Both providers are run by the same company, and both offer similar broadband and TV packages. So what makes them so different? We look at the main differences between Sky and NOW Broadband to help you make the right choice.
Broadband Deals
NOW Broadband is usually cheaper than Sky for standalone broadband, in fact it's one of the cheapest providers in the UK. So if price is your main focus then NOW is the clear winner.
NOW Broadband Fab Fibre Broadband with average speeds of 36Mb is currently £20 per month (at time of writing), compared to Sky Superfast which is currently £26.
Another benefit to NOW is their shorter contracts, just 12 months instead of Sky's 18 months. Plus, for those who want even more flexibility, NOW also have 30 day rolling contracts. The monthly cost tends to be the same, though you can expect to pay a higher set up cost for the 30 day contracts than their 12 month equivalent. Still, it’s a great option for those who don't want to tie into a longer contract.
Winner: NOW
NOW have greater flexibility and cheaper broadband deals.
Broadband Speed
For basic ADSL and fibre, Sky and NOW are very similar offering roughly the same speeds.
| Package | Average Speed |
|---|---|
| NOW Brilliant Broadband | 11Mb |
| Sky Broadband Essential Plus | 11Mb |
| NOW Fab Fibre Broadband | 36Mb |
| Sky Broadband Superfast 35 | 36Mb |
| NOW Super Fibre Broadband | 63Mb |
| Sky Broadband Superfast | 59Mb |
| Sky Broadband Ultrafast | 145Mb |
The main difference is Sky also offer an Ultrafast broadband package with average speeds of 145Mb, which is significantly faster than NOW’s fastest package. With more people working from home, customers are looking for faster and faster speeds to keep up with demands. So whilst Ultrafast coverage is still limited, it does give Sky the advantage in those areas it is available.
Sky also offer a speed guarantee to their fibre customers. Sky guarantee that if your broadband speed drops below your Guaranteed Minimum Download Speed for more than three consecutive days, you can claim money back on your contract. You need to be within your minimum 18 month term but can claim up to twice.
In addition to this, Sky customers can boost their broadband signal with the Sky Boost add-on. For an extra £5 per month Sky guarantee WiFi in every room, or your money back for Boost.
Winner: Sky
NOW simply can’t compete with Sky on speed.
Call Packages
Both Sky and NOW broadband packages come with pay as you go calls included as standard, with the option to upgrade to a more inclusive call package.
NOW broadband do sometimes offer free anytime calls though, so it’s worth double checking if any deals are running.
| Provider | Plan | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| NOW Broadband | Evening & weekend calls | £4p/m |
| NOW Broadband | Anytime calls | £8p/m |
| Sky Broadband | Evening & weekend calls | £5p/m |
| Sky Broadband | Anytime calls | £12p/m |
| Sky Broadband | International | £14p/m |
One thing to note is NOW broadband do not offer any international calling plans, so if you do make a lot of international calls then this could be a deal breaker for you.
Winner: NOW
Although they don’t offer any international calling plan, their evening & weekend, and anytime plans are both cheaper than Sky.
TV Packages & Content
One of the main differences between Sky TV and NOW TV is the contract length. Sky TV contracts, like their broadband, are all 18 month. NOW TV memberships are 30 day contracts which you can cancel at any time.
With NOW TV, you choose from any of their 5 NOW Memberships (previously called ‘passes’). Choose from Entertainment, Cinema, Sports Day, Sports Monthly and hayu. Sky works a little differently and customers get much more content from even their basic TV package.
The basic Sky TV packages gives access to over 300 channels, with the option to then add more channels with their ad-ons, such as Cinema or Sport.
Entertainment
The NOW TV Entertainment Membership gives you the following channels: Sky Atlantic, Sky Witness, Sky Max, Sky Nature, Sky Arts, Sky Comedy, Sky History, Sky Crime, Sky Documentaries, Sky Showcase, Peacock, MTV, Comedy Central, GOLD, National Geographic and SYFY. You also get on-demand shows from all of these channels except Sky Showcase, plus Peacock (which is an on-demand only channel).
