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NOW is poised to undergo its biggest overhaul in years. The streamer, previously known as NOW TV, will enjoy a fresh coat of paint across every corner of its interface. It follows similar redesigns to rivals like Netflix and Prime Video in the UK in recent years.
Not only that, but the free upgrade brings a slew of new features, including the ability to set up individual profiles to personalise your NOW viewing experience and browse Top 10 recommendations. NOW offers contract-free access to Sky TV channels live and on-demand over the internet, rather than via a traditional satellite dish.
However, it's worth noting that satellite dish-free hardware from Sky, like the newly-announced Sky Glass Gen 2, and best Sky Stream deals, are all available with a rolling 30-day contract for Sky TV bundles like NOW.
While the major shake-up to NOW is scheduled to begin this week — starting February 18, 2025 — you could be waiting for some time before the shiny new-look and features land on your streaming device. Yes, NOW has warned subscribers that it's taking a staggered approach with this overhaul.
NOW aims to complete the roll-out of its software upgrade by the end of March 2025.
On its support pages, the Sky-owned streamer cautions: "We’ll be rolling out the updates on the NOW app over several weeks. During this time, you may notice the old and new versions running side by side on different devices. It also means that the new features won’t be available on all supported devices straight away. Not sure if your device is supported? Take a look at our supported devices or keep checking your app store for updates."
Sky Stream has never been this affordable. The broadcaster has just launched an affordable new bundle of channels and on-demand services, dubbed TV Essentials. It includes its plug-and-play Sky Stream box, over 100 live channels including Sky Atlantic — the exclusive home of shows like Game of Thrones, And Just Like That, and The White Lotus. You'll also find a subscription to Netflix and Discovery+ included too and can upgrade to Sky Cinema and Sky Sports at an extra cost.
Sky Stream
£15
So, it could take some time to land on your telly... but will it be worth the wait? Below, we've rounded-up everything coming to NOW subscribers with its refresh in years.
What's new in NOW's free software upgrade?
First up, the software update will bring a fresh look to NOW's user interface to help viewers find their favourite content faster across supported platforms, including Smart TVs, tablets and smartphones.
To do this, NOW will now feature Top 10 carousels highlighting the most popular shows and films with other subscribers. Scroll through these new rails to find trending TV shows and movies ranked by number of streams, plus new releases from the last 90 days.
Parent company Sky TV has also promised to bolster the search functionality in the NOW app. For the first time, you'll be able to search through the NOW catalogue by genre, actor, title, name, sport, and more.
As well as a sleek new-look, the updated main menu also offers greater personalisation. You’ll be able to tweak the homepage that greets you every time you launch the NOW app on your telly to enhance your Entertainment and Cinema recommendations.
To get started, choose your top 5 favourite titles when you create a profile, and the AI engine under the bonnet of the new NOW experience will suggest TV shows and movies that it thinks you’ll like. Nifty, eh?
Don’t know what to watch? You’ll also be able to browse the popular searches section for the shows, movies and sports that everyone is watching. This new functionality will be important as the overhaul to NOW will also bring more content to sort through than ever before.
NOW will slowly roll-out the redesign across its many platforms, starting on February 18 and finishing sometime the following month. Viewers in the UK and Ireland will be treated to the redesign before their counterparts in Italy and Germany
NOW PRESS OFFICE
In the coming weeks, NOW will introduce dedicated Kids profiles to deliver over 10,000 episodes of award-winning children's content, like Sky Kids' Ready Eddie Go! or Boomerang’s What’s New Scooby-Doo, available ad-free.
Not only that, but NOW Sports Members will benefit from curated collections of SkySports+ streams, making it easier to access events like The Miami Open tennis tournament in one place.
The refresh brings new parental controls to NOW that'll allow you to restrict what each profile sees. As well as a dedicated PIN for your account, you’ll be able to set a profile-based maturity rating to prevent kids from watching anything they shouldn’t.
Speaking of profiles, NOW has added the ability to set-up your own individual profiles for every member of your household. This enables multiple people to watch the same series at their own pace, enjoy personalised recommendations based on their viewing history, and more.
Each profile can have its own:
- Avatar
- Name
- Maturity ratings
- Profile PIN
- Autoplay settings
You can create up to 6 profiles for individual members of your household in one account, including adult and kids profiles.
The redesign to NOW will roll-out in stages starting on February 18 and continuing to gradually roll-out until March, so it's possible you'll see the new look on your tablet or phone before it becomes available on your Roku or Fire TV Stick. The update should be available everywhere by the end of next month.
Carli Kerr, Managing Director of NOW and Sky TV content, said: “Migrating to NBCU’s Global Streaming Platform means NOW members will benefit from the ongoing delivery of customer features that enhance the viewing experience and leverage the latest technologies and innovations across the platform."
Why is NOW redesigning its streaming service?
The exciting new look coming to NOW is only part of the story — under the bonnet, the streaming service will be moved to the Global Streaming Platform technology developed by NBCUniversal.
This same software is already being used by streamers like Peacock in the United States, SkyShowtime in mainland Europe, and Multichoice in Africa.
The platform, which reaches over 70 countries worldwide, has demonstrated its technical capabilities through significant streaming events. With a single platform powering all of these services, NBCUniversal can focus all of its efforts on developing new features once before rolling them out worldwide.
The rollout will begin in the UK and Ireland from February 18, focused on NOW-enabled devices including Smart TVs and tablets. After that, Italian NOW members can expect the update to arrive in Spring 2025. The platform upgrade will reach German WOW members at a later, unspecified date.
NOW is a streaming service that delivers Sky TV content live and on-demand over the internet.
The service offers flexible viewing options with shorter 6-month contracts and monthly payment plans, allowing customers to cancel at any time.
Viewers can customise their experience by choosing from different memberships, including Sports, Cinema and Entertainment packages, each available at different monthly rates.
NOW offers access to live and on-demand content from Sky TV, including Sky Cinema, Sky Sports, and Sky Kids. Its IPTV offering is available contract-free or with longer-term subscriptions
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However, with the launch of Sky Glass and Sky Stream, NOW has lost its unique selling-point, since both of these devices offer cancel anytime 30-day rolling plans and stream live and on-demand content using only a Wi-Fi connection. Many of the features coming to NOW with the latest shake-up — like improved search, rails with Top 10 shows — are already found in Sky Stream and Sky Glass TVs.
Sky Stream has never been this affordable. The broadcaster has just launched an affordable new bundle of channels and on-demand services, dubbed TV Essentials. It includes its plug-and-play Sky Stream box, over 100 live channels including Sky Atlantic — the exclusive home of shows like Game of Thrones, And Just Like That, and The White Lotus. You'll also find a subscription to Netflix and Discovery+ included too and can upgrade to Sky Cinema and Sky Sports at an extra cost.
Sky Stream
£15
