Now TV Broadband Review

Choosing the right broadband can be very challenging and confusing when you have to choose the best from many providers. Luckily, Now TV Broadband has a host of features that could make it the perfect choice for you. In this review, we’ll take an in-depth look at what Now TV Broadband offers, from pricing and reliability to customer service.

Now Broadband

Overview

  • Now broadband, also branded as Now TV broadband, comes with affordable pricing, super-fast speeds and no contract plans. Its parent company is Sky but it offers Broadband and TV packages without frills at a lower price point.  
  • Now TV and broadband bundles include broadband, calls and Now TV Memberships. You can watch Now TV channels using a smart set-top box, smart stick, or other compatible devices.
  • All Now broadband deals come with totally unlimited data, anytime calls and free wireless Hub.
  • Now TV offers two types of contracts – 12-month contracts and rolling one-month contracts. The latter gives you the flexibility to cancel your service after one month’s notice without penalty. However, if you opt for the 12-month contract package, you can save money by waiving the one-time setup fee.

Now Broadband and TV Deals

Now TV offers a range of packages including broadband only, TV only and broadband and TV packages to suit every budget. Prices can go up when you add a Now TV membership, so be sure to compare the different options.

Some great deals include Now TV Entertainment, Sports and Cinema memberships, which give you access to popular Sky channels, while broadband plans offer unlimited usage and no speed caps, giving you complete freedom to stream and download in HD.

Now Brilliant
Speed: 11Mbps
£18
Now Fab Fibre
Speed: 36Mbps
£22
Now Super Fibre
Speed: 63Mbps
£22
Now Broadband & TV
Speed: 11Mbps – 63Mbps
£22.99 – £47

Brilliant

The ADSL plan Brilliant offers an average download speed of 11 Mbps. It’s good for light usage, browsing, social networking, and occasional downloads.

Fab Fibre

Fab Fibre is Now’s entry-level fibre plan, with average download speeds of 36Mbps and upload speeds of 9Mbps. Suitable for small houses with few equipment. You can stream high-quality videos and play online games. You can download and upload videos and files faster.

Super Fibre

Super Fibre offers average download speeds of 63Mbps and faster upload speeds of 18Mbps​​s. It’s more than enough for smooth 4K video streaming, online gaming, and downloading and uploading large files.

Now Broadband Speeds

When choosing a Now broadband deal, you need to compare the available connection speeds. Currently, Now TV’s fibre broadband service is good value for money, but unfortunately its fibre broadband offers a top download speed of 63Mbps.

Basic Brilliant Broadband with an average download speed of 11Mbps is good for web browsing, email and streaming. Then there’s Fab Fibre with an average download speed of 36Mbps, which is great for HD streaming and light gaming; the fastest Super Fibre (63Mbps) is best for large households and multiple users; recommended if you have more than two people streaming at the same time in your home.

If you’re happy with decent speeds and don’t need more, Now TV’s Super Fibre plan might be ideal, and all of Now’s broadband packages include Anytime Calls at no extra cost.

Broadband Speed and Performance

Now TV offers a range of internet speeds to suit different needs, providing a reliable connection no matter which speed you choose. Most of the time, the speed you get will depend on how close you are to the street cabinet. The closer you are to it, the higher speeds you can achieve. Connection quality and Wi-Fi router can affect speed. So make sure your cables are connected properly and that your router is able to provide a reliable connection and maximum speed to the connected devices.

By opting for a faster package like NOW Super Fibre, you can ensure your streaming experience is smooth and buffer-free. Just make sure the download and upload speeds are good enough for your needs when you sign up, or opt for an ultra-fast plan from other providers such as Sky, Virgin Media and BT.

How does Now TV work?

Now TV offers contract-free TV service (better known as TV Memberships) packed with TV channels to suit the different needs of the users – entertainment, sports, movies and kids.

Now TV

After superscribing for Now TV memberships, you can watch Now TV on your smart TV using Smart Stick or Smart Box. You can also watch the content via Now TV app.

You can watch NOW TV on a wide range of devices including PS4 and Xbox One, Roku, Chromecast and compatible mobile devices.

Now TV Memberships

Now TV has a range of packages, known as TV Memberships that offer access to its wide range of its TV content such as Sky Sports, Sky Cinema and the best entertainment channels.

Now TV Membership

There are Now TV Memberships – Entertainment, Cinema and Sports and Kids. You can subscribe as many Memberships as you like and you can cancel at any time.

Entertainment
You can watch TV shows from channels like Sky Atlantic, Sky One, Sky Crime, Fox and Sky Witness. You get catch up and get access to 300+ Box-Sets all On Demand.

Sky Cinema
Includes Sky cinema channels, 1000+ movies all On Demand. You can watch a premiere everyday.

Sky Sports
Includes all Sky Sports channels. You can also buy day / week / monthly subscription.

Now Broadband Hub Two Router

Now Hub 2 is the standard broadband router included with Now broadband packages. It is, indeed, the rebranded version of Sky Q Hub router (Sky ER115).

Now broadband router

Specification 

  • Model: Sky ER115 Sky Q Hub fibre modem wireless router
  • 802.11ac WiFi
  • Dual bands (2.5GHz and 5GHz)
  • Two gigabit connections
  • Five antennae
  • Smart channel selection
  • Supports Broadband Buddy app
  • Cost: Free with Now broadband

Is Now broadband and TV worth it?

