Sky’s launching a new Now TV box later this year
Sky's new Now TV box will come with over 60 free to air TV channels as well as access to all its usual paid content
Sky has announced that it will be launching its most advanced Now TV box yet later this year. The new box will combine Now TV’s wide range of paid TV content with over 60 live free-to-air channels, giving customers the best of both worlds when it comes to getting the most out of their TV.
Sky has yet to reveal which channels will be in the offering when the new Now TV box is released later this year, but we wouldn’t be surprised if many of them are the same channels as those currently available on Freeview. We’re also hoping that Sky will finally introduce HD channels as well, but so far Sky is keeping tight-lipped about any additional features.
Sky also announced that it will be rolling out a new interface for its existing Now TV boxes as well. This new UI will come with several new features including recommendation boxes to make it easier to find the programmes you want to watch. These boxes will collate shows from both its catch-up TV apps and paid content, but there will also be a new ‘Best of Catch Up’ section available as well so you can see all the best shows from the week in one handy location.
“The launch of our new homepage on the NOW TV Box will make it easier than ever for our customers to quickly find and watch their favourite shows,” said Gideon Katz, director of Now TV. “And when the new NOW TV Smart Box arrives later this year, it will be the perfect one-stop box to get a contract-free, flexible way of watching the best of pay TV and free-to-air content all in one place.”
Now TV is Sky’s catch-up service for non-Sky customers. It has a lot of the same channels and content available as Sky TV, but it has a completely different price structure and is available to everyone. The Now TV box itself costs just £15, but you can sign up for additional Now TV content packages for just £6.99 a month. This gives you access to Sky’s Entertainment box sets and content from channels like Sky 1, Sky Atlantic, Fox, MTV and ITV Encore. You can also buy monthly passes to Sky Movies for £9.99 a month and Sky Sports with prices starting from £6.99 a month for a day pass or £31.99 a month for a whole month, which can also be cancelled at any time.
