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Now (streaming service)

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This article is about the streaming service. For the pay-TV operator of a similar name based in Hong Kong, see Now TV (Hong Kong).

Now
Other namesNow TV (2012–2021)
Original author(s)Sky Group
Developer(s)Comcast (Sky Group & Xfinity)
Initial release17 July 2012; 12 years ago (2012-07-17)
Available in
Website

Now (formerly Now TV and often stylised as NOW) is a subscription over-the-top streaming television service launched in the United Kingdom in 2012. It is operated by Sky Group in Europe, and Xfinity in the US; both owned by the American media conglomerate Comcast.

Now offers both live streaming and video-on-demand without a contract. The service offers "passes" for various types of content, for a monthly fee on a pay-as-you-go basis. Differing passes offer films, sports and entertainment from Sky UK (such as content from Sky Atlantic and Sky Cinema), and from British and American licensed third parties (such as FOX).[1]

The service is available to consumers through retail Roku-based Now TV digital media players (in both set-top box and HDMI dongle form factors), as well as via an app on computers, various mobile devices, some game consoles and set-top boxes. These are separate from, and not viewable through, the Sky Go Internet service, or via Sky's digital satellite television service Sky Q. Now is also available in Ireland, Italy, Germany (as WOW, formerly as Sky Online and Sky Ticket), Austria (as SkyX), Switzerland and the United States (as part of Comcast's Xfinity).

History

[edit]

Background: Sky Picnic

[edit]

Prior to the creation of Now TV, Sky proposed a pay television service called Sky Picnic, which would have sat alongside Freeview and Top Up TV on the digital terrestrial television (DTT) platform in the United Kingdom.[2] The proposal detailed replacing Sky's three free-to-air channels (Sky News, Sky Sports News and Sky Mix) with five pay TV channels: Sky Sports, Sky Cinema plus Sky One during the evening with one hour of Sky News content. There would also be two further daytime channels: a factual channel and a children's channel.[3]

It was first proposed in 2007 but was subject to a public consultation by Ofcom.[4] Whilst the service was cleared to launch in 2010[5] it never officially launched, Sky having put it on hold in 2008.[6]

Launch

[edit]
Former Sky Ticket logo in Germany
Logo of WOW (Germany)
Logo of Sky X (Austria)

Now TV was unveiled by Sky UK in March 2012. The service was designed for people who have no existing pay TV subscription.[7][8] Now TV officially launched on 17 July 2012.[9] The service initially provided films, putting it in competition with LoveFilm and Netflix.[10][11]

In the Summer of 2016, Sky UK extended the brand to telecommunication services by launching contract-free budget broadband internet in the UK, initially named Now TV Combo,[12] and from early 2018 branded as Now Broadband.[13]

In early 2021, Now TV rebranded as Now.[14]

Coverage

[edit]

Now was later expanded to other territories covered by the Sky Group. In 2014 a similar internet service called "Sky Online" was launched by Sky Deutschland in Germany and Austria,[15] and by Sky Italia in Italy in 2015.

In 2016, Sky Online in Germany and Austria was revamped as "Sky Ticket" and structured the same as Now TV in the UK.[16] In Italy, it was rebranded under the original British name of Now TV.

On 26 April 2017, Now TV launched in Ireland.[17]

In March 2019, Sky X launched in Austria, making use of a blend of Now TV and Sky Q elements, and replaced Sky Ticket, as an offering between Sky Ticket and the full TV service Sky Q.[11] [18]

In Summer 2022, Sky Ticket rebranded to WOW.[19]

Spain

[edit]

Sky España was launched on 11 September 2017 (then known as simply "Sky"), and was the first Sky-branded product in Spain.[20]

Sky España supplied over-the-top pay television and video-on-demand service accessible only through the Internet created to compete with Movistar+, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video in Spain.[21]

Yoigo, an operator of Internet and mobile services, maintained an exclusive agreement that allowed customers to the rate into Fibra + la Sinfín with unlimited fibre access to Sky España for €6 per month.[22]

The service ceased to be available on 1 September 2020. Some content had already disappeared before its closing on 10 August 2020.[23] Sky wouldn't return to the Spanish market until the 2023 launch of SkyShowtime.

