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Now (Sky)

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This article is about a pay-TV operator in Europe. For the pay-TV operator of a similar name based in Hong Kong, seeNow TV (Hong Kong).

Now
Other namesNow TV(2012–2021)
Original author(s)Sky Group
Developer(s)Sky Group
Xfinity
Initial release17 July 2012;11 years ago(2012-07-17)
Available in
Website

Now(formerlyNow TVand often stylised asNOW) is a subscriptionover-the-topstreaming televisionservice operated by British satellite television providerSky Groupand American cable providerXfinity.Launched in the United Kingdom in 2012, the service is also available inIreland,Italy,Germany(asWOW,formerly asSky OnlineandSky Ticket), Austria (asSkyX),Switzerlandand the United States (as part of its parent companyComcast'sXfinityunit).

Now offers both live streaming andvideo-on-demandwithout 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 such as material fromSky AtlanticandSky Cinema,and from British and American licensed third parties such asFox Broadcasting Company.[1]The service is available to consumers through retailRoku-based Now TVdigital media players(in bothset-top boxandHDMIdongleform factors) as well as via anappon computers, various mobile devices, some game consoles and set-top boxes. It is separate from and not viewable through theSky GoInternet service, or via Sky's digital satellite television serviceSky Q.

History and coverage[edit]

Sky Picnic[edit]

Sky Picnic was a proposed pay television service which would have sat alongsideFreeviewandTop Up TVon thedigital terrestrial television(DTT) platform in the United Kingdom.[2]The proposal detailed replacing Sky's threefree-to-airchannels (Sky News,Sky Sports NewsandSky Mix) with five pay TV channels:Sky Sports,Sky CinemaplusSky Oneduring 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 byOfcom.[4]Whilst the service was cleared to launch in 2010[5]it never officially launched, Sky having put it on hold in 2008.[6]

The Sky Picnic proposal was ultimately superseded by the internet-based Now TV platform.

Now TV[edit]

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

Now TV was unveiled bySky UKin March 2012, and designed for people who have no existingpay TVsubscription.[7][8]Its official launch was on 17 July 2012,[9]initially providing films, putting it in competition withLoveFilmandNetflix.[10][11]

The Now TV service was later extended to other territories covered by the Sky Group. In 2014 a similar internet service called "Sky Online" was launched bySky Deutschlandin Germany and Austria,[12]and bySky Italiain 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,[13]and was rebranded in Italy under the original British name of Now TV. On 26 April 2017, Now TV launched in Ireland.[14]On 11 September 2017, the service launched as simply "Sky" in Spain, the first Sky-branded product in that country.[15]In March 2019, Sky X launched in Austria, making use of a blend of Now TV andSky Qelements, and replaced Sky Ticket, as an offering between Sky Ticket and the full TV service Sky Q.[11][16]On 1 September 2020, Sky stopped offering the product in Spain.[17]

In the Summer of 2016, Sky UKextended the brandto telecommunication services by launching contract-free budget broadband internet in the UK, initially named Now TV Combo,[18]and from early 2018 branded asNow Broadband.[19]

In early 2021, Now TV rebranded as NOW.[20]

In Summer 2022, Sky Ticket rebranded to WOW.[21]

Spain[edit]

Sky Españawas a service ofSkyand suppliedover-the-toppay televisionandvideo-on-demandservice accessible only through theInternetcreated to compete withMovistar+,Netflix,andAmazon Prime Videoin Spain.[22]

Yoigois an operator of Internet and mobile services which maintains an exclusive agreement that allows customers to the rate into Fibra + la Sinfín with unlimited fibre access to Sky España service for €6 per month.[23]

The service ceased to be available on 1 September 2020. Some content had already disappeared before its closing on 10 August 2020.[24]

Sky returned to the Spanish market in 2023 with the introduction ofSkyShowtime.

United States[edit]

On 23 May 2023,Comcast(parent company of Sky Group) announced plans to launch a U.S. version of Now TV as part of itsXfinitycable and broadband unit, which will be priced at US$25 per month and include linear cable networks andfree ad-supported streaming television(FAST) services fromXumoand other partners.[25]

Content and channels[edit]

Upon its UK debut in 2012, Now TV offered only films at first, adding sports in March 2013,[26]and entertainment channels in October 2013.[27][28]Film and entertainment channels are accessed by paying a monthly fee, and sports are on anad-hocbasis ( "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 asNickelodeon,and a "Sky Cinema" pass offers over a thousand films fromSky 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[29]to stream liveSky Sportschannels.[30]

The Now TV boxes and dongles have extra downloadable apps that provide access to free catch-up or streaming services such asBBC iPlayer,ITVX,andUKTV Play,as well as access toSky Store,Netflix(added in late 2018),Peacock(added in November 2021),Sky Box Office,Disney+(added in April 2020)[31]andYouTube.[32]In the Spring of 2020, Now TV provided access toTNT Sports,and at the same time Now TV became available forEE TVcustomers.[33]

On 28 June 2022,National Geographicdeparted the service as its programming moved over to Disney+.[34]In its place, Now users had access to UKTV's mystery drama channel Alibi and NBC News Now,[35]whilst customers with the Sky Cinema subscription package could access a range of films fromParamount+.[36]

