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Now TV membership: How to sign up, free trials and what to watch

The Sky-owned streaming service could save you money

Lauren Cunningham,Lois Borny

Thursday 28 July 2022 16:23 BST

Watch ‘Euphoria’, ‘Succession’, ‘White Lotus’ and more (The Independent/ Now )

Streaming service Now, formerly known as Now TV, is among one of the most popular options in the UK and beyond. Owned by the media giant that is Sky, which has a whopping 23 million customers across all of its products, the streaming service has racked up a number of loyal viewers since launching in 2012.

But, unlike its parent brand, Now is cheaper, has no contract (meaning you can cancel anytime) and can be much more tailored towards your own watching needs. It also includes some of the exclusive Sky channels that Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ and other streaming services can’t.

Reality TV fans, for example, can sign up for the Hayu membership for £4.99 a month, with shows like Below Deck, The Real Housewives and Keeping up with the Kardashians. And for £33.99 a month, sports fans can access all 11 Sky Sports channels, and there’s even an option to buy one day passes too, so you can finally host that big match watch party.

There are also options for a Sky Cinema and Entertainment memberships for dedicated Sky shows and movies, and Now is currently offering a range of discounts and bundle deals too.

So, whether you’re looking to cut costs, want to change streaming services, or are looking for ways to watch the football at home, keep reading below for everything we know about Now.

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How to sign up for Now?

Signing up for Now is relatively easy. Simply pick your desired membership package, or packages, input your details to start an account, add your credit card info and you’ll be able to start streaming in minutes.

(Now )

As a top tip, be sure to look around the site for different deals, sometimes memberships can be grouped together to form a discount or you may spot a discount code floating around on the site too.

What is Now?

Now TV is a subscription-based streaming service that’s broken down into four options: Hayu, Sports, Cinema and Entertainment.

The Now Hayu package provides reality TV lovers with over 8,000 episodes from American shows including Below Deck, Keeping up with the Kardashians, Paris in Love and many more.

Sports fans will be happy to hear that Now Sports gives them access to all 11 Sky Sports channels. And, as we’ve already touched upon, a 24-hour pass can be bought with access to five channels including Sky Sports Premier League.

For movie lovers, Now Cinema offers access to over 1,000 movies to watch on demand, plus all the Sky Cinema channels including Premiere, Hits, Action, Comedy and Animation. Three or four new additions will arrive each weekend, so you can never get bored of the package. And again, the addition of boost allows for three devices to stream at the same time.

And finally, similar to a compact version of Sky, Now Entertainment has a range of TV channels not available on Freeview, including Sky Atlantic, Sky Comedy and Sky Documentaries, as well as on demand box sets and documentaries.

How much is Now?

How much you pay will depend on the membership you choose. For example, if you pick Now Hayu it’s £4.99, while Now Cinema and Now Entertainment cost £9.99 per month, and if your favourite channels are all on Now Entertainment, it could save you a lot of money compared to a regular TV subscription.

Now Sports is £33.99 a month which includes a seven day trial of boost – this is £5 per month thereafter – which lets you stream across any three devices at once. And there’s also the option to purchase a 24-hour pass which gives you access to five channels including Sky Sports Premier League for £11.98.

How many devices?

Whatever package you choose, you will be able to stream on one device at a time as standard, and up to three if you add boost.

How to cancel Now?

Cancelling should be simple – click through to Now Membership, then select “cancel membership” after which you should receive a confirmation.

For those who bought their membership via BT you’ll need to check with them too. The same applies when buying through iTunes, Amazon or Talk Talk.

How does Now compare to Netflix?

While Now lets you connect to six devices, Netflix only lets you connect to four. It’s £6.99 for a basic Netflix package where you can watch on one device at a time, £10.99 for a standard with two devices and £15.99 for premium, which allows for four.

How does Now compare to Disney+?

By comparison, Disney+ plus will cost you £7.99 per month, and this includes streaming on up to four different devices at a time. Although this will only include Disney content of course.

How does Now compare to Prime Video?

Amazon’s own streaming service offers its own shows like Jack Ryan and Reacher, live sport and even the opportunity to rent the hottest cinema releases.

Prime Video is bundled in with an Amazon Prime subscription, which comes to £7.99 per month, or you can get the Video subscription on its own for £5.99 per month – and this allows streaming to three devices simultaneously.

Amazon announced in July that from 15 September the price of a Prime subscription will increase to £8.99 a month or £95 annually – marking the first Prime price increase for UK subscribers since 2014. Prime is also about to go up in European markets too, in some cases by as much as 43 per cent, but prices remain unchanged in the US, having risen to $14.99 a month or $139 a year earlier in 2021.

How does Now TV compare to Hulu?

Hulu is only available to those in the US, in addition to US territories and on US military bases. But if this applies to you, you can opt for $6.99 a month for streaming (with adverts) or $13 without, while Hulu’s live TV service costs $70 – and all this can be accessed on two devices at once.

What free trials and deals are on Now?

Now is currently offering a seven-day free trial on Cinema and Entertainment memberships as well as on the Now Boost bolt-on subscription, so you can get a real feel for how the streaming service works. As for the Sports package, there’s currently 50 per cent off the one day pass taking it down from £11.99 to £5.99 and Hayu also has a seven-day free trial.

You will have to input your card details but just make sure to cancel your free trials before it ends to avoid being charged. And, if you do choose to continue with the Cinema, Entertainment and Boost offer, there’s currently an deal on which mean you’ll only pay £12 a month for three months for the lot.

What to watch on Now?

Depending on which package you opt for will change what shows you have available, but Now is incredibly useful when it comes to watching US shows like Succession, Euphoria, And Just Like That and the Friends reunion.

And, when it comes to movies, Dune, Venom, Boss Baby 2 and Unknown all top the list.

Voucher codes

For the latest discounts on TVs and other tech offers, try the links below:

Compare NOW broadband and tv deals with Independent compare

Not quite sold on Now? Take a look at the best membership options on Netflix

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