In a fresh move to lure in the streaming-hungry populace, Sky’s NOW (previously known as NOW TV) has unrolled a tempting deal, bundling its Entertainment Membership with Paramount+ at no extra cost.
This may come as good news to NOW fans who’ve been seeing Sky Cinema subscribers getting Paramount+ for free, for quite a long time – without an equivalent NOW deal.
So, with this new limited offer, some NOW subscribers can get the Entertainment (TV) Membership, along with Paramount+, for just £6.99/month.
But there’s a catch – the new offer is only available if you sign up for a specific, 6-month-long NOW bundle. It’s not UP TO six months – you have to sign up for a minimum term of six months.
Sky has recently been encouraging people to do this by offering special deals and discounts on these 6-month fixed-term plans.
That, unfortunately, removes some of the flexibility NOW has always been known for – but it can still be a good deal for some (see full details below).
Back in June, we saw a similar offer that included Paramount+, but that one was for a bigger (and more expensive) bundle that included NOW Cinema.
- Also See: Our Cheap NOW TV Deals Guide
What Is Paramount+?
Paramount+ is a global streaming service that launched in the UK back in 2022. It offers content from CBS, Showtime and Paramount Pictures, as well as exclusive, original programmes.
The service offers some popular originals and library shows, including the fantasy hit Yellowjackets, Tulsa King, Yellowstone, 1923, most Star Trek shows and films, and more.
The streaming service is also home to a wide selection of blockbuster films, including Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves, Top Gun: Maverick, Babylon and more.
Unlike the US version of Paramount+, the UK version doesn’t support 4K (Ultra HD) or Dolby Atmos audio, which is just as well for NOW subscribers – as NOW also doesn’t support 4K.
The standalone Paramount+ app is available on most major streaming devices and Smart TVs sold in the UK – including NOW’s own Smart Stick (which is no longer being sold), Sky, and on Virgin Media.
Paramount+ normally costs £6.99/month or £69.90/year in the UK, with a free 7-day trial available to everyone.
Since its debut in the UK, Sky Cinema customers, who also have Sky Q, Sky Glass or Sky Stream, can get Paramount+ for free, as a “bonus” – but NOW customers were mostly left out.
NOW is Sky’s long-running standalone streaming service that doesn’t usually require a long-term contract and works as an app on many supported streaming devices.
Last year, Sky launched Sky Stream, which is also a streaming service from Sky – but one that only works with the Sky Stream puck, and has a different interface (and pricing scheme) – See our Sky Stream VS NOW comparison.
NOW offers three main content packages (“memberships”):
- NOW Entertainment, normally at £9.99/m, with Sky’s TV channels, including Sky Atlantic, and content for kids.
- NOW Cinema, normally at £9.99/month. Identical to the Sky Cinema plan on Sky, with new blockbusters and back-catalogue films.
- NOW Sky Sports, normally at £34.99/month. Almost identical to Sky Sports on Sky (with Racing, Mix and News being part of this membership instead of Entertainment).
Then there’s NOW Boost, which costs £6/month. It’s an add-on which adds Full HD (1080p) video quality, Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, no adverts (for on-demand content – you’ll still see adverts on Sky’s live channels), and the ability to stream on up to 3 devices at the same time (instead of just one).
NOW is available on a wide range of streaming devices, including Amazon’s Fire TV, Roku, Google’s Chromecast, mobile phones, tablets and more (see our full NOW review).
How To Get Paramount+ For Free On NOW
The new deal that popped up this week (we don’t know for how long – so hurry up if you’re interested), offers the NOW Entertainment membership, along with Paramount+, for a discounted price of £6.99/month.
Once you sign up, you’ll get an e-mail within 24 hours – that explains how to claim your free Paramount+ subscription.
It’s important to note that this deal is only available for NEW Paramount+ subscribers. I assume that means you can’t have an active subscription – but you may (or may not) be able to use it if you were subscribed in the past (otherwise there’s always the possibility of signing up under a different e-mail address).
Furthermore, the deal is only for new NOW customers – which primarily means active subscribers can’t switch to it.
Paramount+ won’t be tied up to your NOW subscription in terms of where you can watch it – it’ll be a standalone subscription (with its own login details) that will work on any device that supports the Paramount+ app.
That means that, once the six months are up, you will be able to continue your Paramount+ subscription without NOW, vice versa, or both.
The Catch: A 6 Months Commitment
Unlike Sky, NOW was always known for being a service with a rolling, monthly contract that you can cancel anytime. It still is – but this offer (which is optional, of course) – changes things.
While it may sound like you have “up to” six months to enjoy this deal, it’s actually a commitment for a “minimum” of six months.
This means that you’re tied into this deal, paying £6.99 per month, for the entire six-month period.
You can technically cancel early – but if you decide to terminate your subscription before the six months have passed, your cancellation will only become effective after the conclusion of the six-month term (so you’ll have to pay the whole amount anyway).
Once those six months are up – your subscription will auto-renew at full price, so you’ll start paying £9.99/month (or more, if the prices happen to change by then) for NOW Entertainment, AND £6.99/month for Paramount+.
Before that happens, however, you can cancel your subscription – just make a note of it so you won’t forget.
Along with this offer, you also get a 7-day free trial of NOW Boost and NOW Cinema – and both will then auto-renew at their normal prices (£6/month and £9.99/month), unless you cancel.
Is This A Good Deal?
NOW regularly has a deal that offers NOW Entertainment for £6.99/month (instead of the usual £9.99/m), with a 6-months term.
Therefore, adding Paramount+ at the same price, for a limited time, is the cherry on top.
Having said that, the whole point of cord cutting and streaming TV, in my eyes, is the flexibility that you get – subscribe to Disney+ for a couple of months, then cancel and switch to Paramount+, then get a month of NOW to watch that one show you’re interested in… and when you go on holiday, or you’re having rough financial times – just cancel everything.
Long-term contracts like this one, with minimum terms, take away that flexibility.
But if you’re definitely planning to be a NOW Entertainment subscriber for six months or more, and you were thinking about Paramount+, or the other way around – you were thinking about getting Paramount+ for £6.99/month – then you might as well get both for the same price.