Devices[edit]

Now is available on several platforms, providing access via both big-screen and small-screen mobile devices (correct as of April 2020):[37]

The service offers streams at up to720presolution (or up to1080presolution, when subscribed to Now TV HD Boost at an extra cost) depending on the playback device. It usesadaptive bitrate streaming.[38]

Now TV hardware[edit]

See also:Roku

In July 2013, Sky launched a white Now TV-brandedRokustreaming 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.[39]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, anEthernetport 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.[40]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 toFreeviewchannels through an aerial, via an internalDTTtuner that allows the user to pause (for up to 30 minutes) and rewind live TV.[41]

In January 2018, Sky introduced the Now TV Smart Stickdonglewhich plugs directly into a TV'sHDMIinput and includes voice search.[42]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.[43][44]

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 at2160p(4K) resolution.[45]

NOW TV recently re-branded to NOW has announced late in 2021 that it is discontinuing all NOW hardware products.[46]

Hardware specifications
Now TV "White" Box Now TV "Black" Box Now TV Smart Box(1st Generation) Now TV Smart Stick[47][48] Now TV Smart Box(2nd Generation)[49]
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 Infraredwith 13 buttons. Infraredwith 13 buttons. Infraredwith 13 buttons. Wi-Fi Direct(point-anywhere) using 17 buttons.

Infraredfor television power and volume control using 3 buttons.

Voice Searchmicrophone.

Wi-Fi Single-band802.11(b/g/n compatible) withWEP,WPAandWPA2support. Dual-band802.11(a/b/g/ncompatible) withWEP,WPAandWPA2support. Dual-band802.11(a/b/g/n/accompatible) withWEP,WPA,WPA2support, and Hotel Connect.
Ethernet ports — 1x100BASE-TX — 1x1000BASE
USB — USB Type Asocket, not functional. Micro USB Type Bsocket as power input only. —
Secure Digital — microSD,not functional — microSD,not functional
Terrestrial TV tuner — — FreeviewandFreeview HD — —
Pause and Rewind live TV — — FreeviewandFreeview HD(up to 30 minutes). Now TV pass live television channels (up to 30 minutes).
Video Outputs

(all viaHDMI)

Audio outputs Digital overHDMI:7.1and5.1 surround soundpass-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 5.2Volt– 1.0Ampsvia suppliedAC power adaptor. 5.99Volt– 2Ampsvia suppliedAC power adaptor. 12Volt– 2Ampsvia suppliedAC power adaptor. 5Volt– 1.0AmpsviaUSBport/suppliedAC power adaptor. 5.99Volt– 2Ampsvia suppliedAC power adaptor.
Power Consumption Typical when streaming video: less than 2Watts. Typical when streaming video: less than 3.5Watts.
  • Typical when active: less than 14.2Watts.
  • Typical when in active standby: less than 9.5Watts.
  • Typical when in passive standby: less than 0.6Watts.
 Typical when streaming high definition content: less than 3.5Watts. Typical when streaming ultra high definition content: less than 9Watts.

Reception[edit]

As of Q4 2018, Now TV had a 10% share in the UKOTTsubscription market, placing it third behindNetflixandAmazon Prime Video.[50]

Trademark disputes[edit]

Before its launch,Hong Kong-basedPCCWfiled trademark complaints about British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB)'s Now TV service. In October 2012, a High Court judgment inLondonruled that BSkyB did not infringe PCCW's rights regarding the Now TV name.[51]

References[edit]