United States

[edit]

On 23 May 2023, Comcast (which acquired Sky in 2018) announced plans to launch a U.S. version of Now as part of its Xfinity cable and broadband unit. The service will be priced at US$25 per month, and include linear cable networks and free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) services from Xumo and other partners.[24]

Content and channels

[edit]

Upon its UK debut in 2012, Now TV offered only films at first, adding sports in March 2013,[25] and entertainment channels in October 2013.[26][27] Film and entertainment channels are accessed by paying a monthly fee, and sports are on an ad-hoc basis ("pay as you go"). Unlike Sky's flagship satellite TV service, Now TV does not require a long-term contract.[1]

Now TV offers "passes" with a specific set of content or channels that can be watched on demand or as live TV. The "Entertainment" pass has general entertainment content/channels from Sky itself (e.g. Sky Atlantic) and third parties (e.g. Comedy Central), whilst the "Kids" pass covers children's networks such as Nickelodeon, and a "Sky Cinema" pass offers over a thousand films from Sky Cinema. There is also a dedicated "Hayu" pass, and a "Sports" pass (which offers a daily or monthly option), along with a sports pass solely for mobile devices[28] to stream live Sky Sports channels.[29]

The Now TV boxes and dongles have extra downloadable apps that provide access to free catch-up or streaming services such as BBC iPlayer, ITVX, and UKTV Play, as well as access to Sky Store, Netflix (added in late 2018), Peacock (added in November 2021), Sky Box Office, Disney+ (added in April 2020)[30] and YouTube.[31] In the Spring of 2020, Now TV provided access to TNT Sports, and at the same time Now TV became available for EE TV customers.[32]

On 28 June 2022, National Geographic departed the service as its programming moved over to Disney+.[33] In its place, Now users had access to UKTV's mystery drama channel Alibi and NBC News Now,[34] whilst customers with the Sky Cinema subscription package could access a range of films from Paramount+.[35]

Devices

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Now is available on several platforms, providing access via both big-screen and small-screen mobile devices (correct as of April 2020):[36]

The service offers streams at up to 720p resolution (or up to 1080p resolution, when subscribed to Now TV HD Boost at an extra cost) depending on the playback device. It uses adaptive bitrate streaming.[37]

Now TV hardware

[edit]
See also: Roku

In July 2013, Sky launched a white Now TV-branded Roku streaming box, allowing users to stream Now TV content to their television via an analogue baseband connection or an HDMI input. It retailed for £9.99.[38] It has limited access to the Roku Channel Store and only a pre-approved list of channels can be downloaded. Several third-party channels can be side-loaded to the device using its Developer Mode.

In August 2015, Sky launched the Now TV Box 2 (based on a 2015 Roku 2) in black. It offers the same content as the original Now TV (white) box, but has a faster processor, an Ethernet port alongside Wi-Fi, a USB port and an SD card slot (not functional by default), and is capable of outputting at full HD (1080p) resolution.[39] Unlike the original Now TV Box, the Now TV Box 2 does not have an analogue audio/video output socket.

The Now TV Smart Box ("Smart Box with Freeview"), coloured black with a blue logo, was launched exclusively in the UK in July 2016. It includes access to Freeview channels through an aerial, via an internal DTT tuner that allows the user to pause (for up to 30 minutes) and rewind live TV.[40]

In January 2018, Sky introduced the Now TV Smart Stick dongle which plugs directly into a TV's HDMI input and includes voice search.[41] It was noted as the cheapest smart TV stick in the UK, costing £14.99 at launch compared to £39.99 for its rival Amazon Fire TV Stick.[42][43]

The second generation Now TV Smart Box ("Smart Box with 4K") was introduced in September 2018 and is coloured black with a pink logo. It is smaller in size (mainly due to the removal of the Freeview TV tuner) and includes the voice search capability from the Smart Stick. This box is capable of streaming at 2160p (4K) resolution.[44]

NOW TV recently re-branded to NOW has announced late in 2021 that it is discontinuing all NOW hardware products.[45]

Hardware specifications
Now TV "White" Box Now TV "Black" Box Now TV Smart Box (1st Generation) Now TV Smart Stick[46][47] Now TV Smart Box (2nd Generation)[48]
Release Date July 2013 August 2015 July 2016 February 2018 September 2018
End of Support October 2020 Still operating Still operation Still operation Still operation
UK Model Numbers 2400SK 4200SK; 4201UK 4500SK 3801 4631UK
Ireland Model Numbers — 4201IE — 3801 —
Italy Model Numbers — 300338 — 3801 —
Remote control Infrared with 13 buttons. Infrared with 13 buttons. Infrared with 13 buttons. Wi-Fi Direct (point-anywhere) using 17 buttons.

