Services
NOW TV vs Netflix: Which One Should You Actually Pay For?
NOW TV vs Netflix is the wrong comparison for most people, because the two are not substitutes. NOW is live television — Sky channels, Premier League football, a schedule — capped at 1080p. Netflix is an on-demand catalogue with no live content at all, available in 4K. Choosing between them is really choosing between watching a schedule and watching a library.
The short answer
- NOW carries live Sky channels and sport. Netflix carries none.
- Netflix reaches 4K HDR on Premium. NOW has no 4K on any tier.
- Neither has a contract — both cancel in under two minutes.
- NOW needs a TV Licence for live viewing. Netflix alone does not.
People search for this comparison expecting one to win, and the honest answer is that they do different jobs. Netflix is a catalogue you browse. NOW is a set of television channels that happen to arrive over broadband, complete with a schedule, live sport and the thing on at nine o’clock tonight.
That difference explains almost every other one. Netflix invests in originals and can serve them in 4K because it controls the whole pipeline. NOW carries Sky’s rights — the Premier League, Sky Atlantic, Sky Cinema — and caps at 1080p because it is the cheaper way to sell Sky rather than a premium product in its own right.
The genuinely useful question, then, is not which is better but which of the two things you actually do. A household that watches football and follows the schedule wants NOW. A household that browses for something to watch wants Netflix. A household that does both is not being wasteful by holding both — it is buying two different products.
What follows sets out the content, the quality, the real monthly cost of each, and the point at which holding both stops making sense.
What is the difference between NOW TV and Netflix?
NOW is live television delivered over broadband — Sky channels, a schedule and live sport — capped at 1080p. Netflix is an on-demand catalogue with no live channels and no sport, available in 4K HDR on its top tier. They overlap on box sets and almost nowhere else.
| NOW | Netflix | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Live Sky channels over broadband | On-demand catalogue |
| Live television | Yes — full Sky channel line-up | No |
| Live sport | Yes — Sky Sports, Premier League | No |
| Maximum quality | 1080p with Boost, 720p without | 1080p Standard, 4K HDR Premium |
| HDR | None on any tier | Yes, on Premium |
| Originals | Sky originals | Extensive |
| Simultaneous screens | 2, or 3 with Boost | 2 Standard, 4 Premium |
| Contract | None | None |
| Adverts | Yes, removed by Boost | Only on the ad tier |
| TV Licence needed | Yes, for live viewing | No |
How much does each one cost a month?
Netflix runs from £5.99 on the ad tier to £18.99 for Premium with 4K. NOW is sold as separate Memberships — Entertainment around £9.99, Cinema £11.99, Sports £34.99 — plus roughly £6 for Boost, which is close to essential because without it you are watching 720p with adverts.
| Tier | Roughly | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Netflix Standard with ads | £5.99 | 1080p, adverts, limited downloads |
| Netflix Standard | £12.99 | 1080p, two screens, no adverts |
| Netflix Premium | £18.99 | 4K HDR, four screens |
| NOW Entertainment + Boost | ~£16 | Sky Atlantic and the drama line-up, 1080p |
| NOW Cinema + Boost | ~£18 | Sky Cinema, 1080p |
| NOW Sports + Boost | ~£41 | Every Sky Sports channel, 1080p |
Compared like for like at 1080p, Netflix Standard at £12.99 and NOW Entertainment with Boost at around £16 are close enough that content decides it rather than price. The gap opens at the extremes: Netflix Premium adds 4K for £18.99, and NOW Sports costs more than twice Netflix Premium because live football rights cost what they cost.
Our full breakdown of what every UK service costs prices both against Disney+, Prime Video and the rest, including the per-hour arithmetic that reorders the list completely.
Does Netflix have live TV or sport?
No. Netflix carries no live UK channels and no live sport, and has never bid for Premier League rights. If live football, live news or a television schedule is part of why you pay for television, Netflix cannot replace NOW and no Netflix tier changes that.