  1. ^ab"StackPath".choose.co.uk.
  2. ^"Proposed BSkyB digital terrestrial television services"(PDF).Ofcom.23 December 2007. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 10 October 2007.Retrieved28 May2020.
  3. ^Wilkes, Neil (22 November 2007)."Disney Channel joins Sky's picnic".Digital Spy.Retrieved28 May2020.
  4. ^"Proposed BSkyB Digital Terrestrial Television Services".Ofcom.22 September 2016.Retrieved28 May2020.
  5. ^"Delivering consumer benefits in Pay TV".Ofcom.14 September 2016.Retrieved28 May2020.
  6. ^Williams, Christopher (12 September 2008)."Sky ices Picnic, blames Ofcom".theregister.co.uk.Retrieved28 May2020.
  7. ^Stallard, Katie (17 July 2012)."No Dish, No Contract - Sky Launches NOW TV".News.sky.Retrieved15 April2014.
  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 fromthe originalon 19 July 2012.
  10. ^Barnett, Emma (16 July 2012)."Now TV: Sky takes on Netflix and Lovefilm".Archivedfrom the original on 12 January 2022 – via telegraph.co.uk.
  11. ^ab"Sky Austria launches streaming offering Sky X".Digital TV Europe.5 March 2019.
  12. ^"Sky Deutschland launches OTT platform".Broadband TV News.30 October 2014.
  13. ^"Sky Deutschland launches new OTT platform".Broadband TV News.26 August 2016.
  14. ^Slattery, Laura."Sky brings Now TV on-demand service to Ireland".The Irish Times.
  15. ^"Sky launches Spanish streaming service".Broadband TV News.11 September 2017.
  16. ^sky-angebot.at (19 February 2019)."Sky Ticket (Österreich): Preise & Angebote im Überblick".Sky-Angebot.at(in German).Retrieved12 April2023.
  17. ^"Cierra Sky España: la plataforma dejará de emitir el 1 de septiembre - Ecoteuve.es".ecoteuve.eleconomista.es(in Spanish).Retrieved28 October2020.
  18. ^"Now TV launches contract-free broadband and TV".broadbandchoices.co.uk.29 June 2016.Retrieved8 April2020.
  19. ^"Sky Say Goodbye to NOW TV Combo and Hello NOW Broadband - ISPreview UK".ISPreview.25 January 2018.Retrieved8 April2020.
  20. ^"NOW TV rebrands to NOW".skygroup.sky.Retrieved3 April2021.
  21. ^"WOW: Sky Ticket gets new name".broadbandtvnews.7 June 2022.Retrieved28 June2022.
  22. ^Elvira, Álvaro P. Ruiz de (12 September 2017)."Sky llega a España con 12 canales de pago y sin deportes".El Paais(in Spanish).ISSN1134-6582.Retrieved20 July2018.
  23. ^Alonso, Santiago Millán (3 April 2018)."Yoigo rompe el mercado: lanza la primera tarifa con gigas móviles ilimitados"(in Spanish).Retrieved5 April2018.
  24. ^"Cierra Sky España: la plataforma dejará de emitir el 1 de septiembre".ecoteuve.eleconomista.es(in Spanish).Retrieved23 July2020.
  25. ^Spangler, Todd (23 May 2023)."Comcast Launches $20 Monthly Streaming Service Now TV, With 60-Plus Channels and Peacock".Variety.Retrieved13 June2023.
  26. ^"Pay-as-you-go Sky Sports comes to NOW TV".Corporate.sky. 19 March 2013.Retrieved15 April2014.
  27. ^Skipworth, Hunter (29 October 2013)."New Sky Now TV package brings Sky 1 access and more".Digital Spy.Retrieved29 October2013.
  28. ^"Sky announces details of NowTV internet TV service".BBC News Online.British Broadcasting Corporation.21 March 2012.Retrieved15 April2014.
  29. ^"NOW TV Complete Guide".Broadband Switch.Retrieved7 December2020.
  30. ^"What channels are on NOW TV?".Uswitch.
  31. ^Jones, Robert (23 April 2020)."Disney+ is now available on Now TV. Here's how to start watching".T3.
  32. ^"Best Smart TV Sticks to buy | Amazon Fire v NOW TV v Roku v Google Chromecast".Radio Times.
  33. ^"Sky launches new packages with BT Sport".Digital TV Europe.21 February 2020.
  34. ^"National Geographic departs NOW".17 June 2022.
  35. ^"Confirmed: NBC News Now and Alibi on NOW".22 June 2022.
  36. ^"How to access Paramount+ on Sky and NOW".22 June 2022.
  37. ^"Apps on the Now TV box"(PDF).Now TV.Retrieved23 April2020.
  38. ^"NOW TV Boost is the Full HD upgrade we've been waiting for".Pocket-lint.21 November 2019.
  39. ^Lawler, Richard."Sky's Now TV box is a £9.99 Roku clone that streams iPlayer and more".Engadget.Retrieved15 April2014.
  40. ^"Now TV Box (2015) vs Now TV Box vs Roku 2: What's the difference?".Pocket-lint.5 August 2015.
  41. ^"Sky NowTV Smart Box".Stuff.25 July 2016.
  42. ^Burgess, Matt (25 January 2018)."Now TV's Smart Stick has voice control and costs just £15".Wired UK– via wired.co.uk.
  43. ^Jones, Robert (25 January 2018)."The Now TV Smart Stick somehow costs only £14.99: offers Full HD streaming suite powered by Roku".T3.
  44. ^Nield, David (31 January 2018)."Now TV Smart Stick vs Amazon Fire TV Stick".T3.
  45. ^"NOW TV Launch New Smart Box with 4K UltraHD and Voice Search - ISPreview UK".ispreview.co.uk.27 September 2018.
  46. ^"NOSky's NOW Discontinues Its Own Streaming Devices".cordbusters.co.uk.18 May 2021.
  47. ^"NOW TV Smart Stick: All You Need To Know".Recombu.25 January 2018.Retrieved26 January2018.
  48. ^"Smart TV Stick - Stream Movies, TV & Sports Instantly".@NOWTV.Retrieved26 January2018.
  49. ^Jackson, Mark (27 September 2018)."NOW TV Launch New Smart Box with 4K UltraHD and Voice Search - ISPreview UK".ispreview.co.uk.Retrieved30 September2018.
  50. ^"In the UK, Netflix and Amazon beat Sky Now TV".Broadband TV News.8 August 2019.
  51. ^Halliday, Josh; Sweney, Mark (2 November 2012)."BSkyB wins high court trademark battle over Now TV name".The Guardian– via theguardian.

External links[edit]


Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Now_(Sky)&oldid=1223089599#Spain"