NOW TV Ireland | Price, features and content
A gloves-off estimation of Sky's streaming service's chances in the epic battle for your wallet.
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When it comes to streaming content providers, our choices in Ireland have expanded nicely in recent years. Currently, the undisputed major players include Netflix, Amazon Prime and NOW TV. Today, we’re laser-focusing in on the latter, a relative newcomer that came to our shores in 2017. Though it’s backed by the impressive buying power of Sky, does this service deserve its place among the big boys and is it worth your hard-earned cash?
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Now TV Ireland
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Try Now TV FREE for 14 days Binge the best of pay TV with a free 14-day trial. Last verified |
How much does NOW TV cost?
Think of NOW TV as a streaming smorgasbord. Everything is divided up into delicious, bite-sized passes. All you need to do is scoop up the entertainment you want and then consume it at your leisure.
First of all we have the €15 Sky Cinema Pass that offers you over 1,000 movies on demand. Then there’s the more TV series-centric Entertainment Pass that hands you more than 300 box sets for €15 a month. Next is the ankle-biter-appeasing Kids Pass that offers 1,000s of children’s shows and movies for a monthly fee of €7.
But that’s not all, sports fans. NOW TV also deals in a specific pass for the armchair enthusiasts. The Sky Sports Pass can be purchased as either a Day Pass (€10), Weekly Pass (€15) or Monthly Pass (€39).
Final pro tip: don’t forget that the aforementioned sign-ups will put you into an auto-renew state. The onus is on you to cancel, so don’t forget to do it.
What content does NOW TV offer?
NOW TV’s main selling point is its versatility for the end-user, no matter how you join the service you can get the best of pay TV content without being on a contract. That and there’s quick sign-up process, at which point you can instantly dive into your entertainment via an app supported by 60 devices. No installation muddle or waiting period downtime. Just what you want, when you want it.
Let’s get the best news out of the way early: NOW TV being owned by Sky means that sports-inclined viewers can dive into GAA matches, English Premier League and there are also epic (off-pitch) dramas to consume, like Game of Thrones and Little Big Lies. Better yet, these jewels in the crown of NOW TV are available to you even if you don’t subscribe to Sky’s traditional satellite TV service.
As specified in the “plans” section of this article, getting access to absolutely everything on the service is a pricey proposition. The alternative to this, buying a specific pass for the content you need, is much more reasonable.
For example, if you want to smash out an entire weekend of long-form TV series, the Entertainment Pass will put more than 300 television box sets at your fingertips, plus 10 channels including the coveted Sky Atlantic premium channel. Basically, pretty much all of the best TV shows that people will be talking about around the water cooler at work will be fast-tracked to Sky Atlantic.
Conversely, movie lovers will most likely gravitate to the whopping, 1,000+ film library offered in the Sky Cinema Pass. It’s about as cutting edge as streaming gets and when a film moves into the home consumption phase of its life (typically six to eight months after cinema release) it’ll show up here first.
Finally, NOW TV’s biggest strength over its international competitors lies in its access to regional sporting events. If you’re into football, cricket, rugby union, tennis, F1 or golf, this service is your Graceland. For example, football lovers can put themselves pitch-side to watch the English Premier League, Football League and Carabao Cup; the Scottish Professional Football League and the NIFL Premiership.
How does NOW TV compare?
Updated March 31st, 2020
Does NOW TV offer a free trial?
It sure does, but there are some things to know about this. All of the main entertainment passes (Cinema, Entertainment and Kids) offer a 14-day free trial period, though if you leave these to run their course NOW TV will start to auto-charge you. Sadly, the Sky Sports Pass offers no such trial period.
Which devices are compatible with NOW TV?
A ridiculous amount: 60, by our last count. Let’s dig into the major ones now.
Anybody after traditional, TV-based viewing can count on compatibility with NOW TV Smart Box, NOW TV Smart Stick, Roku, Chromecast, LG Smart TVs, Youview, EETV, AppleTV and Samsung Smart TVs. Console gamers after a rare break from killing one another in Fortnite or PUBG can take a NOW TV holiday on their Xbox One or PlayStation 4 systems. Desktop users can also view NOW TV using a Mac or PC (Windows 8 and later).
Lastly, you can get your on-the-go streaming fix through an Android device or tablets and phones running Apple iOS. (Limitations to note: has to be iPhone: 4S and later, iPad: 2nd generation or later or iPod Touch: 4th generation or later.)
How much data does NOW TV use?
While your usage may vary, here’s a basic overview of what you’ll be downloading as you binge-watch some NOW TV.
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