This is the single most important line on the page, because it is the one people discover after switching. A household that cancels NOW for Netflix to save money keeps the catalogue and loses the schedule entirely — no Sky Sports, no live channels, and nothing on at nine o’clock unless you choose it.
If football specifically is the thing, NOW is not merely the better of these two — it is one of only two legal routes in Britain, alongside a Sky contract. Every route to the Premier League, costed sets out what each one actually charges.
Does NOW TV have 4K?
No, on any tier, with or without Boost. NOW caps at 1080p with Boost and 720p without it, and there is no HDR anywhere on the platform. Netflix Premium delivers 4K HDR, so on picture quality alone Netflix wins outright and it is not close.
Whether that matters depends on your television and how far you sit from it. On a 55-inch 4K set viewed from a sofa, the difference between NOW at 1080p and Netflix at 4K is visible on detailed content. On a smaller screen, or on a phone, it is largely theoretical.
What is not theoretical is NOW without Boost. At 720p with adverts on Entertainment and Cinema, it looks noticeably worse than BBC iPlayer, which is free. Budget for Boost from the start or the comparison is not a fair one. For genuine 4K Sky content you need Sky Stream or Sky Glass rather than NOW.
1080p
NOW, with Boost
No 4K on any tier.
4K HDR
Netflix Premium
Four simultaneous screens.
0
Netflix live channels
None, and none planned.
£0
Contract on either
Both cancel in minutes.
Which has better content?
Different content rather than better. Netflix has the deeper on-demand catalogue and far more originals. NOW has Sky Atlantic — which carries the HBO output in the UK — plus Sky Cinema’s film library and the entire Sky Sports line-up. Neither library substitutes for the other.
The practical test is to name three things you actually want to watch and check where each lives. Households routinely discover that their list splits cleanly across both services, which is the honest case for holding both rather than a failure to choose.
| If you want | Choose |
|---|---|
| Premier League and live sport | NOW Sports |
| HBO drama and Sky Atlantic output | NOW Entertainment |
| Recent films without buying them | NOW Cinema |
| The widest on-demand catalogue | Netflix |
| 4K HDR picture quality | Netflix Premium |
| A live schedule and channels | NOW |
| Something for £5.99 a month | Netflix, ad tier |
One quirk worth knowing: Netflix is bundled into some Sky packages, so a household considering both should check whether a Sky bill already includes it. Our Sky packages breakdown covers which tiers absorb it.
Should you have NOW TV and Netflix together?
Often yes, but rarely all year. Together they cover live sport, Sky drama and the largest on-demand catalogue, for roughly £29 a month at the sensible tiers. The waste is not holding both — it is holding both in months when you are only watching one.
Because neither has a contract, the efficient pattern is to cycle rather than stack. Hold NOW Sports through the football season and drop it in May. Hold Netflix through the months you are actually working through a series, and drop it when you are not. Both re-subscribe in seconds, and returning customers are frequently offered a lower rate.
The arithmetic is worth doing once. Your viewing hours are fixed, so every extra service divides them further and raises what each hour costs — which is why two services used properly work out cheaper per hour than four dipped into.
Do you need a TV Licence for NOW TV or Netflix?
For NOW, yes, if you watch any channel live. For Netflix alone, no — it is on-demand only, so it falls outside the licence entirely. This is a genuine cost difference between the two that most comparisons leave out.
The rule attaches to live viewing rather than to a service. NOW carries live Sky channels, so watching them as they broadcast needs a licence exactly as an aerial would. Watching NOW’s on-demand box sets does not, though in practice a household holding NOW is usually watching live at some point.
A household that drops to Netflix alone, watches nothing live and never opens BBC iPlayer genuinely needs no licence — which is worth £180 a year on top of the subscription saving. Check the service-by-service rules before cancelling a licence on the strength of it.
NOW TV or Netflix: which should you choose?
