NOW TV is a subscription over-the-top internet television service operated by British satellite television provider Sky. Sky is Europe’s largest media company and pay-TV broadcaster with 23 million subscribers as of 2019 NOW TV (later known as NOW) was launched in the UK in 2012 and today its services are available in the Republic of Ireland, Italy, Germany and Austria. Now TV was designed to be Sky’s answer to the Netflix and Amazon Prime video streaming services. Launched in March 2012, NOW TV catered to people who had no existing pay-TV subscription. And finally in early 2021, NOW TV rebranded itself as NOW. In the third quarter of 2020, the number of households subscribing to NOW TV reached 2.21 million which was a 600,000 uptick from the first quarter. This puts NOW TV at a formidable position in the video streaming market in Europe and as a major asset to the value of Sky’s dominance.
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Where Are They Winning
One standout feature of NOW which sets it apart from the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime is that it lets the customer choose what they want to watch from its 5 offered passes – Entertainment, Cinema, Hayu, Kids and Sports. Hayu is their dedicated reality TV channel. When a customer signs up to NOW, they choose between 1 to 5 passes and subscribe to it. These passes are available month to month while its sports package is available for a day or week as well. The distinct advantage of such a subscription offer means that the customer can have a Netflix account and Amazon Prime video account for shows but use a NOW TV Cinema Pass to get access to some of the greatest films in the world. Unlike the flagship satellite TV service offered by Sky, NOW does not require a long-term contract. NOW TV is accessible on every internet TV box including Apple TV, Google Chromecast, EETV, Microsoft Xbox & Xbox One and Sony Playstation. It is also accessible via any Samsung or LG-made Smart TV, iOS or Android device or via Windows or Mac computer. Another interesting feature is the NOW Boost add-on which offers viewing in Full 1080p HD quality, Dolby 5.1 sound and the ability to stream on 3 simultaneous devices instead of 2.
Next Growth Areas
As reported in May 2021, NOW TV has a juicy packet of technological upgrades ready to be rolled out. First and foremost, it plans to give its NOW Boost pack a thrust with the adoption of 4K HDR and get a Dolby Atmost audio to complement it. The team behind NOW TV are also seeking to enhance user experience by introducing profiles for improved personalization.
In Summary
To conclude, in an economically crippling pandemic world, NOW TV offers the chance to spend money on TV content when you have it, rather than commit to an expensive broadband package throughout the year. For an over-the-top service provider with such a package offering, the reviews have been generally good. This goes to show that NOW TV has paved the way for premium exclusivity and subscription convenience and how both of these can become a desirable combination in the OTT market.
If the NOW TV story has stirred a vision for your own OTT strategy, a tech expert like Enveu can set the ball rolling in the right direction for you. Get in touch with us right away!
