Sky has announced that its spin-off streaming service Now (formerly Now TV) will receive a major UI overhaul in the coming weeks. The service, which segments Sky TV offerings into three packages – Entertainment, Sports and Cinema – will get a new user interface that should make navigating the platform on everything from smart TVs and media streamers to mobile phones and tablets smoother and more intuitive.
This is because Sky has opted to migrate Now to NBCUniversal's Global Streaming Platform, which currently powers Peacock in the US, as well as SkyShowtime in Europe and Multichoice in Africa. Sky highlights the platform's capabilities, referencing how it was the "first streamer to exclusively host an NFL Wild Card playoff game, which was the biggest live-streamed event in the U.S. history at the time".
Furthermore, Kali Cerr (Managing Director of NOW & Sky Content) had this to say regarding the upgrade coming to Now: "Migrating to NBCU’s Global Streaming Platform means NOW members will benefit from the ongoing delivery of customer features that enhance the viewing experience and leverage the latest technologies and innovations across the platform".
Despite migrating to a new platform, the service will remain as Now. That being said, Sky promises that the enhanced user interface will "further enhance the viewing experience and deliver a more personalised experience overall".
Overall, Now users can expect to see a slicker menu system with a smoother search function, new content rails including a Top 10 content list, the introduction of kids profiles with access to ad-free children's programming, and Sky Sports+ live streams will now be housed as curated collections in one convenient place.
Now users in the UK can expect to see a phased release of the app update from the 18th of February through to March, while members in Italy can anticipate a Spring update. The update is scheduled to launch in Germany at a later unspecified date.
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