Prices in this guide were checked on 22 September 2026 against our own UK service data, and we link directly to each provider so you can confirm the current price at source.

NOW is the simplest way to watch Sky programming in the UK without signing a long contract, and that single fact is why it keeps showing up in our recommendations. The catch is that NOW is not one product with one price. It is a set of separate Memberships, plus an add-on that most people end up wanting, and the total can creep past what you expected. This review covers what each part costs in 2026, what you actually get, and where NOW stops making sense.

What NOW actually is

NOW is Sky's contract-free streaming service. You buy access to Sky's channel groups as rolling monthly Memberships that you can cancel whenever you like, with no installation, no dish and no minimum term. That is the whole proposition. You are not getting a cheaper Sky, you are getting a more flexible one, and the flexibility is the thing worth paying for. If you want a full channel line-up at the lowest possible monthly rate and you do not mind committing for two years, a traditional Sky contract will usually beat NOW on price. If you want to watch one drama series and then stop, nothing else in the UK market comes close.

NOW Membership prices in 2026

These are the current rolling monthly prices from our own service data, checked on 22 September 2026. Each Membership is bought separately and each can be cancelled independently, which matters a lot for the strategy we get to further down.

Read that table once more and note the two add-on rows, because they are where NOW pricing catches people out. The headline Membership prices are for the standard experience, which includes adverts on most content and a capped picture quality. If you want the experience most people assume they are buying, you need to add Boost, and that changes the real cost of every line above.

NOW Entertainment: the one most people should look at first

At £7.99 a month, Entertainment is the Membership that earns its price most easily. Sky Atlantic is the reason: a large share of the prestige drama that gets talked about in the UK lands there, and there is no other legal route to it on a monthly rolling basis. The £9.99 tier that bundles HBO Max is worth the extra two pounds if you watch any American prestige drama at all, because you are adding a second full catalogue for less than the price of a coffee. If you are choosing one NOW Membership and you are not a sports viewer, choose this one.

NOW Cinema: only worth it if you watch films weekly

Cinema is £9.99 a month for Sky Cinema, which brings a steady flow of recent film premieres plus a deep back catalogue. The maths here is simple and it is worth doing honestly. A single digital film rental in the UK sits at roughly £4 to £6, so Cinema pays for itself at around two films a month. If you genuinely watch a film most weeks, it is good value. If you watch two films a quarter, you are better off renting them and keeping the £9.99. Cinema is the NOW Membership we most often see people paying for and not using.

NOW Sports: the expensive one, and the one with the clearest case

At £34.99 a month, Sports is far and away the most expensive thing NOW sells, and it is also the easiest to justify or dismiss depending on your habits. The case for it is that a Sky Sports package on a traditional contract commits you for a year or more, whereas NOW Sports can be switched on for a single month and switched off again. That makes it genuinely strong for a specific season, a single tournament, or the run-in of a title race. The case against is that £34.99 every month for twelve months is roughly £420 a year, which is a lot of money for a service you may only use intensively for part of it. Buy it deliberately, for the months you will use it, and cancel it the moment you are done.

Boost and Ultra Boost: the hidden cost of decent picture quality

This is the part of NOW pricing we think is least well understood, so it is worth being blunt about it. The standard Membership experience carries advertising on most content and does not give you the top picture quality or the most simultaneous streams. Boost at £6 a month removes adverts from most programming, raises the picture quality and increases the number of devices that can watch at once. Ultra Boost at £9 a month sits above it for the best available quality including 4K on supported content. The practical consequence is that Entertainment at a real-world £13.99 with Boost is a different value proposition from Entertainment at £7.99, and Sports at £40.99 with Boost is a different conversation from £34.99. Price NOW with Boost included if that is the experience you want, then decide.

Who NOW is genuinely worth it for

The pattern across all of this is that NOW rewards people who are deliberate about it. It is the best service in the UK for buying exactly the months you need, and one of the easier ones to waste money on if you subscribe once and forget. If you want a structured way to do that, our guide to cutting your UK streaming bill sets out the rotation approach that NOW suits better than any other service.

How NOW compares with a Sky contract

The honest comparison is not about which is cheaper per month, it is about what you are buying. A Sky contract buys you a lower effective monthly rate and a fuller line-up in exchange for locking you in and, usually, installation. NOW buys you the freedom to stop, at a higher monthly rate. If you will keep the service for two years either way, the contract is normally the cheaper answer and you should take it. If there is any real chance you will want out inside a year, NOW is cheaper in practice even though it looks more expensive on the shelf, because the cost of an unwanted contract is every remaining month of it. We go deeper on how the big services stack up in our Sky versus Netflix versus Disney+ comparison.

Our verdict

NOW is worth it, with conditions. Entertainment at £7.99, or £9.99 with HBO Max included, is the strongest value in the range and the one we would recommend to most UK viewers. Sports is worth it in bursts and poor value held all year. Cinema is worth it only if you really do watch films weekly. Budget for Boost if adverts and picture quality matter to you, because that is the real price. You can check current Membership prices and start or stop any of them at NOW, and you can see how it sits against everything else in the UK market on our streaming services comparison or by running the plan finder.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does NOW cost per month in the UK?

As of September 2026, NOW Entertainment is £7.99 a month, Entertainment with HBO Max is £9.99, NOW Cinema is £9.99 and NOW Sports is £34.99. Each is a separate rolling Membership. The Boost add-on is £6 a month and Ultra Boost is £9 a month, and either is charged on top of the Membership price.

Can you cancel NOW at any time?

Yes. NOW Memberships are rolling monthly with no minimum term, so you can cancel whenever you want and keep access until the end of the month you have paid for. This is the main practical advantage NOW has over a traditional Sky contract, and it is what makes NOW suitable for subscribing only for the months you will actually watch.

Do you need Boost with NOW?

You do not need it, but you will probably want it. Without Boost you get adverts on most content and a capped picture quality with fewer simultaneous streams. Boost at £6 a month removes adverts from most programming and raises quality and stream count, so the realistic cost of NOW Entertainment is closer to £13.99 a month than £7.99 if an ad-free experience matters to you.

Is NOW cheaper than Sky?

Per month, no. A Sky contract usually gives a lower effective monthly rate and a broader line-up. Over a shorter period, NOW is often cheaper in practice, because a contract you cancel early still has to be paid for. If you are confident you want the service for two years, Sky is normally better value. If you are not confident, NOW costs less overall.

Does NOW include Sky Sports?

Yes, through the separate NOW Sports Membership at £34.99 a month, which carries the Sky Sports channels including live football, cricket, Formula 1 and golf. It is not included with Entertainment or Cinema, and it is the one Membership we would suggest buying only for the specific months you plan to watch.