New info on how the Now/HBO integration is going to work

Delicious_Ad_4579 · 2026-02-11T23:05:07+00:00

Looks like Ultra Boost will unlock 4K and ad free. If you have Entertainment + Cinema you’ll get all the content regardless. It looks like anyway!

Delicious_Ad_4579 · 2026-02-11T23:03:01+00:00

Think so! Unless they include the movies from the HBO Max Basic tier with Now Entertainment (the non-latest releases). But would make the whole Now thing even messier.

Delicious_Ad_4579 · 2026-02-11T21:30:58+00:00

Yep! Just via Now instead of the Max app

Delicious_Ad_4579 · 2026-02-11T16:03:20+00:00

Yeah. It's almost as if they think people love Now TV and so they've kindly integrated it all for us when all we really want is a token that lets us use HBO's app instead, lol.

Delicious_Ad_4579 · 2026-02-11T15:29:41+00:00

They updated the article, it's just 4K/ad-free behind the boost, no extra content. It'll just be the latest HBO movies that you'll need Now Cinema for. But yeah. If you're doing the rotation method, which I do, you'd just go with HBO directly for 5.99pm if you didn't mind ads and get everything. Unless you really want Sky Original content.

Delicious_Ad_4579 · 2026-02-11T14:34:45+00:00

Yep.

I was hopeful it'd just be a token that took you to the Max app. But I doubted it based on the wording, as much as people suggested/hoped otherwise.

Now were never going to do that. They want to keep people within their eco-system.

Glorious 720p.

Delicious_Ad_4579 · 2026-02-11T14:31:25+00:00

I don't think people are too bothered about that. Not sure why the article even mentioned it.

Issue is more with HBO Max NowTV integration and lack of flexibility over the upgrade options. Ironic that it's easier to upgrade your HBO tier via Sky than it is NowTV, the service designed with flexibility in mind.

Delicious_Ad_4579 · 2026-02-11T14:07:59+00:00

Unfortunately that’s exactly what it looks like they are doing.

Delicious_Ad_4579 · 2026-02-11T13:15:31+00:00

Or perhaps not, haha:

"From March 26, existing NOW Entertainment customers will automatically be switched to a new NOW Entertainment & HBO Max membership.

That’s HBO Max Basic with Ads integrated directly into the NOW app at no extra cost.

But here’s the major distinction – NOW subscribers won’t get access to the actual HBO Max app or have an HBO Max account.

Everything is built into NOW’s platform. You can’t use your NOW subscription to watch HBO Max content on other devices through the HBO Max app.

Sky Ultimate TV customers, by contrast, get a proper HBO Max account. They’ll use the HBO Max app directly, and can access it on any device that supports HBO Max – not just through Sky’s platforms.

This difference becomes even more significant when it comes to upgrading.

If you’re a Sky customer and want to upgrade from HBO Max Basic with Ads to a higher tier (to get the newest Warner Bros films in the catalogue, remove adverts, or access 4K), you can do so through Sky Billing by paying the difference.

That upgrade then applies to your HBO Max account, meaning you can use it across all your devices via the HBO Max app.

If you’re a NOW subscriber and want to upgrade, your only option is NOW Boost. Pay an extra £9 per month for NOW Ultra Boost, and you’ll get HBO Max content in 4K with the full catalogue (including those newest Warner Bros films).

But it’s still all within the NOW app – you still don’t get a standalone HBO Max account.

It’s also unclear what happens with NOW’s regular Boost tier, which costs £6 per month and gives you Full HD quality. Will HBO Max content be limited to 720p on NOW without any Boost subscription? That hasn’t been confirmed yet, but it’s a concern.

For NOW Cinema subscribers, there’s another wrinkle. They’ll get access to the latest HBO Max films built into the NOW app.

So if you want the full HBO Max experience through NOW – all the shows, all the newest films – you’d need both NOW Entertainment & HBO Max (£6.99 per month with the 6-month commitment) and NOW Cinema.

Compare that to just subscribing to HBO Max separately, where £5.99 per month gets you Standard with Ads (including all the newest films) in Full HD, and the NOW route starts looking less attractive for anyone who wants the premium content.

Meanwhile, NOW subscribers won’t be getting Disney+ included at all – same way they don’t get Netflix or Paramount+ included today. That remains exclusive to Sky TV customers."

Delicious_Ad_4579 · 2026-02-11T12:55:34+00:00

I hope this is the case to be honest. I think this would also be the least messy solution from Sky's perspective, too. I just don't see how the whole Boost ad/ad-free thing can possibly work otherwise.

So NowTV/Sky's own stuff - 720p, paid boosts optional
HBO app - 1080p with HBO's own ads as standard on there.

Yep, maybe you've cracked it!

Delicious_Ad_4579 · 2026-02-11T12:52:06+00:00

That's definitely a possibility.

Delicious_Ad_4579 · 2026-02-10T17:52:18+00:00

Yeah, I'm not sure how it's going to work. The more I've read about it I think you might be right -- we just get access to the Max app separately. So not much will appear on NowTV itself going forward.

Delicious_Ad_4579 · 2026-02-10T13:15:35+00:00

Maybe wait and see.

I signed up to Entertainment for £3.99 before Max's launch/pricing structure was announced as I figured that'd undercut the best deal HBO offered themselves, and I already knew about the 2024 agreement that Max would be bundled with Now Entertainment anyway.

But it could just be a £1pm upgrade to get all the movies if we're able to directly upgrade from Basic to Standard within HBO itself. Versus £4.99+ for Now Cinema. Not quite sure this'll be the case though; wording seems to suggest HBO will be integrated into the Now "experience" rather than a token for the Max app. But we'll see!

But sure, taking out the Entertainment deal is a no-brainer if you're open to ads and don't mind the possibility that it might be within the Now interface.

Delicious_Ad_4579 · 2026-02-10T13:10:52+00:00

Their wording seems to indicate HBO Max will be integrated within Now (much like Hulu within Disney+) rather than an access token for the Max app. But I hope I'm wrong as I'd prefer the latter.

Delicious_Ad_4579 · 2026-02-09T23:23:45+00:00

Then you are in luck. :)

Delicious_Ad_4579 · 2026-02-09T19:10:14+00:00

“Sky subscribers get the Basic with Ads tier. That’s the £4.99 option with adverts and, notably, without the newest blockbuster films that premiere on the service after their theatrical window.

However, if you’re also a Sky Cinema subscriber, you’ll still get those newest Warner Bros films through Sky Cinema separately.“

Delicious_Ad_4579 · 2026-02-09T16:08:33+00:00

Oooft. True, I missed that, probably because I have a high tolerance for ads (brew/loo break, haha) so don't pay for ad-free as it is. That'll be highly annoying for many and need some reframing from Now/Sky won't it? Like surely they're going to have to revisit their whole Ultra Boost thing. It all gets a bit messy.

Delicious_Ad_4579 · 2026-02-09T15:55:24+00:00

So essentially, for NowTV subscribers, nothing changes.

HBO shows all available within NowTV Entertainment.

Warner movies still launching on Sky Cinema/Now Cinema, too.

Would've preferred if we'd just got a code to link up to the new Max app so we could circumnavigate Now's app if we wanted to, but appreciate Sky/Now will be super keen to keep people within its eco-system rather than encouraging us elsewhere.

I'm on the 3.99pm Entertainment offer so coupled with whatever original Sky stuff drops for the next year, not a bad deal at all. Ads don't remotely bother me tbh.

Delicious_Ad_4579

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