Now TV offers cheap broadband plans that allow you to add TV memberships such as Sky Sports and Sky Cinema. Compared to other providers who may charge extra for these features, this is a great deal.

Now TV doesn’t offer special offers like gifts, vouchers, or cash back like its competitors. If you’re looking for a good deal, that doesn’t mean it’s not the best service. It’s still considered reliable and affordable considering the amount of TV content and free calls it offers.

How does Now broadband compare to other providers?

In this guide, we also compare Now Broadband with similar low-cost providers like Plusnet, TalkTalk, and Vodafone. We’ve compared all of Now Broadband’s features – from speed, reliability and customer service to pricing and data limits – so you can decide which provider is best for your needs.

Now Broadband

Download speed, upload speed and usage limit

When comparing broadband providers, connection speed and data usage limits are the most important factors that can help you decide which provider is right for your needs.

The basic broadband service (ADSL) is still being used by households across the UK so most of the UK providers include this plan to help users get broadband in areas which are not covered by any fibre network.

Vodafone is an exception to this, as it offers fibre plans only while other providers offer Basic broadband (ADSL) in addition to the entry-level fibre optic broadband at speeds up to 67 Mbit/s.

Plan Download speed Upload speed
Now Brilliant 11Mbps 1Mbps
Plusnet Unlimited 10Mbps 1Mbps
TalkTalk Fast 11Mbps 1Mbps
Sky Unlimited 11Mbps 1Mbps
Now Fab Fibre 36Mbps 9Mbps
Plusnet Unlimited Fibre 36Mbps 9Mbps
TalkTalk 35 11Mbps 1Mbps
Sky Superfast 35 11Mbps 1Mbps
Vodafone Fibre 1 11Mbps 1Mbps
Now Super Fibre 63Mbps 1Mbps
TalkTalk Fibre 65 67Mbps 18Mbps
Plusnet Unlimited Fibre Extra 66Mbps 18Mbps
TalkTalk Fibre 65 67Mbps 18Mbps
Vodafone Fibre 2 67Mbps 18Mbps
TalkTalk Fibre 150 152Mbps 29Mbps
Plusnet Full Fibre 145 145Mbps 30Mbps
Vodafone Full Fibre 100 100Mbps 18Mbps
Vodafone Full Fibre 200 200Mbps 27Mbps
TalkTalk Full Fibre 500 525Mbps 71Mbps
Plusnet Full Fibre 500 500Mbps 75Mbps
Vodafone Full Fibre 500 500Mbps 68Mbps
TalkTalk Full Fibre 900 944Mbps 91Mbps
Vodafone Full Fibre 900 910Mbps 105Mbps

When it comes to ultra-fast speeds, Now broadband loses out because it tops out at just 63Mbps, while competitors offer more than 100Mbps and even up to gigabit speeds.

Whether it’s TalkTalk, Plusnet, or Now, upload speeds are about the same because they use the same Openreach network for their services. However, Vodafone and TalkTalk have the advantage of offering symmetrical upload speeds across the areas they serve over CityFibre’s full fiber network.

All of the providers we compared offer totally unlimited usage, with no download or speed caps. This means your connection speed won’t slow down during peak hours.

Pricing and value for money

Now Broadband not only offers the cheapest plan, but its broadband plans come with free anytime calls, but you won’t get free installation or perks like reward cards or vouchers with these deals.

Vodafone is the next low cost provider, but they also offer free installation and coupons for new customers.

TalkTalk plans are slightly more expensive than Plusnet, but both providers (like Vodafone) offer free installation, coupons, rewards cards and other incentives to attract new users.

In our opinion, Vodafone fibre broadband offers the best value for money in terms of speed, discounts and special offers, while Now TV broadband packages offer excellent value for customers looking for a TV and broadband bundle.

Likewise, Plusnet and TalkTalk offer great-value plans for customers who are looking for cheaper fibre broadband options to suit their budget.

Reliability

It is important to consider the quality and reliability of the network before committing to service.

The reliability and maximum speed of an internet connection depends primarily on the network, its technology and capacity. For example, full fibre or FTTP is faster and more reliable than FTTC broadband.

TalkTalk, Plusnet and Vodafone offer full fiber broadband, but Now only offers FTTC-based broadband packages. While Now Broadband is generally sufficient for most UK households, the lack of faster speeds may not suit everyone, especially when connecting multiple devices for 4K streaming and online gaming.

Customer Service

Plusnet and Virgin Media have higher customer satisfaction rates than Vodafone and TalkTalk, according to the latest Ofcom customer service report. More customers complained about Vodafone and TalkTalk than Now Broadband and Plusnet, according to the Ofcom survey.

Now vs Sky

Finally, a brief comparison between Now and parent company Sky:

  • NOW is more budget friendly than Sky. As well as offering low-priced broadband plans, Now TV also gives you access to a wide range of Sky TV channels including the exclusive Sky Atlantic at discounted price, compared to BT, TalkTalk or Virgin Media,
  • With a Sport & Cinema membership you can watch all of Sky’s Sport and Cinema channels in HD. Contract terms are flexible and you can choose from a 12 month or 1 month contract option.
  • If you need faster broadband and the features of Sky TV, Sky is really the better choice. Now TV is ideal if you’re a casual internet user but want to add Sky TV to your package without paying more.

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