A guide to NOW - Sky's contract free streaming service

What is NOW?

NOW, formally NOW TV, is a streaming service from Sky, which allows you to stream shows, movies and live sport without a contract.

What kind of content is available on NOW?

You can choose from Cinema and TV Memberships and two Sports Memberships.

• Entertainment Membership: lets you watch shows like Game of Thrones and Succession, as well as access to over 300 box sets on demand, plus access to 16 live channels not available on free-to-air, such as Sky Atlantic, Sky Comedy, Discovery Channel and MTV.
• Cinema Membership: is perfect for film fans, with over 1,000 Sky Cinema movies on demand, including the latest blockbusters, as well as a new premiere every day. You also get access to movie favourites, such as Forrest Gump, The Godfather, and Groundhog Day.
• hayu Membership: lets you stream reality TV to your heart’s content, with over 8,000 episodes to choose from, including Keeping Up with the Kardashians and The Bachelorette.
• Sports Membership: gives you access to the live sporting action on all 11 Sky Sports channels, enabling you to watch Sky Sports Premier League, F1, Arena, Racing, News and more.
• Sports Extra Membership: lets you access 6 BT Sports and Premier Sports channels. Choose to stream for a day or month by month.

What about Disney+?

You can watch Disney+ on your NOW Smart Stick, simply:

• Subscribe to Disney+ directly through Disney
• Download the app from the NOW device App Store
• Sign in to your Disney account
• Start watching!

Disney+ isn’t included in any NOW memberships and costs €89.90 a year or €8.99 a month.

How do I get access to NOW?

Once you choose a membership and sign up, you can start streaming content instantly through your preferred device.

For streaming, NOW requires a minimum download speed of 2.5Mbps, 3G or 4G.

NOW is available on multiple devices, including PC or Mac, selected Sony Android TV models, iOS and Android phones or tablets, as well as via the NOW Box and the NOW Smart Stick.

Both the NOW box and the Smart Stick turn your TV into a Smart TV, with catch up TV from the likes of All 4 and Virgin Media’s 3player, as well as access to apps, such as YouTube and Vevo.

The NOW box connects to your TV via an HDMI cable (which is supplied with the box), while the Smart Stick plugs directly into the HDMI port of your TV.

The Smart Stick is currently the cheapest streaming device on offer in Ireland, at just €25. Buying both the Smart Stick and the NOW box in a bundle with membership is even better value.

Buy the NOW Smart Stick now

What is NOW Boost?

The NOW Boost add-on allows you to enjoy sports, movies and TV shows with even better picture and sound quality. You’ll also get to stream on three devices at once instead of just two.

With NOW Boost you’ll enjoy:

• Full HD so you can watch all Sky Sports channels and selected TV shows and movies in 1080p video quality.
• Smoother, lag-free sporting action because Sky Sports will be available at 50 frames per second (except on certain devices like XBox One).
• Immersive audio if you have a surround sound speaker system or soundbar with Dolby Digital 5.1.

You can’t get NOW Boost if you’ve only got Sports Mobile Membership. You’ll need a minimum internet speed of 12Mbps to stream in 1080p.

Signing up to NOW

NOW often has introductory offers on its memberships, and you can also get a 7-day free trial of the Sky Cinema Month Membership, and the Entertainment Month Membership if you want to try them out first. There is no free trial period with any of the Sports Memberships.

Unless you cancel, this free trial will roll into a monthly subscription Membership after the 7-day period.

If you subscribe to NOW Boost you’ll need to cancel the add-on separately or it will continue to auto-renew even when you’ve finished your free trial.