Now TV app on Sony/Android tvs

[Anonymous User]

I was just in John Lewis looking for a new smart TV and was originally looking for either a Samsung or LG TV as they have the now TV app. However the salesman was telling me I should go for a Sony TV as that is getting the now TV app in September. I can't see any info a out this so I am wondering if he was just telling me this to sell a TV. Has anyone heard this too or can someone from now TV confirm if it is true or not?

[RoyB]

@Anonymous User 

Three things:-

1. A NowTV Stick is under £20. You should not let the presence or absence of the app sway your decision here.

2. Ask the salesman if he will put that in writing, with agreement that you can return the set for a full refund on 1st October if the app is not present by then.

3. Read the Sony Android forum for a bit. Then if you choose Sony, you will at least be going into it with open eyes.

[Anonymous User]

Thanks for the tips. I will have a look through that forum but I have a feeling from the Google searches I have done that the salesman was just telling me that to sell a more expensive TV.

[dr_necessitor]

@Anonymous User  @RoyB 

A few months ago, there was an invitation to sign up for a beta trial of a NOW TV app on the Sony Android tv. As a Sony XE90 owner, I signed up for this but never heard anything further about it. So your source could be correct (although a September timescale for release may be optimistic, based on my past experience of beta testing apps & software for Sky & NOW TV taking quite a long time to make final release).

[Anonymous User]

Thanks, that does sound like they are working on something then.

[Anonymous User]

lets hope so - another Sony Android TV user here frustrated that only service I can't use native on the TV is Now TV

[Anonymous User]

I was assured by the salesman I spoke to in Currys that this was being rolled out in the next couple of weeks. Time will tell!

[RoyB]

@Anonymous User 

Did you get him to sign something to that effect?

A verbal assurance isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.

[Anonymous User]

I took at it face value. I'm not too worried either way

[RoyB]

@Anonymous User 

I guess it wasn’t an inducement you relied on to buy a Sony Android TV for somewhere north of £2,000, then... 😛

[Anonymous User]

Don't recall saying I bought  a tv, let alone how much I paid for it! 

[RoyB]

I don’t reckon the sales staff in Curry’s would even talk to you, let alone give away “trade secrets”, unless they thought a sale was in the offing 😝

[Anonymous User]

Your posts are based on alot of assumptions. Very unhelpful and, quite frankly, I doubt very much wether anyone could care less about your opinions. 

[RoyB]

@Anonymous User 

You’d be well wrong there, then 😜

[Anonymous User]

Maybe just stick to the facts and what you know to be true eh

[RoyB]

If you are going to sock puppet, learn to cover your tracks better 🤡

[RoyB]

@Anonymous User @Anonymous User @dr_necessitor @Anonymous User 

Didn't happen, did it? Let’s see how the next “salesman’s assurance” pans out in the next few days....

[Anonymous User]

Show me where I said it would!

[RoyB]

@Anonymous User 

Don’t worry, I know you were rightly sceptical!

[Anonymous User]

Hello there

Sorry to resurrect this, but what's the actual problem with getting a native Now TV app for Sony Android TV's? 

I've been scanning forums this evening, and it appears that this has been going on since 2017. As I understand it, Samsung and LG Android TV's support it, but for some reason, Sony TV's cannot?  I don't quite understand why this would be when they're all fundamentally using the same O/S? What am I missing here? 

Having just checked the NowTV support pages, it tells me quite clearly that they offer an Android app, and simply direct you to download it from the Play store. 

Many thanks for a techie answer! 

[gavs82008]

@Anonymous User 

Its more of a question why Now TV won't allow it to be a support device. Much like Amazon Fire Sticks are not a "supported" device. 

If they are serious about the streaming game, then they NEED to get the app on as many devices as possible. Lets look at Netflix and iPlayer for example, both are on every device as far as I am concerned and millions of people use them for that very reason, no restrictions on the devices they have to use to watch the content. 

Lets remember that only recently Netflix joined Now TV and Sky devices, Now TV devices aka Roku had Netflix and plenty of other apps for years. But for some stubborn reason Sky decided to restrict the devices.