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.
[7][8] Its official launch was on 17 July 2012,[9] initially providing films, putting it in competition with Lovefilm and Netflix.
On 23 May 2023, Comcast (parent company of Sky Group) announced plans to launch a U.S. version of Now TV as part of its Xfinity cable and broadband unit, which will be priced at US$25 per-month and include linear cable networks and free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) services from Xumo Play and other partners.
[25] 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.
[36] Now is available on a number of platforms, providing access via both big-screen and small screen mobile devices (correct as of April 2020):[37] 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 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.
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.
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.
[46] Wi-Fi Direct (point-anywhere) using 17 buttons.Infrared for television power and volume control using 3 buttons.Voice Search microphone.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.
[50] Before its launch, Hong Kong–based PCCW filed trademark complaints about British Sky Broadcasting's (BSkyB) 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.