After years of waiting, Sky’s streaming service Now (formerly known as Now TV) has soft-launched a 4K add-on for its streaming service.
The new ‘Ultra Boost’ add-on was first spotted by Cordbusters. Prior to this, streaming was capped at 1080p, which could only be obtained via the ‘Boost’ add-on – standard memberships only stream content at 720p.
However, the new 4K add-on doesn’t come cheap. Subscribers will have to fork out an extra £9 per month if they want 4K HDR streaming and Dolby Atmos support for shows such as House of the Dragon and Succession. However, if you’re new you can get a seven-day free trial.
It also allows users to stream simultaneously on three devices – Boost only allows two.
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
Sports Membership users can now take full advantage of the streaming quality on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports F1, and Sky Sports UHD 1 & 2.
That’s on top of the existing memberships – the Cinema and Entertainment ones cost £9.99 per month (without discounts), Sports starts from £34.99 per month and Hayu costs £4.99 per month. Of course, new subscribers can take advantage of discounts and offers.
You should be able to pay for the Ultra Boost subscription at checkout if you’re a new subscriber or add it on to your existing Membership via your account settings.
This means that Now no longer lags behind the UK streaming competition such as Netflix, Disney+ and Prime Video. However, it still remains one of the pricier options when you don’t factor in any introductory discounts.
In the past, Now has bundled its Boost Membership with other passes, so there is a chance that the service may also do the same with Ultra Boost throughout the year.
Naturally, you’ll need a 4K TV and streaming device to take full advantage of these new features.
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Author: Hannah Cowton-Barnes, Entertainment Editor, Tech Advisor
As Tech Advisor's Entertainment Editor, Hannah is the resident expert in all things streaming, film and TV. Before joining Tech Advisor in 2019, she studied Theatre and Performance at the University of Leeds and created a website dedicated to geek culture and lifestyle. She's also reviewed a whole range of gadgets including flagship smartphones, wearables and styling tools. Outside of Foundry, she's written freelance pieces for Polygon, Metro and Den of Geek, and is proud to be a Women Techmakers Ambassador for Google.