For those based in the UK, you’ve probably seen a lot about Now TV over the last few years. They’ve become increasingly popular recently, with more and more of us looking to ditch our expensive Virgin Media and Sky packages.
But, essentially Now TV is Sky, right? Well, basically yes, but depending on the package that you opt for, it could work out to be a lot cheaper for you by opting to go with Now TV instead. Plus, you don’t need to worry about getting a satellite installed to watch Now TV, whereas you do with Sky.
If you only watch certain channels, then there might not be the need for you to spend £50-100 on your TV, broadband and home phoneline. You could just opt for this cheap smart stick, which gives most people all of the television channels they need.
But what exactly does Now TV have to offer? Well, it does have quite a few different channels for you to choose from. Here’s a round up of everything that the service offers.
What channels are on Now TV?
Generally, Now TV tends to break their channels down into the following categories;
- Movie Channels (Sky Cinema)
- Entertainment Channels
- Sports Channels
- Kids Channels
- HAYU Channels
These are the channels that you can find on Now TV. There’s a pretty good variety of live channels along with recorded TV shows and films too. In some cases, you might be able to get a 7 day free trial on the package of your choice.
But, this doesn’t give you all of the channels that you can find on their services. So, let’s look at them a little bit closer.
Now TV – Movie Channels
Essentially, with Now TV you’re going to get access to all of Sky’s movie channels. You can watch any of the movies on demand, so you don’t necessarily need to wait for it to come on at a certain time for you to watch it. They have a pretty good line up, which includes;
- Sky Cinema Premiere – This is where you’ll be able to catch all of the new releases as they hit the platform. Usually, they premiere them on the channel at 9pm.
- Sky Cinema Hits – This channel is intended to show the best films of all time, including those that have come out recently, as well as a lot of classics too.
- Sky Cinema Action – As it sounds, Sky Cinema action is filled with the latest action films. There’s a good selection if you’re looking for something that can get your adrenaline pumping.
- Sky Cinema Disney – Even though the Disney+ channel has a lot more options, you can still catch a ton of Disney films through Now TV.
- Sky Cinema Animation – It’s not only Disney that make good animation films. You can also catch everything animation that’s non-Disney on the Animation channel.
- Sky Cinema Comedy – If you want a chuckle, then you can check out the comedy channel. This has all of the funny films on Sky.
- Sky Cinema Thriller – You’ll also get access to the Sky Cinema Thriller channel, which has both new and old films that’s increase your anxiety.
- Sky Cinema Horror – For those who love a scary movie, then you can check out their horror channel.
- Sky Cinema Greats – If you want only classic films, then the Greats channel will appeal to you. It has tons of the best films on there, from the Lion King to the Color Purple.
- Sky Cinema Drama – Finally, they also have the Drama channel, which rounds off the film collection nicely.
All in all, there are many different options to choose from with Now TV. As I mentioned, you don’t really need any of these channels, as all of the films available on them can be watched on demand.
The regular price of their Sky Cinema pass is £11.99 a month. If you haven’t signed up to this before, you may be able to find an online deal giving you a discounted price for the first 6 months.
The Sky Cinema channels are the main thing that people sign up to this service for, and they have a much better selection than Amazon Prime and Apple TV. However, they’re not updated with new films as much as Netflix.
Now TV – Entertainment Channels
If movies don’t hold your attention, then you could look at getting their entertainment pass. There are various different options here to choose from, including;
- Sky One – The old faithful Sky One has been around for a while, and it has more to offer than just The Simpsons (though that’s just fine too).
- Sky Witness – Another one filled with reality series about how things really go down, Sky Witness is great for younger adults.
- Sky Atlantic – Catch some of the newest dramas as they show for the first time with Atlantic, as well as instant classics like Game of Thrones.
- GOLD – Gold is well known in the UK, probably most for its non stop reruns of Only Fools and Horses.
- Comedy Central – You’ll be able to have a good chuckle finding something to watch on the Comedy channel.
- Sky Comedy – For some of the best American shows around, like Parks and Rec, Sky Comedy has a good selection to choose from.
- SYFY – Hey, there’s nothing wrong with kicking back and watching Sharknado 4 after a long day at work, okay?
- Sky Crime – If you’re fascinated by bank heists and serial killers, then Sky Crime is the channel for you.
- Sky Arts – Arts is the perfect place for those who are interested in theatre and the arts.
- FOX – Although primarily for Americans, Fox enables you to keep up with some of the best that the US has to offer.
- Discovery – Want to learn something new? The Discovery channel is the perfect place to do this.
- MTV – Whilst not as popular as in the past, MTV still remains a great place to get your music fix.
- Challenge – Filled with the best British gameshows, Challenge has a good selection to get your brain ticking over.
- Pick – Although you can get this on Freeview too, Pick has some good entertainment shows to keep you busy throughout the day.
- Nat Geo Wild – If you love animal docs, then the Natural Geographic channel is going to be the best option for you.
- VICE – One of the most underrated channels, Vice can have some great new documentaries on their channel sometimes.