Choose NOW if you want live sport or a television schedule — Netflix has neither and never will. Choose Netflix if you want the widest catalogue, 4K HDR, or the cheapest possible entry at £5.99. If you want both kinds of watching, hold both but cycle them rather than running both all year.
| Your situation | Choose | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You want Premier League football | NOW Sports | Netflix carries no live sport at all. |
| You browse for something to watch | Netflix | The deeper catalogue, and better at surfacing it. |
| You have a 4K television and care | Netflix Premium | NOW has no 4K on any tier. |
| You want the cheapest entry | Netflix ad tier | £5.99 against roughly £16 for NOW with Boost. |
| You want HBO and Sky drama | NOW Entertainment | Sky Atlantic carries it in the UK. |
| You want to avoid the TV Licence | Netflix only | On-demand viewing sits outside the licence. |
| You watch a bit of everything | Both, cycled | Neither has a contract. Use that. |
For the platforms individually, our NOW review covers the Memberships and the Boost trap, and what every streaming service costs prices Netflix against the rest of the market.
What does neither NOW nor Netflix give you?
Three things, and all three matter more than the comparison usually admits. Neither records anything you can keep. Neither carries the free public service channels live — for BBC One and ITV1 as they broadcast you still need an aerial, a dish or a free platform. And neither delivers live sport in 4K.
The first is easy to overlook until a programme leaves. Netflix titles depart when licences end, and NOW box sets rotate on Sky’s rights calendar, so anything you meant to rewatch can simply vanish. Only a Freeview or Freesat recorder still writes a copy to a disk you own.
The second is why most households holding both services still keep a free platform alongside them. Freely or Freeview covers the live public service channels for nothing, and the paid services sit on top of that rather than replacing it. The third is the gap neither subscription closes: 4K live sport needs Sky Stream, Sky Glass or a fixed-term plan.
What both services cost against a fixed term
Both are rolling monthly bills that keep taking money until you stop them, and the household holding NOW Sports plus Netflix Premium is spending close to £60 a month. The plans below price the live channel side as a single fixed-term payment instead, with nothing renewing.
IPTV 4K Ultra
From £2.86/moCinema-quality HDR & Dolby
True 4K Ultra HD streaming with HDR10+, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. Watch the Premier League in 4K like you are at the ground.
Starter 4K
3 Months
£34.99−31%
£23.99
£8.00/mo
- 27,000+ channels in 4K
- 192,000+ VOD titles in native 4K
- 4K UHD (3840×2160) HEVC
- Full EPG guide
- 1 screen
- 24/7 UK support
- Anti-freeze technology
Secure payment
Standard 4K
6 Months
£54.99−27%
£39.99
£6.67/mo
- 27,000+ channels in 4K
- 192,000+ VOD titles in 4K HDR
- 4K UHD + HDR10+
- EPG + 3-day replay
- 1 screen
- Priority support 24/7
- Anti-freeze servers
Secure payment
Premium 4K
12 Months
2 months free£74.99−27%
£54.99
£3.93/mo
- 27,000+ channels in 4K UHD
- 192,000+ VOD titles in 4K HDR
- 4K UHD + HDR10+ + Dolby Vision
- EPG + 7-day replay
- 1 screen
- VIP WhatsApp support
- Dolby Atmos 5.1 audio
- Free automatic updates
Secure payment
Ultimate 4K
24 Months
4 months free£89.99−11%
£79.99
£2.86/mo
- 27,000+ channels in 4K UHD
- 192,000+ VOD titles in 4K Ultra HD
- 4K + HDR10+ + Dolby Vision
- EPG + 14-day replay
- 1 screen
- VIP WhatsApp instant support
- Dolby Atmos 7.1 surround
- Early access to 4K content
- Optimised HEVC streaming
Secure payment
IPTV 8K Ultra Max
From £3.93/mo8K HDR + Dolby Atmos — the pinnacle
The most advanced plan on the list. True 8K Ultra HD with Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos sound, 55,000+ live channels, 220,000+ on-demand films and series, and multi-language subtitles on everything.