Infrared for television power and volume control using 3 buttons.

Voice Search microphone.

Wi-Fi Single-band 802.11 (b/g/n compatible) with WEP, WPA and WPA2 support. Dual-band 802.11 (a/b/g/n compatible) with WEP, WPA and WPA2 support. Dual-band 802.11 (a/b/g/n/ac compatible) with WEP, WPA, WPA2 support, and Hotel Connect.
Ethernet ports — 1x 100BASE-TX — 1x 1000BASE
USB — USB Type A socket, not functional. Micro USB Type B socket as power input only. —
Secure Digital — microSD, not functional — microSD, not functional
Terrestrial TV tuner — — Freeview and Freeview HD — —
Pause and Rewind live TV — — Freeview and Freeview HD (up to 30 minutes). Now TV pass live television channels (up to 30 minutes).
Video Outputs

(all via HDMI)

Audio outputs Digital over HDMI: 7.1 and 5.1 surround sound pass-through.
Central Processing Unit Single-core Dual-core Quad-core
Dimensions 3.31 in × 3.31 in × 0.91 in (84 mm × 84 mm × 23 mm) 3.50 in × 3.50 in × 0.98 in (89 mm × 89 mm × 25 mm) 6.50 in × 6.50 in × 0.81 in (165 mm × 165 mm × 20.5 mm) 3.31 in × 0.80 in × 0.50 in (84 mm × 20.3 mm × 12.6 mm) 4.92 in × 4.92 in × 0.83 in (125 mm × 125 mm × 21 mm)
Weight 3.00 oz (85 g) 4.97 oz (141 g) 15.24 oz (432 g) 0.71 oz (20 g) 7.83 oz (222 g)
Power Input 5.2 Volt – 1.0 Amps via supplied AC power adaptor. 5.99 Volt – 2 Amps via supplied AC power adaptor. 12 Volt – 2 Amps via supplied AC power adaptor. 5 Volt – 1.0 Amps via USB port/supplied AC power adaptor. 5.99 Volt – 2 Amps via supplied AC power adaptor.
Power Consumption Typical when streaming video: less than 2 Watts. Typical when streaming video: less than 3.5 Watts.
  • Typical when active: less than 14.2 Watts.
  • Typical when in active standby: less than 9.5 Watts.
  • Typical when in passive standby: less than 0.6 Watts.
 Typical when streaming high definition content: less than 3.5 Watts. Typical when streaming ultra high definition content: less than 9 Watts.

Reception

[edit]

As of Q4 2018, Now TV had a 10% share in the UK OTT subscription market, placing it third behind Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.[49]

Trademark disputes

[edit]

