Now TV.

Now TV Packages are actually called passes and they give you a mixture of movies, sports, entertainment and kids channels depending on which ones you choose. There are five to choose from: the Entertainment Pass, Sky Cinema Pass, Sky Sports Pass, Kids Pass or the Hayu Pass.

NOW TV Channels

Each pass gives you access to different channels so it’s a good idea to have a look at each one, see what they offer and choose the one that’s best for you. There is no limit to how many passes you can get although getting a few can work out to be expensive.

Here are the channels that are available with each Now TV Pass:

1. Entertainment Pass: Sky One, Sky Atlantic, Sky Witness, Sky Arts, FOX, Comedy Central, MTV, Gold, Discovery Channel, SyFy, ABC Studios, Vice, Pick, Challenge and Nat Geo Wild plus more than 300 Box Sets for shows from premium channels.
2. Sky Cinema Pass: Sky Cinema Select, Sky Cinema Greats, Sky Cinema Sci-fi & Horror Sky Cinema Horror, Sky Cinema Family, Sky Cinema Premiere, Sky Cinema Drama, Sky Cinema Hits, Sky Cinema Thriller, Sky Cinema Action, Sky Cinema Comedy, Sky Cinema Disney plus more than 1,000 on-demand movies and a premiere every day.
3. Kids Pass: Boomerang, Cartoonito, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr and Nick Toons.
4. Hayu Pass: Reality TV Shows from the US.
5. Sky Sports Pass: 11 Sky Sports Channels including Sky Sports Main Event, Premier League, Football, Cricket, Golf, Racing, F1, Action, Arena, Mix and Sky Sports News.

Now TV Login

To get started with Now TV is quite simple. All you have to do is go to the Now website and follow the prompts. Once you have your account, you can login anytime with your email address and password so make sure you take note of these!

Once logged in you will be able to do the following with your account:

1. View your passes
2. Browse through Now TV content
3. Manage your passes
4. Manage your devices
5. Change settings, details and PINS
6. Cancel your passes

Now TV Offers

When looking for a TV package whether it’s from Now, Virgin, Sky or another provider, always remember to see if they currently have any deals or promotional offers which could save you money.

Currently, Now TV has an offer on a Sky Sports Season Ticket, which gives you access to the entire Formula 1 Season for 9 months for a one-off payment of £195. Apart from seasonal offers, there are some other features that Now TV always has available for their customers:

1. No long term contracts
2. The ability to watch content on multiple devices
3. No credit checking
4. Opportunity to have a free trial

On top of the standard TV Passes, there are also a couple of novelty add-ons which you don’t really need but might be nice to have. There is a Sky Sports Mobile Pass that allows you to watch Sky Sports channels on-the-go on your mobile phone. This option costs less than the full Sports Pass but also includes fewer channels, limiting itself to the following:

1. Sky Sports Premier League
2. Action
3. Arena
4. Racing
5. Sky News

Another is the Multiroom option that lets you watch your Now TV Pass in different rooms at the same time. While it’s not exactly a separate package nor a separate add-on like the ones that you can purchase with other providers, it is a great feature that’s available to Now customers. It allows you to register four devices on your account and use two of them at the same time.

Now TV Broadband

Apart from its options for movies and shows, Now TV also offers bundles with fast and reliable broadband on a no-contract basis, more good news for those wanting to avoid long term commitments! Now gives you a choice of three different broadband speeds.

You don’t need to get Now TV Broadband to have access to the Now TV Passes. If you already have a broadband provider you’re happy with, you don’t need to change. The broadband deals also come with options for phone calls.

The following are the three broadband speeds you can choose from:

1. Brilliant Broadband (average speed 11Mbps) – £18 a month
2. Fab Fibre (average speed 36Mbps) – £25 a month
3. Super Fibre (average speed 63Mbps) – £30 a month

To sign up to Now Broadband just head to the sign up page and follow the prompts, it’s easy! Customers love Now Broadband because it’s easy to sign up, easy to cancel, easy to switch from a different provider and the fact that you get unlimited broadband.

Be careful though! We have seen, from two different reliable sources from Now, that line rental is £17.99 a month on top of your broadband but also that line rental is included in the monthly broadband price so make sure this is clear when signing up.

Now TV Free Trial

Another feature of Now TV that potential customers love is that you can try almost all of the passes for free! What's not to love about that!? The free trials are 7 days long and are available for all of the passes apart from the Sports Pass. Week-long movie binge anyone? Below you will find the links to sign up for a free trial. Enjoy!

1. Entertainment Pass
2. Sky Cinema Pass
3. Kids Pass
4. Hayu Pass

How much is Now TV? Is it really cheaper?

Some of the reasons that customers get Now TV is because they want access to Sky content but without the commitment of an expensive Sky TV Package. At first glance, Now seems like the perfect alternative but is it really cheaper than Sky? The answer to this can vary depending on which Sky Package you compare with which Now TV Passes. Let’s take a closer look. The prices of each Now TV Pass are the following:

1. Entertainment Pass: £7.99 per month
2. Sky Cinema Pass: £11.99 per month
3. Sky Sports Pass: £33.99 per month
4. Kiss Pass: £3.99 per month
5. Hayu Pass: £3.99 per month

Most of the passes are quite reasonably priced especially if you want to watch something specific (Game of Thrones fans, we’re looking at you). If you are looking for something specific like GoT or sports channels then a Now Pass will work out cheaper for you but if you are buying multiple passes, it could be worth it to consider a Sky subscription as the prices of the passes can end up being quite a bit more.

To get a better idea of the differences between a Now TV Pass and a Sky Package let's compare the Entertainment packages from both. We can see above that the Entertainment Pass with Now costs £7.99 per month and gives you access to Sky One, Sky Atlantic, Sky Witness, Sky Arts, FOX, Comedy Central, MTV, Gold, Discovery Channel, SyFy, ABC Studios, Vice, Pick, Challenge and Nat Geo Wild and 300 box sets available on demand.

In comparison, to get similar channels you would choose the Sky Entertainment option which costs £22 per month for the first 18 months with the price going up to £27 afterwards. Sky Entertainment includes everything the Now Pass has, apart from Pick, Challenge and ABC Studios BUT it does include a lot of channels that the Now TV Pass does not such as TLC, Animal Planet and ZeeTV, just to name a few.

With both of these options, you can watch Game of Thrones so it depends if you’re after GoT specifically or you want that plus a bit of everything else. If you just want GoT then you can cover this with the much cheaper Now TV Entertainment Pass for £7.99 per month.

What do customers say about Now TV packages?

As usual, customer reviews are a mixed bag with customers being very impressed to absolutely appalled with Now’s services. However, if you search customer reviews online and compare positive reviews to negative reviews, we doubt you’ll be impressed overall.

Many customers are not happy with the Customer Service they receive from Now TV or the quality of content (with many saying that they have problems with the sound and video quality at times). As many subscribe to Now to watch Game of Thrones, they expect the highest possible quality for this programme, seeing as we are in 2019 and low video quality is almost unacceptable now. Even though the prices are attractively low and their content selection attractively wide, the amount of negative reviews are probably enough to put someone off purchasing services from Now TV.

We think there’s really only one way to find out what their services are like. If you are looking for access to a great selection of content without the heavy price tag, some flexibility and are even willing to take a risk despite the negative reviews, Now might be worth considering for its TV and phone services. You can also compare other TV packages to make an even more informed decision.