UPD Sky’s NOW TV Launch No Contract Bundle with Broadband and Calls

Sky’s sibling Internet video streaming service, NOW TV, has today announced “the UK’s first ever contract-free triple play bundle” that includes unlimited broadband and phone (voice call) services, with prices starting from just £9.99 per month + £17.99 line rental.

The no contract NOW TV Combo also comes with a one-off setup fee of £40 for “Unlimited Brilliant” Broadband (up to 17Mbps) or £50 for Unlimited “Fab Fibre” Broadband (up to 38Mbps) and Unlimited “Super Fibre” Broadband (up to 76Mbps). Likewise the standard line rental will come with pay-as-you-go call rates, although free Evening + Weekend and Anytime calling options will also exist.

No prizes for guessing that these are all based off the normal Sky Broadband packages, albeit with some price and branding adjustments. On top of that the NOW TV Comb also comes with the brand new Smart Box, which is a newly re-branded version of Roku’s latest video streaming kit (NOW TV has always used Roku boxes due to Sky having a stake in their business). You also get standard NOW TV Hub and both are provided with no charge for postage and packing.

However one key difference is that the new Smart Box, which will also be available to buy for £39.99 as a standalone unit, won’t just include NOW TV’s usual array of premium TV channels (35 in all) as they’ve also added the ability to watch over 60 free-to-air TV channels via your terrestrial TV aerial. This makes it more like a high-end TV set-top-box.

Gidon Katz, Managing Director of NOW TV, said:

“NOW TV has got something for everyone – TV they love to watch, when they want and on their own terms. It’s why we’re not stopping there. With the NOW TV Combo, we’re pushing the boundaries again with the UK’s first contract-free triple play bundle.

Plus, our customers will get the benefits of our new NOW TV Smart Box that brings together free-to-air and Pay TV shows seamlessly. We know people want the freedom and control of a no strings relationship when it comes to choosing their TV, broadband and call package, so the NOW TV Combo is the product and service they deserve.”

Subscribers will also be given NOW TV’s usual choice of Pay TV services, which we assume will be the same price as today (e.g. the Entertainment Pass is usually £6.99 per month).

NOW TV Month Passes:

* Entertainment Pass – watch 11 channels not on Freeview and 250 box sets.

* Sky Cinema Pass – enjoy over 1,000 movies on demand and from July a new premiere every single day.

* Sky Sports Pass – see the biggest matches and events live on 7 Sky Sports channels.

* Kids Pass – watch six dedicated channels and thousands of episodes on demand.

The new bundles will launch during “early” July 2016 and as such we don’t yet have the full package details. Apparently the bundles (excluding line rental) will range in price from £9.99 to £51.99 per month, but these are only the 12 month special office prices and the costs are likely to rise in year two. We also note that the line rental price of £17.99 is higher than Sky’s standard £17.40, although Sky are due to announce a price increase.

One possible problem with this approach is that it may cause further confusion for Sky’s existing customers, who already face a choice between Sky’s old TV solutions and the new Sky Q line of products. On the other hand there’s nothing new about developing a different brand and solution in order to target a different segment of the market, which is precisely what they seem to be doing.

UPDATE 4:55pm

The full pricing has now been released.

Call packages just add £4.00 for Evening and Weekend calls or £8.00 for Anytime calls to total.