The best Now TV deals and free passes: December 2019

Now TV has long been the go-to option for Sky content without the need for tying oneself to a lengthy contract. 

It's a great way of dipping into some great premium TV, such as live Sky Sports and films via Sky Movies, without being locked into a 12 or 18-month deal.

And it doesn't have to cost the earth. In fact, some of these little passes cost just £3.99 a month – or (whisper it) are actually completely free, as long as you deploy our handy tips on trials, passes and voucher codes.

We've explained all below, including how it works, how to get it and how much it costs. With the Premier League title race hotting up, you'll want to keep one eye on your Fantasy team – and the other out for potential Now TV bargains.

What is Now TV?

Now TV is a streaming service that offers Sky content without the need for a contract or a satellite dish. 

This means that not only can you watch without being tied into a lengthy deal, you can also watch in locations where you can't get Sky because of planning restrictions on having a dish.

It's delivered over the internet. So as long as you have a half-decent broadband connection, you can watch Now TV.

How do you get Now TV?

It's simple. You just need a compatible internet-connected device, and a Now TV account. These devices can be smart TVs, streaming boxes (like the ones below), smartphones or tablets.

Once you have an account, you just choose which Now TV Pass you want to buy. You can buy more than one at a time, and you can chop and change each month. 

So, if there's no sport you want to watch this month, you can simply not buy the Sky Sports Month Pass and save yourself a bit of money. Basically, with Now TV you need only pay for what you watch.

What Now TV streaming devices are available?

There are two official Now TV streaming devices: the Now TV Smart Stick or the Now TV Smart Box. Both are made by Roku.

The Now TV Smart Stick is a streaming dongle that plugs into your TV's HDMI socket. It's similar to the Roku Streaming Stick Plus or the Amazon Fire TV Stick.

Currently, Now TV is offering several stick bundles – meaning you'll get the stick plus a one or two-month TV pass – and save up to 35 per cent in the process. Our favourite is the Now TV stick plus one month Sky Sports pass – a whopping saving. 

The stick alone is currently on offer for £14.99 at Now TV, but grab a bundle deal and you'll save on a Now TV pass, too. 

The Now TV Smart Box sits under your TV, and can display shows and films in 4K, though that's currently limited to Netflix. Now TV is limited to 720p HD.

Remember though, you don't actually need either device to watch Now TV on your TV, as most smart TVs can access Now TV through an app on their smart TV platforms. 

Now you're all set up, it's time to buy a Now TV Pass.

Now TV Entertainment Pass bundles

This costs £8.99 a month and gives you access to 11 Sky entertainment channels, including Sky One, Sky Atlantic, Sky Arts, Comedy Central, MTV, Gold, Discovery Channel, Fox, Vice and Syfy. You also get over 300 box sets to choose from, including excellent Sky Originals like Succession, Euphoria and Chernobyl.

Want to test drive what's on offer for free? You're in luck: Now TV is offering  free seven-day trial passes for its Sky Cinema, Kids and Entertainment options. They'll auto-renew – incurring those subscription fees – after seven days unless cancelled, but you're unlikely to forget about them after a week. Maybe set a reminder for yourself, just in case. 

Now TV Sky Cinema Pass

If films are your bag, you need to check out the Sky Cinema Pass. It costs £11.99 a month, and gives you over 1,000 movies on-demand from Sky Cinema and Sky Disney. And with a new premiere every single day of the year, the library is growing fast.

Like the Entertainment Pass, you can sign up for a free seven-day trial. But again, you'll be charged the full whack afterwards unless you cancel it, so it makes sense to keep your account details close to hand. 

Now TV Sky Sports Pass

This one comes in four options – but look out for two special Black Friday offers. 

The Sky Sports Day Pass costs £9.99 and gives you access to all 11 Sky Sports channels, for one day only. That means if there's one big match or event you want to see, you can just pay for that one day and not have to shell out for the rest of the month.

The Sky Sports Week Pass costs £14.99 and lets you watch for seven days – particularly handy if a tournament is entering its final stages, or there are a few football matches on the same week that you want to watch.

For the Month Pass, you'll pay £33.99. Again, that gives you all 11 channels, with unrivalled access to Premier League football, F1, golf majors and more for the month. But, for Black Friday, Now TV is offering 6 months of Sky Sports for just £20 per month – a deal that doesn't come around too often. 

Not one, but two Sky Sports deals? Well, in a word, yes. Now TV has chucked a Sky Sports day pass in with the Now TV one-month Sky Cinema plus one-month Entertainment pass bundle. And with the Champions League fixtures hotting up, it's an ideal time to go for it, too. 

Finally, you can buy the Sky Sports Mobile Month Pass for £5.99, if you're happy just watching on your phone. This gives you the Sky Sports Premier League, Action, Arena, Racing and News channels on your mobile.

The Sky Sports Passes don't allow free trials.

Want to know what's on? The Now TV website shows what's coming up, and lets you view it by sport, so you can decide if a Sports Pass is right for you, and if so, which one.

Now TV Sky Kids Pass

The Kids Pass gives you access to thousands of kids' shows thanks to its six channels. These are: Boomerang, Cartoonito, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. and Nick Toons. And recently, Sky's dropped the price from £6.99 per month to just £3.99. 

That means you get to stream all manner of ad-free children's shows like The Loud House, Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, Horrid Henry, Knight Squad, Adventure Time, Play Your Pets Right and Zak Storm.

Another great deal is listed below, adding Kids TV to the Sky Cinema/Entertainment bundle. 

Now TV hayu Pass

For more than 5,000 episodes of reality TV, check out the hayu Pass. It bring shows like Keeping Up With the Kardashians, World of Dance, The Simple Life, Real Housewives of New York and more.

It too has a free seven-day trial, after which it costs £3.99 a month.

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Best Sky TV deals 2019: the bundles, packages and Sky Q offers you need