Before its launch, Hong Kong-based PCCW filed trademark complaints about British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB)'s Now TV service. In October 2012, a High Court judgment in London ruled that BSkyB did not infringe PCCW's rights regarding the Now TV name.[50]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "StackPath". www.choose.co.uk.
  2. ^ "Proposed BSkyB digital terrestrial television services" (PDF). Ofcom. 23 December 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 October 2007. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  3. ^ Wilkes, Neil (22 November 2007). "Disney Channel joins Sky's picnic". Digital Spy. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  4. ^ "Proposed BSkyB Digital Terrestrial Television Services". Ofcom. 22 September 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  5. ^ "Delivering consumer benefits in Pay TV". Ofcom. 14 September 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  6. ^ Williams, Christopher (12 September 2008). "Sky ices Picnic, blames Ofcom". www.theregister.co.uk. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  7. ^ Stallard, Katie (17 July 2012). "No Dish, No Contract - Sky Launches NOW TV". News.sky.com. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  8. ^ Byford, Sam (21 March 2012). "Now TV: stream movies, sports, and other Sky TV content on demand from this summer". The Verge.
  9. ^ "Press release: Now's the time for NOW TV". Sky Corporate. 16 July 2012. Archived from the original on 19 July 2012.
  10. ^ Barnett, Emma (16 July 2012). "Now TV: Sky takes on Netflix and Lovefilm". Archived from the original on 12 January 2022 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b "Sky Austria launches streaming offering Sky X". Digital TV Europe. 5 March 2019.
  12. ^ "Now TV launches contract-free broadband and TV". broadbandchoices.co.uk. 29 June 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  13. ^ "Sky Say Goodbye to NOW TV Combo and Hello NOW Broadband - ISPreview UK". ISPreview. 25 January 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  14. ^ "NOW TV rebrands to NOW". www.skygroup.sky. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  15. ^ "Sky Deutschland launches OTT platform". Broadband TV News. 30 October 2014.
  16. ^ "Sky Deutschland launches new OTT platform". Broadband TV News. 26 August 2016.
  17. ^ Slattery, Laura. "Sky brings Now TV on-demand service to Ireland". The Irish Times.
  18. ^ sky-angebot.at (19 February 2019). "Sky Ticket (Österreich): Preise & Angebote im Überblick". Sky-Angebot.at (in German). Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  19. ^ "WOW: Sky Ticket gets new name". www.broadbandtvnews.com. 7 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  20. ^ "Sky launches Spanish streaming service". Broadband TV News. 11 September 2017.
  21. ^ Elvira, Álvaro P. Ruiz de (12 September 2017). "Sky llega a España con 12 canales de pago y sin deportes". El Paais (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  22. ^ Alonso, Santiago Millán (3 April 2018). "Yoigo rompe el mercado: lanza la primera tarifa con gigas móviles ilimitados" (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  23. ^ "Cierra Sky España: la plataforma dejará de emitir el 1 de septiembre". ecoteuve.eleconomista.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  24. ^ Spangler, Todd (23 May 2023). "Comcast Launches $20 Monthly Streaming Service Now TV, With 60-Plus Channels and Peacock". Variety. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  25. ^ "Pay-as-you-go Sky Sports comes to NOW TV". Corporate.sky.com. 19 March 2013. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  26. ^ Skipworth, Hunter (29 October 2013). "New Sky Now TV package brings Sky 1 access and more". Digital Spy. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  27. ^ "Sky announces details of NowTV internet TV service". BBC News Online. British Broadcasting Corporation. 21 March 2012. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  28. ^ "NOW TV Complete Guide". Broadband Switch. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  29. ^ "What channels are on NOW TV?". Uswitch.
  30. ^ Jones, Robert (23 April 2020). "Disney+ is now available on Now TV. Here's how to start watching". T3.
  31. ^ "Best Smart TV Sticks to buy | Amazon Fire v NOW TV v Roku v Google Chromecast". Radio Times.
  32. ^ "Sky launches new packages with BT Sport". Digital TV Europe. 21 February 2020.
  33. ^ "National Geographic departs NOW". 17 June 2022.
  34. ^ "Confirmed: NBC News Now and Alibi on NOW". 22 June 2022.
  35. ^ "How to access Paramount+ on Sky and NOW". 22 June 2022.
  36. ^ "Apps on the Now TV box" (PDF). Now TV. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  37. ^ "NOW TV Boost is the Full HD upgrade we've been waiting for". Pocket-lint. 21 November 2019.
  38. ^ Lawler, Richard. "Sky's Now TV box is a £9.99 Roku clone that streams iPlayer and more". Engadget.com. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  39. ^ "Now TV Box (2015) vs Now TV Box vs Roku 2: What's the difference?". Pocket-lint. 5 August 2015.
  40. ^ "Sky NowTV Smart Box". Stuff. 25 July 2016.
  41. ^ Burgess, Matt (25 January 2018). "Now TV's Smart Stick has voice control and costs just £15". Wired UK – via www.wired.co.uk.
  42. ^ Jones, Robert (25 January 2018). "The Now TV Smart Stick somehow costs only £14.99: offers Full HD streaming suite powered by Roku". T3.
  43. ^ Nield, David (31 January 2018). "Now TV Smart Stick vs Amazon Fire TV Stick". T3.
  44. ^ "NOW TV Launch New Smart Box with 4K UltraHD and Voice Search - ISPreview UK". www.ispreview.co.uk. 27 September 2018.
  45. ^ "NOSky's NOW Discontinues Its Own Streaming Devices". www.cordbusters.co.uk. 18 May 2021.
  46. ^ "NOW TV Smart Stick: All You Need To Know". Recombu. 25 January 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  47. ^ "Smart TV Stick - Stream Movies, TV & Sports Instantly". @NOWTV. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  48. ^ Jackson, Mark (27 September 2018). "NOW TV Launch New Smart Box with 4K UltraHD and Voice Search - ISPreview UK". www.ispreview.co.uk. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  49. ^ "In the UK, Netflix and Amazon beat Sky Now TV". Broadband TV News. 8 August 2019.
  50. ^ Halliday, Josh; Sweney, Mark (2 November 2012). "BSkyB wins high court trademark battle over Now TV name". The Guardian – via www.theguardian.com.
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