Review: Now TV

Introduction and what's on Now TV?

Now TV is a non-contract Video on Demand service powered by Sky TV and was initially launched in the summer of 2013. It's Sky's big push to counteract the might of VOD giants Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant Video, and the broadcaster has big plans for the service.

Aimed at those that (for whatever reason) don't want to be shackled to a premium Pay TV contract, it offers a low-cost way to consume Sky's exclusive sports content, stream movies from its sundry film channels and keep up to date with some of the best entertainment telly around.

Unlike its on-demand rivals, Now TV is available in three entirely separate ways. There are sport, movie and TV content strands, plus live channel streams.

So is Now TV right for you? And if so, what's the best way to watch it?

What's On Now TV?

Now TV offers timed chunks culled from Sky's various subscription channels. For many the biggest lure will be the movie package. Unlike Sky's satellite-delivered platform, Now TV is a dip-in/leave whenever proposition, useful when you've blazed through everything of interest.

New subscribers get a 30-day free trial for the movie service, which then migrates to a monthly fee. This auto renews, but you can cut the chord at any time, without penalty.

Once the 30-day free trial is up then the price for content differs depending on what you want. If it's the Entertainment Pass you are after, then it will be £6.99 a month. The movie pass is more expensive at £9.99.

And then there is the Sports Pass. This is split into two variants: a £6.99 Day Pass and a £10.99 Week Pass.

Splitting the service into these three strands is a good idea, as long as you know what you want to watch. And that is both the beauty of this service and the frustrating side. Play it right and you can pay for the Entertainment Pass when all the big-ticket shows are on. Play it wrong and you could be paying for a month of content you don't really want.

The same goes for movies. Time your buy-in correctly and you can take big advantage of the broadcaster's comprehensive Hollywood deals, goggleboxing everything from Mandela to Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones.

Films here inevitably appear before they land on rival services such as Netflix and Amazon, and shortly after the DVD/Blu-ray release window.

Content for movies is themed by genre: Disney, All-Time Greats, Action, Comedy, Family, Crime and Thriller, Sci-Fi, Horror, Drama, Romance, Indie and Classics. Now TV also curates special Collections, such as War, Christmas (when it's that time of the year) and also gets actors and actresses to curate lists of their best movies.

Entertainment

As explained above, the monthly entertainment pass is £6.99. This is up from £4.99 when it was first announced. Where it used to be the cheapest on-demand premium service announced it is now aligned price-wise with its rivals.

The service offers recent transmissions of some of Sky's biggest shows, including The Blacklist, The Leftovers and Modern Family.

There's also a healthy selection of boxsets to gorge on. These include (but this is one of the most variable parts of the service) Boardwalk Empire, Lost, Justified and The West Wing.

While you can watch live streams of select channels (Sky One, Sky Atlantic, Sky Living, Sky Arts, MTV, Fox, Discovery, Disney, Gold and Comedy Central) not all programming appears, due to rights limitations. Similarly, boxset availability will churn.

Typically users have two ways to catch hot shows, either as they're broadcast or from the On Demand library; featured programmes tend to appear within 24 hours of transmission.

One of the frustrating things about the Now TV service is just how quickly its content disappears from the service. This is especially the case for shows on Sky Atlantic and must be because of the deal Sky has with HBO.

To Sky's credit it does have a Leaving Soon section, but if you miss an episode of, say, The Leftovers then the maximum you would have to catch up is two weeks. After that episode one would disappear, then the other in that sort of regularity.

This means that either you watch these shows like clockwork week on week, or that you binge watch in a rather short space of time. Each episode is given a day countdown, so at least Sky is trying to make viewers aware of when things will disappear.

Sports

Unlike its sibling services, Now TV's Sky Pass is either payable daily or weekly. The weekly pass is a relatively new addition to the service and opens up the sports side of the service. Whichever apps you use they allow you to view all six Sky Sports channels for the allotted time you have paid for.

There's no denying that sports is expensive through the Now TV service but the idea it is an event purchase, not a daily one. And Sky is hoping that the fee is split between a group of people watching a big match.

The ticket price is good value if you're not looking for a long term sporting commitment. Get some mates around, combine resources, and off you go. There's plenty to choose from, including the Premier League, UEFA Champions league, rugby fixtures, coverage of international test cricket and live coverage of the European and US PGA Tours.

If you would rather just a daily update of sports news, then you can also watch Sky Sports News HQ through the app on the Sky Now TV box - this app is unlocked with any Pass, not just a sports one.

Ways to watch Now TV and Performance

What's the best way to watch Now TV?

The number of platforms offering Now TV continues to grow. The service is currently available on: Chromecast, PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Roku, LG Smart TVs, PC or Mac, plus apps for iOS and Android (4.0 and above) apps for both mobile and tablet.

Alternatively you can buy the dedicated Now TV box. Available directly from the Now TV website, it's just £9.99 including post and packing - you even get an HDMI cable bundled. The Now TV box is both a dedicated portal to Sky's own services, as well as host to a range of third-party streaming content, including BBC iPlayer.

Performance

Now TV doesn't promote itself as a high-definition service, instead using adaptive bitrate streaming to cope with different broadband speeds. A fast broadband connection will reward with very acceptable image quality. Viewed via a VirginMedia fibre connection, we found the service consistently delivered image quality comparable to DVD.

Navigating the user interface is reasonably quick and intuitive. There are usability caveats though. Buffering can be an issue, and when a big show like Game of thrones hits, the Now TV servers have experienced outages.

Arguably the best way to view Now TV is via the dedicated Now TV box which upscales content to 720p.

The Now TV service is a fantastic one when it works well and you can navigate your way through the myriad ways to watch the content.

For some, particularly those without a Smart TV or games console, then the Now TV Box is a super cheap device that's an essential purchase. Even if you don't buy into Sky's content then you will have iPlayer, 4OD and other to use as freely as you wish.

For others then the app is the way to go. The problem with this is that quality is changeable, and it is not necessarily the fault with Sky's own app. For instance, on the PS4 the app stuttered for us, but worked perfectly when used on the Sky TV Box.

The mobile versions of the app are buggier than the TV apps, though I didn't find much wrong with watching Now TV on iOS. It was on Android that I started to have intermittent sound issues and apps crashing.

On the whole, the app and the service worked well and you simply can't fault the content that is available through the service.

Now TV verdict

We Liked

The content available through Now TV is superb. Movies are much closer to Blu-ray releases than Netflix can muster up and having HBO content one stream away, via the Sky Atlantic channel, is impressive.

The sheer amount of places you can watch Now TV is impressive as well. Having tried out the service on the PS3, PS4, Now TV Box and YouView, it's great to see the UI the same across the board.

Also, the ability to watch on two devices at the same time frees up the service no end.

We Disliked

You can only register on four devices. This may only be a problem for a technology reviewer but with the many places you can watch the service, this feels like a number than needs to be upped.

Quality is capped at 720p, which will irk the Full HD crowd. You will need a strong-ish internet connection as well - otherwise you will face buffering issues.

The quality of streams does seem to vary from app to app as well. Although, having used this service for over a year now, I have seen a marked improvement in the adaptive bitrate that is being used by Sky.

Verdict

Now TV has evolved into a compelling alternative to the all-you-can-eat buffet offered by Netflix and Amazon, and the straight PPV of Blinkbox and its ilk. If you're interested in making a specific Sports grab, or simply want to catch up with some trending TV, it has much to offer.

While there are some performance niggles, those on the right end of a fast broadband connection should be able to watch a pleasingly smooth stream. Overall value for money is high.

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