Starter 8K
3 Months
£39.99−25%
£29.99
£10.00/mo
- 55,000+ live channels in up to 8K
- 220,000+ films & series on demand
- 8K UHD + Dolby Vision HDR
- Dolby Atmos immersive audio
- Multi-language subtitles
- Full EPG guide
- 1 screen
- 24/7 UK support
Secure payment
Standard 8K
6 Months
£69.99−29%
£49.99
£8.33/mo
- 55,000+ live channels in up to 8K
- 220,000+ films & series on demand
- 8K UHD + Dolby Vision HDR
- Dolby Atmos immersive audio
- Multi-language subtitles
- EPG + 3-day replay
- 1 screen
- Priority UK support 24/7
Secure payment
Premium 8K
12 Months
2 months free£99.99−30%
£69.99
£5.00/mo
- 55,000+ live channels in up to 8K
- 220,000+ films & series in 8K / 4K
- 8K UHD + Dolby Vision HDR
- Dolby Atmos object-based audio
- Multi-language subtitles throughout
- EPG + 7-day replay
- 1 screen
- VIP WhatsApp support 24/7
- Free automatic updates
Secure payment
Ultimate 8K
24 Months
4 months free£124.99−12%
£109.99
£3.93/mo
- 55,000+ live channels in up to 8K
- 220,000+ films & series in 8K / 4K
- 8K UHD + Dolby Vision HDR
- Dolby Atmos 7.1+ surround sound
- Multi-language subtitles throughout
- EPG + 14-day replay
- 1 screen
- VIP WhatsApp instant support
- Early access to new 8K content
- Optimised 8K HEVC / AV1 streaming
Secure payment
NOW is bought for live channels and sport, and 4K Ultra shows those in the 4K HDR that NOW itself never offers, while 8K Ultra Max widens the line-up further. Every term is on the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
Is NOW TV better than Netflix?
Neither is better overall — they do different jobs. NOW carries live Sky channels and sport but caps at 1080p. Netflix has the deeper on-demand catalogue and 4K HDR but no live content of any kind.
Does Netflix have live sport?
No. Netflix carries no live UK sport and no live channels, and has never bid for Premier League rights. If live football matters, Netflix cannot replace NOW on any tier.
Does NOW TV have 4K?
No, on any tier, with or without Boost. NOW caps at 1080p with Boost and 720p without, and there is no HDR anywhere on the platform. For 4K Sky content you need Sky Stream or Sky Glass.
Which is cheaper, NOW TV or Netflix?
Netflix, at its entry tiers — £5.99 with ads against roughly £16 for NOW Entertainment with Boost. At the top, NOW Sports costs more than twice Netflix Premium, because live football rights are expensive.
Can I have NOW TV and Netflix at the same time?
Yes, and many households sensibly do, because the content barely overlaps. Neither has a contract, so the efficient approach is to cycle them by season rather than running both twelve months a year.
Do I need a TV Licence for Netflix?
No. Netflix is on-demand only, so watching it requires no licence. NOW is different — watching any channel live on it does require one, which is a real cost difference between the two.
Is Netflix included with NOW TV?
No, they are entirely separate services from different companies. Netflix is, however, bundled into some Sky packages, so a household on Sky should check whether its bill already includes it before subscribing separately.
Does NOW TV have adverts?
Yes, on the Entertainment and Cinema Memberships, unless you add Boost, which removes them. Netflix only shows adverts on its cheapest ad-supported tier.
Which has better box sets?
They differ rather than one leading. NOW carries Sky Atlantic, which holds the HBO output in the UK. Netflix has far more originals and the larger catalogue overall. Name three things you want to watch and check where each lives.
How many screens can I watch on at once?
NOW allows two simultaneous streams, rising to three with Boost. Netflix allows two on Standard and four on Premium, with extra members available for about £5 a month on Standard and above.
Should I cancel Netflix for NOW TV?
Only if a live schedule or sport is what you are missing. Switching keeps the channels and loses the catalogue, which is a real change rather than a saving — and you gain a TV Licence obligation you may not currently have.
Is there a NOW TV free trial like Netflix once had?
No. NOW withdrew its standard free trial some years ago and charges from day one, and Netflix ended its UK trials some time before that. Pages still advertising either are out of date.
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