And for the little ones, there are 6 live kids' channels: Boomerang, Cartoon Network, Nickleodeon, Cartoonito, Nick Jr and Nicktoons. On-demand shows are available for all these channels except Cartoonito. And you get awesome box sets from Milkshake!, CBeebies and CBBC too.
With Sky you get a lot of channels in their basic package - over 300 channels including Freeview. On the surface it seems to be a no brainer - Sky gives significantly more channels, but it does come with a much higher price. A NOW TV Entertainment pass will cost you just £9.99 a month compared to Sky’s £26.
It’s also worth taking into account that a chunk of Sky's channels are Freeview channels. Whilst NOW TV doesn’t give you any Freeview channels, you can of course source them yourself. Once you take away the Freeview channels, NOW TV gives you a good choice of the most popular channels including the sought after Sky Atlantic.
Cinema
Both Sky Cinema on Sky TV and a NOW Cinema Membership give you access to all the Sky Cinema channels: Sky Cinema Select, Sci Fi & Horror, Premiere, Hits, Action, Thriller, Greats, Family, Drama, Comedy and Animation.
With Sky, you will need to take Sky TV before you can then add the Cinema upgrade, you cannot take it as a standalone product like you can with NOW. And this means also signing up to an 18 month contract.
Another consideration is Sky TV gives you all the Sky Cinema channels in HD as standard. With NOW you need to add their Boost add on to your plan for £5 per month if you want to watch in HD.
Sports
With a NOW TV Sports Membership you can choose from a Day Membership or a Month Membership. Both Memberships give you access to all 11 Sky Sports channels for the period covered by your membership. These are great options if you are only interested in certain sporting events. Whilst bundling your Sky TV and Sky Sports into the same package can offer some good deals, it doesn’t make sense to pay for an 18 month sports membership if you only want to watch Wimbledon once a year and nothing else. This flexibility is what sets NOW TV apart.
NOW TV has no option for BT Sport, whilst this can easily be added onto your Sky TV package. There are other ways to watch BT sport like buying a BT Sport Monthly Pass directly from BT, but it is certainly easier to bundle it in with your Sky TV package.
As with Cinema, you will need to ‘Boost’ your NOW membership for £5 per month to watch Sports in HD.
hayu Membership
The NOW TV Hayu Membership allows you to stream over 8000 episodes of reality shows, fresh from the US, including every season of Keeping Up With The Kardashians and Real Housewives, as well as unmissable box sets like Million Dollar Listing and Below Deck.
Whilst Sky don’t offer a reality TV add-on, you will find a lot of the content is already on the various channels in the Sky TV package.
Winner: Sky
This is a tricky one, as it ultimately comes down to what content you like to watch and how often. NOW TV does appeal to those who don’t want long contracts, yet Sky does offer more content.
Multiroom & mobile devices
With a standard NOW Membership, you can add up to 6 devices, but you can only watch on one at a time. If you upgrade to Boost then you can watch on 3 devices simultaneously.
With Sky TV you can watch on one additional screen, but this can only be a mobile device or tablet, not a TV. If you want to watch on different TVs, you’ll need to get Sky Multiscreen.
Sky Multiscreen gives you one Sky Q Mini box to enjoy Sky entertainment on a second TV. You have the option to add up to four Sky Q Mini box in total and watch Sky on two TVs at the same time (using the main Sky Q box and one Sky Q Mini box).
Price wise, Multiscreen is much higher than NOW Boost. NOW Boost is £5 per month, whilst Sky Multiscreen is £15 for the one Sky Q Mini box. If you add more Sky Q Mini boxes (up to three) these are around £49 each.
Winner: NOW
NOW Boost offers streaming on 3 devices at once for just £5 per month.
Our verdict
Winner: Sky
Picking a clear winner here is hard, as it really depends on what you’re looking for.
If simple broadband focusing on price and flexibility is your main concern then NOW wins by far. Their 30 day contracts plus free anytime calls and a much more affordable price tag give them a clear edge over Sky.
In terms of TV it gets a little more complicated, as the two providers offer very different products. NOW is owned by Sky, and was created to appeal to an entirely different customer.
Overall, Sky has the most comprehensive TV service with more channels in the basic package plus HD as standard on Cinema and Movies. If you are looking for an all singing all dancing TV package with Ultrafast broadband then Sky is better.