In a significant move that enhances user convenience, NOW (formerly known as NOW TV), the popular streaming service from Sky, has announced that its content can finally be streamed directly from a web browser.
While that may come as a surprise to some – up until recently, NOW subscribers had to download and install a piece of software – the “NOW Player” – if they wanted to stream NOW on a PC/Mac.
Now, however, we can confirm that users no longer need to use the NOW Player to watch their favourite shows and movies on their PC or Mac.
And while that’s good news for NOW subscribers, there’s also a piece of bad news, that will disappoint NOW Boost subscribers – the £6/month Full-HD add-on… Read ahead for the full details.
What is NOW?
NOW (yes, you’re probably still calling it NOW TV), is Sky’s long-running standalone streaming service.
Unlike traditional cable or satellite TV services (such as Sky Q), NOW doesn’t usually require a long-term contract and works as an app on many supported devices.
This makes it a flexible and convenient option for viewers who want access to a wide range of content without being tied down to a contract.
- Also See: Sky Stream VS NOW TV
NOW offers three main content packages, also known as “memberships”:
- NOW Entertainment: Priced at £9.99 per month, this package offers Sky’s TV channels, including Sky Atlantic, and content for kids.
- NOW Cinema: Also priced at £9.99 per month, this package is identical to the Sky Cinema plan on Sky, offering new blockbusters and back-catalogue films.
- NOW Sky Sports: Priced at £34.99 per month, this package is almost identical to Sky Sports on Sky, with Racing, Mix, and News being part of this membership instead of Entertainment.
In addition to these packages, NOW offers an add-on called NOW Boost for £6 per month.
This add-on enhances the viewing experience by providing Full HD (1080p) video quality, Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, no adverts for on-demand content (though 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.
In the past, NOW offered free 7-day trials for new customers, but these have been discontinued (as of this writing), mirroring a trend among UK streaming services like Netflix and Disney+.
Instead, some promotions and discounts are offered from time to time.
Finally: Watch NOW On Web Browsers
In a significant update, NOW has recently announced that users can now stream all their content directly from a web browser.
This means that you no longer need to download and use the NOW Player to watch on your PC or Mac – something that has irritated some users for years.
You can now stream NOW via all modern browsers, including Chrome, Safari, Edge, and Firefox, on both PCs and Macs.
Chromebooks and Linux devices are not officially supported (but there’s a good possibility this will still work on modern Chromebooks).
This is a major shift in the platform’s accessibility, making it more convenient for users to access their favourite content, and putting NOW in line with most major streaming services (such as Netflix, Disney+ and others) that don’t require an app on computer browsers.
Therefore, this move is likely to be welcomed by users who prefer to watch content on their computers, as it eliminates the need for an additional app and allows for a more streamlined viewing experience.
Can’t Watch NOW On Your Browser?
Some NOW subscribers have reported difficulties with the new browser-based streaming.
If you’re having trouble streaming Sky’s NOW directly from your browser, a simple solution might be to clear your cookies and cache.
These stored files can sometimes interfere with the loading of new web content – especially when a change like this takes place.
To do this, go to your browser’s settings, find the option for clearing browsing data, and ensure you clear both cookies and cached files.
After doing this, close your browser and reopen it, then try accessing Sky’s NOW again. This simple step often resolves many browser-based issues and could get your streaming back on track.
It can also be a good idea to remove the old-style NOW Player (if you have it installed on your computer), to prevent NOW’s stream from trying to load the player, instead of running natively in the browser.
Limitations With NOW Boost
However, it’s important to note that there is a limitation when it comes to the NOW Boost add-on and the new browser streaming capability.
Even if you’re subscribed to NOW Boost, which normally allows for Full HD (1080p) viewing, this feature won’t work on browsers.
This means that when you’re watching NOW on a browser, you will only be able to watch in 720p, not in Full HD.
This is something to keep in mind if you’re a NOW Boost subscriber and high-definition viewing is important to you (and NOW Boost’s Full HD is missing from several other popular devices)
Despite this limitation, the ability to watch NOW directly on a web browser is a significant step forward in terms of convenience.
I’ve been interested to note that Sky Streams ability to stream live broadcast TV channels ( at a price ) is now rivalled by the TVMucho and Kapang TV apps which run on Android/Google TV’s. Since we live in an area where we have limited TV signals ( relay station only ) that was the reason Sky Stream was interesting to me above NOW. Those two apps also allow programme recording with cloud storage.
So combining NOW at £9.99 pm and TVMucho at £11.99 gives you similar capability to Sky Stream if you have an Android TV, as it gives you streaming broadcast channels, record and playback plus Sky ( via NOW ) & HBO drama series at £10 per month less than Stream and provides TV channels in multi rooms too (4 devices included ).
Maybe a bit too fiddly to install and manage for many but definitely an option.