The Now TV entertainment pass is priced at £9.99 a month, and like the Cinema pass, you might be able to find a good deal for it. If you want to watch Sky Atlantic, with new TV shows like Your Honor, you’ll need to opt for an Entertainment package.
Now TV – Sky Sports Channels
One of the main reasons to opt for Now TV’s sport package is that it has the most premier league football of any service – much more than BT Sport, Amazon and the BBC put together. As well as this, they also have other channels to choose from. Here they are;
- Sky Sports Main Event – Typically used for football or whatever the big event of the day is, this is where you’ll find the biggest and best action on Sky Sports.
- Sky Sports Premier League – Get your fix of premier league action with this channel.
- Sky Sports Football – Another channel dedicated to football. With more gamers than ever, it’s perfect for those that don’t support the big teams.
- Sky Sports Cricket – For those who want to relax and watch England (hopefully) carry home the ashes, you can check out the cricket channel.
- Sky Sports Golf – There’s something relaxing about sitting back and watching the Golf channel, which has all the latest from all the international tournaments.
- Sky Sports F1 – For Formula One addicts, you can see everything thats happening in the racing world.
- Sky Sports Action – Often showing the NFL, this channel has the best of the rest sports out there.
- Sky Sports Arena – This channel has a good mix of basketball, rugby league and other sports.
- Sky Sports Racing – If you fancy yourself as a bit of a tipster, then you can catch up with all the Horse Racing on this channel.
- Sky Sports Mix – This channel has a little bit of everything, and is often used to showcase the best of Sky.
- Sky Sports News – Need to know the latest transfer news? you can find out with Sky Sports News.
This is by fair the most expensive option they have, with the Sky Sports pass costing £33.99 a month. You can usually find some good deals at the start of the football season which may bring this down to as little as £20 a month.
Now TV – Kids Channels
One area which is good, but doesn’t have a great deal of variety, is the kids section. The good thing about it is that it tends to be relatively cheap, so you don’t need to pay a whole lot to get access to them. It has classics like;
- Cartoon Network – The famous Cartoon Network features all of your favourite shows, including Adventure Time (which is definitely for adults too!).
- Boomerang – Boomerang features a lot of new shows, but it also has some older classics like Tom and Jerry on there too.
- Nickelodeon – Along with CN, Nickelodeon has been one of the top kids TV channels for a long time.
- Nick Toons – Need your Spongebob fix? Then you’ll be able to get it on Nicktoons.
- Nick Jr – If you have a little one that’s obsessed with Peppa Pig, then Nick Jr is going to be the right channel for you.
- Cartoonito – This British TV channel is perfect for younger kids under 5 years old.
Due to the small amount of channels that it has, this is a cheap TV kids pass at only £3.99 a month. It could be worth it if you want to watch Cartoon Network, so the kids membership may be good for some.
Now TV – HAYU Channels
Now, Hayu doesn’t necessarily have channels for you to choose from, but it is a streaming platform with a ton of shows for you to choose from. Most of these are reality shows, which include;
- Keeping up with the Kardashians
- The Simple Life
- The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
It is dedicated to bringing you some of the biggest reality TV shows and box sets. The Hayu pass has varied in price, but is usually relatively cheap as well.
Is Now TV worth getting?
For people looking to cut out some of their monthly bills, it could be a good idea to consider getting Now TV. Personally, I usually switch between their packages as I see fit – I’ll sign up for the movies package for a few months, then cancel and switch to the entertainment package later.
Whilst it doesn’t offer anything revolutionary, it’s great if you want to cut down your current TV package bill. And for sports fans, you can usually find good deals on their Sky Sports month pass too.
The Now TV stick or box
If you don’t have a smart TV at home, it could be worth looking at getting the Now TV stick that the company offer. You can usually find it online for a pretty reasonable price.
It’s intended to be a main competitor to Amazon’s Fire stick. It’s actually designed and built on the Roku platform, which is pretty big in America (less so in the UK, but most people still what it is).
You’ll be able to get full access to all Sky’s TV passes with their Now TV stick or box. You will still have to pay for them on a per month basis, as the box just gives you a device to watch them on.
It’s good not just for the subscription channels that you sign up for with Now TV. You can also download all of your favourite free catch up services on it too, like BBC iPlayer and ITV Hub. As well as this, you’ll find firm favourites Netflix and Amazon Prime on there too.
You can also download newer streaming services like Disney+ on the stick too. Whilst you don’t necessarily need the stick or box to watch Now TV, it’s probably the best way to watch their TV passes as well as the rest of your television content too.
Conclusion
All in all, these are all of the channels that Now TV currently offer. They have different prices for all of them, and it’ll really depend on what you’re looking for.
Essentially, it’s just an easier subscription method to watch Sky TV. But, the good part about Now TV is that you don’t need a satellite. Typically to get access to Sky channels, you’d need to get a satellite installed.
They’re one of the best options if you’re looking to watch live sports in the UK, as well as catching the newest movies out too. So, it might be worth looking at the Now TV stick, or simply downloading the Now TV app if you’ve got a smart TV or laptop to watch it on.
