Cheap UK streaming services: NOW TV, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Disney+ and more

Feeling spoiled for choice with the streaming services on offer? Our guide reveals everything you need to know about Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, NOW TV, BritBox, Disney+ and Apple TV+.

NOW TV

NOW TV is useful if you want a little bit of everything without being tied down to a contract.

Unlike other streaming services, you buy different passes depending on what you want.

There are five passes available:

• Entertainment (£8.99 a month);
• Sky Cinema (£11.99 a month);
• Sky Sports (from £5.99 a month);
• Kids (£3.99 a month);
• hayu (£3.99 a month)

The Entertainment Pass offers access to over 300 box sets, including the recent hit TV show Chernobyl, while the Sky Cinema pass includes over 1,000 movies.

There are some movies available via NOW TV that aren't on other platforms without paying extra, such as Us and Avengers: Endgame.

The Sky Sports pass allows you to watch up to 11 sports channels, with prices vary based on what you choose.

Below is a table outlining the different costs and features for the Sky Sports pass.

With the kid's package, you can expect thousands of ad-free episodes from popular shows such as Peppa Pig and SpongeBob SquarePants.

If you’re a fan of reality TV shows such as Keeping Up with the Kardashians, then the hayu pass might be the right choice for you.

A seven-day free trial is available for any of these passes – except the Sky Sports one.

You can watch TV shows and movies on your computer, via the app, NOW TV smart box, selected smart TVs, the PS4, Xbox One, as well as your smartphone. You can also download content to watch on the go.

On top of that, you can add six devices to your account and stream two shows at the same time – so multiple people can use one account.

For £3 a month more you can even watch on three devices simultaneously if you have NOW TV Boost.

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There are offers and discounts available for NOW TV, but unfortunately these are usually only open to new customers rather than existing ones.

At the time of writing, you can get an Entertainment and Sky Cinema pass for three months for £36.99.

While NOW TV offers a lot of choice and you can cancel at any time, it can be more expensive than its rivals if you choose more than one pass.

For example, if you want access to both Sky Cinema movies and TV shows, you will have to fork out an eye-watering £21 a month.

Best for: the latest movies

Amazon Prime Video

You can get Amazon Prime Video for £7.99 a month or for £79 a year as an Amazon Prime member, the latter of which includes unlimited one-day delivery and the ability to borrow Kindle books for free.

Amazon Prime Video offers a range of exclusive TV shows, including Mr. Robot, The Marvellous Mrs Maisel and The Man in the High Castle, as well as thousands of movies.

If you want to watch a film or show while on the go, you can download it via the app. You can also stream up to three videos at the same time with the same Amazon account.

On top of that, you can watch some live or on-demand sports, including a handful of Premier League games, via the app, a smart TV, set top box, game console, tablet, desktop or smartphone.

Some devices don’t support live streaming, so it’s best to check this before you sign up.

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If you’re not sure whether Amazon Prime Video is right for you, you can try a free 30-day trial.

There are rarely discounts for this service but students can nab a student membership for £39 a year or £3.99 a month, which includes Amazon Prime Video.

At the time of writing, students can try Amazon Prime Student free for six months.

One frustrating aspect of streaming on Amazon is the number of trailers in between episodes, which you can skip but still feels unnecessary.

Another downside is that you may not get a full refund if you change your mind but this only applies to Amazon Prime members who have used some of the benefits.

It’s unclear how much is deducted from a refund for using any of these services.

You may also have to pay to buy or rent the latest or most popular movies such as Toy Story 4 or Joker, which can cost over £10 in some cases.

This can be frustrating as you may have to pay for old films when they’re in demand at certain times, including over the Christmas holidays.

Amazon Prime Video also offers different ‘channels’ such as hayu or STARZPLAY, which incur an additional monthly fee.

Best for: live sports

Netflix UK

Netflix offers hundreds of TV shows and movies, many of which have been a hit with viewers such as Stranger Things, Black Mirror, The Crown, BoJack Horseman and Okja.

You can get Netflix from £5.99 a month but it can cost double that amount if you’re interested in certain features.

The basic plan costs £5.99 a month, allowing you to watch content on only one screen, while you can watch TV shows and movies on two screens at the same time in HD with the standard plan (£8.99).

If you’re interested in binge-watching Netflix in Ultra HD and want to allow other people to use the service, you’ll need the premium plan, which costs £11.99.

With the premium plan, people can watch content on four different screens at the same time.

There’s no student discount for Netflix and no voucher codes at the time of writing.

