The three big players in the UK TV and film streaming market are Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Now TV. We compare what each has to offer.
Video streaming means much more choice of what to watch and goodbye to TV schedules as you can watch what you want, when you want. You can even download some shows to watch offline on the train or on holiday.
If you’re trying to decide between Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Now TV for your streaming needs, we’re on hand to help with our in-depth guide looking at things like price, supported devices, content, offline viewing and more.
Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Now TV each offer free trials, with Netflix and Amazon giving a generous 30 days but Now TV limiting its trial to 7 days. You can go ahead and kick off your free trials by following the links below:
How much is Netflix?
Netflix’s pricing starts at £5.99 / $9 per month, but that doesn’t include HD or Ultra HD, and only allows you to watch on one screen at a time.
Increase that to the ‘Standard’ £7.99 / $13 per month subscription and you’ll get HD with the ability to stream to two devices at once. Premium is £9.99 / $16 per month, and comes with HD, Ultra HD and the ability to stream on up to four screens.
How much does Amazon Prime Video cost?
Amazon Prime Video is £5.99 / $8.99 per month, but you can sign up for Amazon Prime for £79 per year (or pay £7.99 per month) in the UK and $119 or $12.99 p/m in the US which also includes extras such as free next day delivery, Amazon Prime Music and more. Like with Netflix’s Standard package, you can stream to two devices at once.
Overall it’s better value than Netflix, provided you order from Amazon fairly regularly and are happy with the video library on offer.
There are rumours that Amazon is working on a free ad-supported version of Prime Video, but for now nothing has been confirmed.
Now TV passes
Now TV works slightly differently. There’s no option to sign up to a subscription that offers both movies and TV shows, so you’ll need to sign up to those individually. Also, Now TV is a UK only service, as those in the US markets have the likes of HBO which carry many of the same shows.
The Now TV Entertainment Pass includes TV shows, and is £7.99 per month. For movies, which fall under the Now TV Cinema Pass, it’s £11.99 per month.
If you specifically want to watch reality TV, the £3.99 Hayu pass includes most of the biggest US shows, like Keeping up with the Kardashians or Real Housewives. There’s also a Kids Pass for £3.99 per month, and Sky Sports for £8.99 per day, £14.99 per week or £33.99 per month.
Here we’re just focusing on the Entertainment and Cinema passes from Now TV as they more closely reflect the content you’ll get from Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, so if you add those together you’re looking at £19.98 per month for Now TV’s content.
It’s a lot, but remains an easy way of getting Sky without a Sky Q box and contract. The Sky Now TV Stick comes in a few bundles that will get you going.
You probably already know the basics, but we’ll sum them up here just in case.
Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Now TV are subscription-based media streaming services that you pay for monthly in return for unlimited streaming of TV shows and films. They’re accessible via the internet on smart TVs, games consoles, set-top boxes, desktop computers, laptops and mobile devices, and are regularly updated with new things to watch.
Netflix and Amazon Prime Video also include offline viewing, but both have limitations. Not all content is available to download, but the range is continuously growing for both services. You can find out more about how to download content by following the links below.
