A month ago I wrote about the latest contender in the On Demand arena, on the occasion of the launch of an Xbox 360 app for Sky’s Now TV. Placing their service on as many consoles and set-top devices as possible is a well-worn and essential strategy and as I use my 360 predominantly for streaming movies and TV this app launch was of keen interest to me. The strengths of the new service were obvious; Sky’s hold over their rival services has always been the access to the latest big films before anyone else and with the recent expansion into categories of movie channels (SkyIndie, SkyFamily etc) there are many more films on offer. After a month with Now TV I can say it’s a promising service with a number of necessary steps it needs to take before it realises its great potential and sets itself apart.
The Xbox 360 app and the web portal (http://www.nowtv.com/) follow the Netflix (and Apple’s) ‘cover-flow’ model rather the Lovefilm categories on launch. Instantly you have a number of movie posters displayed onscreen, each enticing you to click them and watch the film. Wisely Now TV’s exclusive content (picks from the Sky Premiere channel) are placed at the top so if you’re moonlighting away from one of the other providers you’ll see films unavailable anywhere else. Where the navigation falls down a little, and this is no doubt done on purpose, is that the very new titles (Avengers Assemble is a good, recent example) will be displayed alongside the regular Sky Premier films and only when you hover the mouse over (or select) the film do you see that it’s not included in your monthly pass but is available for an extra cost. This makes sense as Now TV is also a shiny new shopfront for the Sky Store where Avengers Assemble is available but there’s a small disappointment in realising that you aren’t able to play a movie you might be desperate to watch but don’t want to pay more for.
The Sky Store aspect is something Lovefilm already do, Netflix steer clear as do Picturebox, but it is a robust business model. Where Now TV stands apart is the rest of their offering. Right now you can watch Tower Heist, David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Final Destination 5, War Horse and The Rum Diary if you so choose and these won’t be available on the rival services, domestically at least, for a good while. As the Sky content is always updated for their subscribers this means that non-Sky subscribers will get the same films offered to them. Sky TV without a Sky subscription is a key benefit often quoted in the promotion for the service and in the latest offerings is where we see the advantage.
October was a particularly strong time for Now TV as the advent of Skyfall allowed Sky to offer up its complete range of Bond films, something subscribers will have seen with the dedicated channel Sky007. Bond is a rarity in terms of the longevity and reinvention of a franchise however you can see the same thing happening for the Harry Potter films right now, and with a host of extras too. They are, in essence, doing what Lovefilm and Netflix are offering with the TV series ‘boxsets’, only with films.The interface is easy to use and they’ve designed things neatly (the hidden cost aside) and for the most part you can find your film easily with an intelligent search and understandable categorisation – no more Witty Bank Heist Thriller with a Strong Female Lead and a Dog in there ala Netfilx. Annoyingly, though in keeping with their rivals there is no queuing system.
One absent element of the service which Now TV needs to rectify as soon as possible is the decision not to offer their films in HD. Admittedly HD streaming through a subscription service is a relatively new offering with Lovefilm now adding HD streams to their service while Netflix have been doing this since the start of the year. Not only do you enjoy a better experience with HD but from a customer perspective you might be more inclined to sign up for the price of a Blu-ray a month if you can enjoy the latest films in the best quality.
Staying with the future of the service I have a feeling that when the promised entertainment content from Sky’s TV channels makes it onto the service there will be a leap in subscriptions. Most of us watch on in envy as Sky Atlantic plucks the very best from HBO and other US channels for their channel. Sports and the regular entertainment may not bring in the punters like the movies but the Pay for Play structure already set up will come into its own. Giving the thousands of non-Sky sunscribing football fans a (legal) option to watch their favourite team every now and again seems like a very sensible move.
A month into the service and Now TV looks to be making up for lost time admirably. It’s high price point is still an issue, however with the news today that Sky have signed a deal with Universal which ultimately means that the latest films on the studio’s slate, such as The Bourne Legacy, will be exclusive to Now TV before filtering out onto their rivals’ service. It’s an obvious way to compete, and both Lovefilm and Netflix have similar deals and these inevitably make for a difficult decision for those looking at the various services.
Now TV’s first few months have given the service a solid foundation. What the future will bring is a constantly updated stream of films, some unavailable anywhere else as well as an evolution of the service offering sport and the TV channels. HD is a necessity, as is a look at the price but Now TV has placed itself well in a crowded arena, and will hopefully lead its rivals to compete, each service offering bigger and better things. This is something their customers should demand too, rather than expect.