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You can use a laptop, smart TV, smartphone, tablet, game console, set-top box or streaming media player to watch shows and movies. You can also download any content to watch on the go via the Netflix app.  

One of the benefits of using Netflix is that you pay a flat monthly fee and don’t have to fork out extra to buy or rent anything.

Unlike Amazon Prime, you don’t have to put up with random trailers in between TV shows.

However, Netflix does automatically show trailers for other shows when you’ve finished a series and usually skips opening credits automatically, which can be frustrating for some but a welcome bonus for others. 

Recently, Netflix introduced a way to turn off its auto-play features, so this is no longer an issue.

Best for: TV shows

Disney+

Disney+ is due to launch in the UK on 24 March and will set you back either £5.99 a month or £59.99 annually.

For a limited time only – until 23 March – you can subscribe to Disney+ for £49.99 (equivalent to £4.17 a month).

The service boasts content from Disney (obviously), Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic.

You can expect to see a lot of movies that have already been released, including Marvel’s The Avengers and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

More recent releases will be available on Disney+, including The Mandalorian, the live-action Lady and The Tramp film, Frozen 2 and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

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According to TechRadar, Disney+ should be available to use via most devices, including game consoles, smart TVs, smartphones, tablets and streaming media devices.  

There’s no confirmation if any free trial is available in the UK, but it’s likely as other countries can currently enjoy a free seven-day trial.

A big advantage of Disney+ is that you can download any TV series or films on up to 10 devices – without paying anything extra and there are no adverts.

You can also stream on four screens at once, so several people can enjoy Disney+ with one account.

But if you’re not a huge fan of Disney, Star Wars or Marvel content, you may struggle to find something to watch.

Best for: Disney, Pixar, Marvel or Star Wars fans

BritBox

BritBox, which was created by the BBC and ITV, launched in November in the UK and offers the best British boxsets that ‘you won’t find anywhere else.’

According to BritBox, it offers 268 boxsets, more than any other UK streaming service.

You can compare the number of British boxsets across rival streaming services below.

*Excluding kids' content. Data verified on 23 October 2019.

The streaming service costs £5.99 a month and similar to some rivals, there’s no contract or adverts.

You can expect to see a range of shows, including Top Gear, Downton Abbey, The Cry and Love Island, as well as content from Channel 4 and Channel 5.

You can stream BritBox using an Apple, Samsung or Panasonic smart TV, online or with iOS and Android devices.

If you’re temporarily outside of the UK but still in the EU, you can still use the streaming service.

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You also get a generous 30-day free trial to try out BritBox but there’s currently no option to download content on mobile devices for offline viewing.

This is a major disadvantage although this feature is expected to be added sometime this year.

It’s questionable whether BritBox is worth paying for unless you’re purely interested in top quality British TV shows, which might not be everyone’s cup of tea.

You can also watch a lot of shows either live or on BBC iPlayer or ITV Hub for free – if you’re quick enough.

But to access shows that no longer airing such as Broadchurch, you would need to use BritBox.

Best for: Anglophiles who want a huge catalogue of shows to binge

Apple TV+

Apple TV+ launched around the same time as BritBox, costs £4.99 a month and is an extension of the Apple TV app.

The service guarantees new ‘Apple originals’ every month ad-free, which can be watched by up to six family members.

There are only a handful of original shows available at the minute, including The Morning Show and Dickinson, and arguably none quite match the buzz or critical acclaim of other shows available with rivals.

Of course, this could change as Apple TV+ only recently launched, so more compelling content may be released soon.

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Unfortunately, you’ll have to pay for licensed content through iTunes or elsewhere – so you’ll purely be paying for the original content.

This is a big issue if none of the shows are of interest, or if you binge through them all quickly and run out of stuff to watch.

You can watch Apple TV+ on an iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPlay, the Roku TV platform and devices, on a Samsung smart TV, as well as your desktop and Amazon Fire TV stick.

Similar to its competitors, you can download content and watch online. You can also take advantage of a free seven-day trial to see if the service is right for you.

If you’re considering buying a new iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV or a Mac, you can get a one-year subscription for the streaming service completely free of charge.

Students can get free access to Apple TV+ if they’re on the Apple Music Student Plan, which costs £4.99 a month.

Unfortunately, if you’re not a student or planning to buy a specific Apple product, there are no discounts available (at the time of writing).

It’s hard to determine what Apple TV+ is best for as it recently launched and there’s currently not much content available.

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