Sky is bringing adverts to NOW TV and you'll need to pay extra to stop them
Streaming service NOW, formerly NOW TV, is poised to introduce advert breaks in the coming weeks. As it stands, the streaming service, which is owned and operated by Sky TV, doesn’t include any adverts when watching on-demand films or boxsets. But that looks set to change for those unwilling to spend more each month.
NOW offers contract-free access to a number of exclusive channels from Sky, including Sky Cinema, Sky Sports, and the likes of Sky Atlantic – the home of must-watch US drama series like Mare Of Easttown, Succession, and The Undoing. NOW viewers can stream the live channels, or catch-up on on-demand boxsets. While the live channels already include advert breaks – exactly as they do when tuning in on Sky Q or Virgin Media, NOW is bringing commercial breaks to its on-demand content too.
That contrasts with some of its biggest rivals, including Netflix.
Based on an update to its FAQ help pages, NOW will introduce adverts from July 15, 2021. Unfortunately, the bargain-busting blog doesn’t have any extra details about how the advertisements will work. It’s possible the adverts will be played before and after the show or film – as happens on Amazon Prime Video – or at regular intervals throughout – like you’ll find with terrestrial catch-up services like ITV Hub, All4, and more.
If you don’t want to sit through adverts, NOW will allow subscribers with the optional Boost add-on to skip commercials.
