Disney Plus vs Now TV: Which streaming service comes out on top?
Should you switch to Disney Plus that just launched in the UK, or stick to Sky's Now TV streaming service instead?
Over the last few weeks, all we can hear people talking about is Disney Plus. After huge success in the US, the new streaming service is now live in the UK and at £60/month, it’s an absolute steal given that both Netflix and Now TV charge way more for their offerings.
The big question, however, will be how Disney Plus will compare to these streaming services that have already amassed their legion of loyal UK subscribers. It’s estimated Now TV has well over 1.5 million subscribers in the UK; streaming favourite Netflix has around 10 million, while Amazon Prime has a whopping 100 million (although it’s likely not all of these are tuning into Prime Video).
We’ve already looked at how Disney compares to Netflix, now we’ll pit Disney Plus against Sky’s Now TV. So if you want to know which streaming service deserves your money, read on, as we dissect the content, price and quality of Disney Plus and Now TV.
Disney Plus vs Now TV: TV shows
From what we’ve seen so far, Disney isn’t pulling any punches with its new streaming service. It’s already announced a ton of new Disney original shows including a Pixar Monsters Inc series and several Marvel series that’ll see the likes of Loki, Wanda, Vision, Hawkeye and others take to the small screen for new adventures in their respective shows. Simpson’s fans have a lot to get excited about too, as Disney Plus will have all 30 seasons from day one.
Now TV does things a little differently on the TV show front. As it’s owned by Sky, subscribers get access to 13 Sky TV channels and around 300 boxsets, some of which are Sky/HBO originals like Chernobyl and Gangs of London. You can also watch the full series of the Handmaid’s Tale, as well as the latest episodes of comedy favourites like Bob’s Burgers and South Park. Frustratingly with Now TV, many of the episodes don’t tend to hang around for very long, so you have to be on the ball if you want to watch them.
Winner: If you’ve got kids, it’s a no-brainer, get Disney Plus! If you want a diverse range of content though, Now TV is the winner.
Disney Plus vs Now TV: Films
Disney Plus has more than 500 movies available to stream instantly. That’s a hefty amount and what’s more, it seems like there will be something for everyone. Subscribers to the service will be able to watch a number of Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars films.
Apart from this, you can watch Frozen, Toy Story, Bambi, Cinderella, Snow White and the Jungle Book as many times as you want. It also has last year’s live-action remakes of Aladdin and Lion King, which were worldwide blockbusters.
The one downside to Disney Plus is for now at least, you’ll only be able to stream Disney-owned content. Nonetheless, the allure of big-name films makes Disney Plus an attractive option for anyone looking to add to, or switch from, their current streaming service.
In terms of volume of content, Now TV is miles ahead, with an impressive 1,000 Sky Cinema films available to stream on-demand. Films currently on Now TV include classics like Catch Me if You Can and Beverly Hills Cop, as well as newer arrivals like Slaughterhouse Rules and Night School. There’s a lot of variety on Now TV, simply because it doesn’t exclusively show Sky-owned content.
Winner: It looks like Disney Plus is going to have something for most people in the film department, which makes it a winner in our eyes. Those looking for indie films and third-party content might still prefer Now TV, though.
Disney Plus vs Now TV: Price
Disney Plus costs £5.99 per month or £59.99 a year in the UK, and comes with a seven-day free trial.
Now TV has a very different payment structure to Disney Plus, with stackable monthly, weekly and daily passes for different types of content. You can stream on up to two devices at a time with any of the following:
- Monthly Entertainment Pass: £8.99 – Gets you 13 Sky Channels that you can’t get through freeview and around 500 box sets.
- Monthly Sky Cinema Pass: £11.99 – Gets you over 1,000 films with new releases every month.
- Monthly Sky Kids Pass: £3.99 – Gets you thousands of episodes of children’s TV for one month.
- Monthly Sky Sports Pass: £33.99 – Gets you full access to Sky Sports for one month.
- Weekly Sky Sports Pass: £14.99 – Gets you full access to Sky Sports for one week.
- One day Sky Sports Pass: £8.99 – Gets you full access to Sky Sports for one day.
- Mobile monthly Sky Sports Pass: £5.99 – Gets you access to five Sky Sports channels for a month on your mobile only.
In addition, you can pay an extra £3/mth for Now TV Boost, which ups the streaming quality from 720p (HD) to 1080p (Full HD) and throws in 5.1 surround sound support for good measure. Disney Plus, meanwhile, streams at up to 4K resolutions with HDR support for no additional cost.
Winner: Disney Plus appears to be the most attractive option price-wise, but Now TV is flexible and it’s easy to chop and change.
Disney Plus vs Now TV: Overall verdict
It’s a little frustrating that Disney Plus will only be showing its own content, especially when other streaming services, including Now TV, have licenses for third-party films and series.
However, simply due to the sheer number of brands Disney now owns, the diversity of content may still be enough to satisfy a lot of adults and even more children.
Overall, it’s not Now TV’s content that lets it down, its selection of films, series and TV channels are impressive. This issue is the price point. Paying out separately for films, series, kids shows and sport seems greedy in comparison to the all-encompassing content package Disney Plus offers.
Unfortunately for Now TV, it just can’t compete with the price and popularity of content on Disney Plus. Worse still, Sky’s streaming service is going to take an even bigger hit when its licenses for Disney-owned content eventually run out and Disney take them back for good.
