Both Disney Plus and Netflix have woken up today with a new rival to think about, with NOW TV confirming that it is upgrading itself with "a new identity, look and feel" and changing its name to just NOW.
The news, which was confirmed on the streaming service's official Twitter account, means that its subscribers now get to watch "the world’s best critically acclaimed shows, new and exclusive movies and unmissable sports – live and on demand", but now with a visual upgrade and new tone of voice.
Speaking on the rebrand, Marina Storti, Managing Director at NOW said that:
"NOW has always been the home of quality entertainment and our new brand evolution ensures that, even in a hectic world, no one misses out on the entertainment they love. By moving from NOW TV to NOW, we marry our world-class quality with brilliant simplicity. This immediacy creates a true destination and community for those who love and live for the best entertainment."
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NOW TV launched back in July 2012 as a rival to streaming services such as Netflix, and since then has offered an à la carte menu of content passes that range from movies and entertainment, to kids and sports, with each bought on a monthly basis. This means that NOW TV does not require a contract commitment and can have one, a combination or all of its content passes picked up or cancelled at any time.
T3 has covered the service in the pas numerous times, including its associated hardware such as the NOW TV Smart Box and the NOW TV Smart Stick, and have often recommended the service as a great Sky Q alternative for those who don't want to be tied to a long-term contract, or who just want to enjoy one specific area of content (such as movies) and nothing else.
And it looks like this upgrade of the brand to NOW seems geared toward outfitting the service to compete against the pantheon of rivals that now exist in the market. As unlike when NOW TV first launched back in 2012, and Netflix was the really the only player on the streaming service battlefield, now there are plenty, with Disney Plus, Amazon Prime Video and most recently Paramount Plus getting in on the action.
The new look sits on top of a cinema pass, for example, that offers over 1000 movies to stream, while NOW's sports pass unlocks access to all 11 Sky Sports channels, which means access to live sports such as Premier League football, international cricket, F1, golf and more.
Here at T3 we welcome this rebrand, but now would ask NOW to upgrade its offering in terms of streaming resolution, which is capped right now at 1080p. When other streaming services are offering much of their content now at a 4K resolution, this seems like an obvious area of improvement for the service.
To get even more details on NOW, as well as how much each of its content packages cost, then head on over to the service's official website.
