NOW TV Sports Day Pass price hike

You’ll pay an extra 25% from May 2024

If you’re a casual sports fan, then the Day Pass to watch Sky Sports online has been a huge money saver. However, it’s now going to cost more to view.

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What is a NOW Sky Sports Pass?

NOW TV, owned by Sky, offers viewers the chance to watch all the Sky Sports channels without the need for a long contract.

There are two core memberships – the day and month pass (a weekly pass was quietly axed a few years ago). You can sometimes also buy a cheaper but limited mobile pass.

You’ll need an interest connection to watch the channels, either via your computer or an app on your TV or smart stick.

Other passes are available month by month too, and these cover Entertainment or Cinema. If you want any NOW pass in full HD and have the ability to stream it on more than one device you’ll need to shell out an extra £6 a month for Boost.

How much is Sky Sports on NOW?

The change this time is just for the Day Pass. It’s increasing from £11.99 to £14.99, which adds up to a hefty 25% increase. There used to be regular offers to get these for free or at a lower price, but I’ve not seen any for years.

There’s no change to the Month pass which costs £34.99 a month. Other NOW memberships are also staying the same.

Can you beat the increase?

The change happens on 30 April 2024, so if you want to lock in a pass at the lower price you need to do it before midnight on Monday 29 April.

The good news is you can add it to your account but you don’t need to activate it for a year. The bad news is you can only have one Day pass on there at any time.

So the most you’ll save is £3 on a single pass – still it’s worth giving it a go if you’re confident you’ll use it.

Is a Sky Sports Day pass still worth it?

I’ve usually bought the Day Pass for when my team Crystal Palace is featured (which isn’t that often), and occasionally I’ve paid for a month where multiple matches have been covered.

Previously, you’d be able to get three day passes for the same cost as a full price month pass. Now, the new pricing means you’ll save money versus full price if you only pay for one or two day passes each month.

Once you watch three days or more, then a month pass is cheaper. And that’s before any deals that cut the monthly price (more on these later).

Sadly it feels like Sky is pushing customers to commit to the more expensive month passes, which since it auto-renews if you don’t cancel, would mean more people keep on paying.

Can you get a cheaper month pass?

There are some options to pay less than the £34.99 a month. However, don’t stick with the service even with a reduced monthly price if you’re not actually going to get your money’s worth.

Sadly, in recent months there has been a trend where a minimum term of six months has been required for these discounted prices. Though that’s not too much of an issue for regular viewers, it’s a pain for anyone, like me, who only watches specific events.

Up to 40% off offers

There are regular discounts for both new and existing monthly Sky Sports pass customers. The key requirement is you can’t have more than one month of an existing offer already on your account.

These deals are often cut to between £20 and £26 a month, if not lower (I recently paid just £17.99 a month for a few months). We’ll share these in our Sky Sports deals page when they happen.

Email and in-account offers

Often the best offers are sent via email to those who no longer have a pass, so keep an eye out for those. You can also check your account to see if a special deal is showing there – though from experience these aren’t always the cheapest deals.

Cancel to save

If you already pay for a month Sky Sports pass, then it’s worth going through the cancellation hack to see if you’re offered a discount to keep it. This will hopefully avoid the need to commit to six months at a lower price – but there’s no guarantee. You can do the same with Boost and any other passes too.