The Sky NOW pricing roller coaster has taken another dramatic turn. After pulling Cinema discounts entirely just days ago, the streaming service has returned with its most aggressive discounts yet – but they come with the longest commitment NOW has ever demanded from subscribers.
Entertainment membership has dropped to one of the lowest direct offers we’ve seen from NOW, while the long-running Cinema discount is back, along with a discounted bundle that includes both.
The catch? You’ll need to sign up for a full 12 months to get any of these prices (see full details below).
It’s the latest twist in what can only be described as volatile pricing from NOW, which has seen deals appear, disappear, and completely change terms sometimes within days.
Just last week, we were reporting that Cinema discounts had vanished entirely. Now they’re back, but with the longest commitment period NOW has ever imposed.
For subscribers who value flexibility over savings, the familiar £9.99/month rates remain available on rolling monthly contracts – but the gap between flexible and contract pricing has never been wider.
Oh, and a word of warning: given NOW’s track record of changing deals every few days, the prices and terms mentioned in this article could be completely different by the time you’re reading this…
What’s Available Right NOW?
For those unfamiliar with NOW (formerly NOW TV), it’s Sky’s standalone streaming service that works entirely through apps on various devices – from Smart TVs and streaming sticks to phones and tablets.
Unlike Sky’s main services that require specific hardware, NOW operates on a membership basis with three main packages: Entertainment (normally £9.99/month for Sky’s TV channels including Sky Atlantic), Cinema (£9.99/month for Sky’s movie channels), and Sports (£34.99/month for all Sky Sports channels).
The current 12-month discount deals represent NOW’s biggest price cuts yet, but they also require the longest commitments:
Entertainment Saver: £4.99/month with a 12-month minimum term (down from £9.99 flexible)
Cinema Saver: £6.99/month with a 12-month minimum term (down from £9.99 flexible)
Entertainment & Cinema Bundle: £11.98/month with a 12-month minimum term (down from £19.98 flexible)
Sports currently offers a discount at £28/month, but requires a 6-month minimum term – shorter than the Entertainment and Cinema deals.
NOW also offers two optional Boost tiers that enhance the basic viewing experience.
Without Boost, you’re limited to 720p video, can only stream on one device at a time, and you’ll see adverts on on-demand content. The Boost add-ons remove these limitations and add premium features.
The Boost add-ons remain on monthly contracts. You can still add NOW Boost (£6/month for Full HD, Dolby Digital 5.1, no adverts on on-demand content, and streaming on up to 2 devices) or Ultra Boost (£9/month, which adds 4K, Dolby Atmos, and streaming on up to 3 devices) without any long-term commitment.
The Pattern Gets More Extreme
This latest change represents the most dramatic shift yet in NOW’s contract strategy. When minimum-term deals first appeared in March 2023, they were 6-month commitments for Entertainment and Cinema bundles.
We’ve since seen 12-month contracts for Sports when the Premier League season started, and now 12-month terms have become the standard for any meaningful discount (though ironically, Sports is back to 6 months).
It’s a turnaround for a service that built its reputation on being the contract-free alternative to traditional Sky packages.
When NOW TV launched in 2012, it was specifically marketed as Sky’s answer to the streaming revolution – no contracts, no installation, just flexible monthly payments you could start or stop whenever you wanted.
The £4.99 Entertainment price is particularly striking. While existing customers occasionally receive better retention offers when trying to cancel, this is one of the lowest prices NOW has offered as a direct sign-up deal (at least since the prices were increased a few years ago).
It’s nearly half the current flexible rate, creating the biggest gap between contract and month-to-month pricing we’ve seen.
The Streaming Trend: Sign Up For More, Pay Less
NOW’s shift towards year-long contracts isn’t happening in isolation. Other streaming services are also trying different ways to keep subscribers around longer and generate more predictable income.
Disney+ offers annual subscriptions at £89.90 per year for its Standard plan (compared to £8.99 monthly), saving subscribers about £17 annually.
Apple TV+ recently increased its monthly price to £9.99 but kept its annual subscription at £89 per year. Paramount+ in the UK offers three tiers with annual savings of about 26% across all plans.
However, remember how these services stack up against NOW when you factor in Boost. For a comparable experience to Disney+ or Apple TV+ – which include HD/4K and multiple streams as standard – you’d need NOW Entertainment (£4.99 with contract) plus at least NOW Boost (£6), bringing the monthly cost to £10.99.
That makes the discount less impressive when you realize you’re still paying more than Disney+ for a more limited experience.
What This Means for Subscribers
If you’re confident you’ll want NOW Entertainment for a full year, the £4.99 price represents decent value – saving you £60 over the 12 months compared to paying monthly.
The Cinema deal saves £36 annually, while the bundle saves £96.
But you’re trading away significant flexibility. No cancelling during quiet TV periods, no switching to competitor services for variety, and no pausing subscriptions during holidays or financial pressures.
If your circumstances change – you lose interest, face money troubles, or find better content elsewhere – you’ll still be paying monthly for the remainder of your commitment.
There’s also the track record to consider. NOW has shown it’s willing to change pricing frequently and dramatically.
The deals available today might be different tomorrow, and there’s always the possibility that even better offers could appear after you’ve locked yourself into a year-long commitment.
The HBO Max Factor
There’s also a wild card to consider that could shake up NOW’s entire pricing strategy. In 2026, Sky will be bundling HBO Max with its services at no extra cost, including for NOW Entertainment subscribers.
This means NOW Entertainment members will suddenly be getting access to HBO shows like House of the Dragon and The Last of Us, plus Max Originals and an upcoming Harry Potter series.
This addition of premium content could justify higher prices, or conversely, NOW might use it as leverage to push even more subscribers into longer contracts with bigger discounts.
Given how unpredictable NOW’s pricing has become, it’s anyone’s guess whether Max’s arrival will make the current 12-month deals look like bargains or whether completely new pricing structures will emerge.
The bottom line? For subscribers who value flexibility above all else, the £9.99 monthly rates remain available – and it’s always worth a try to cancel and see if you get a better offer, without necessarily having to sign a long contract.
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It’s boost that’s the killer here, no service in this day and age should be less than full hd, no TV is. So lowering the resolution so you can charge for what should be standard is a big no no in my book.