What are Boost and Ultra Boost?

Help tipWatching on PS5 with Ultra Boost and can't stream in UHD? First, check you have the latest version of the NOW app. If you can't see any UHD content, start streaming any piece of content (the quality doesn’t matter) and then restart the app. You should now be able to see UHD content.

If you’ve got Boost or Ultra Boost and a supported device, you can watch all of the following in full HD 1080p:

• All the Sky Sports channels and on-demand content – plus, Sky Sports channels stream at 50fps
• Selected Sky Sports+ streams, where the video feed allows for higher stream quality (Dolby Atmos/5.1 not available)
• All the live Sky Cinema channels, plus all on-demand movies
• All the live Entertainment channels except Cartoonito and Nicktoons, which aren’t in HD, plus selected box sets and limited on-demand kids' episodes
• A very limited selection of Hayu box sets. 

With Ultra Boost only, you’ll also be able to enjoy the following in up to 4K UHD HDR, depending on your device capabilities:

• Sports Members get 4 UHD Sky Sports channels (Sky Sports Main Event & Sky Sports F1, plus 2 ad-hoc channels, Sky Sports UHD 1 & 2)
• Sports Extra Members get the dedicated UHD channel TNT Sports Ultimate
• Cinema or Entertainment Members get selected shows and movies in UHD.

Once you’ve got Boost or Ultra Boost, if a show or movie is available in HD or UHD you’ll be able to see the HD/UHD and 5.1/Dolby Atmos symbols next to it: 

Keep in mindFor your convenience, we’ll automatically show the video and audio quality of each title for the device you’re on. A show or movie may be available in UHD, but if your device can only support HD, you’ll see the HD symbol and it will play at 1080p.

UHD (Ultra High Definition) gives you a picture resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels – that’s 4 times as many as HD, so you get far greater clarity and detail.

HDR, or High Dynamic Range, means you get more vivid colours, better contrast levels and increased brightness compared to standard HD – which can make a dramatic difference.

So while UHD refers to the number of pixels in a screen, which results in a specific resolution, HDR refers to the screen's ability to maintain a vivid image by automatically adjusting the colour, contrast and brightness as needed beyond standard values.

Finally, Dolby Atmos goes beyond traditional surround sound systems by adding height channels, allowing sounds to be interpreted as 3D objects (so for example, you could hear a helicopter as if it were overhead) and creating an immersive experience.

If you've added Boost or Ultra Boost via our website, your account could take up to 4 hours to reflect the fact that you've added it. To get around this, you can trigger your account to update by signing out of the NOW app and signing back in again.

If you upgraded via your Smart Stick, Box, smart TV, PlayStation or Xbox, your account will update straight away and you won't need to do anything.

Keep in mindEven if you’ve got Boost or Ultra Boost, you’ll still see promotional trailers for shows, movies and sporting events specific to your membership, as well as ads on the live channels.

Check your setup, and ensure the content you’re watching is available in this quality.

You’ll need the following to stream in 4K Ultra HD HDR:

• A supported device – including a 4K UHD HDR-compatible TV, and (if relevant) a streaming device with the correct HDMI cable. See the What do I need? section above for details of supported devices.
• On some devices, you might need to adjust the video settings to be able to stream in 4K UHD HDR. If you're not sure, check the manufacturer's instructions. 
• A minimum broadband speed of 30Mbps per individual streaming device.
• And of course, the content you’re watching must be available in UHD. If you’re watching on a UHD-capable device, the content will be labelled ‘UHD’.

To enjoy Dolby Atmos, you’ll need:

• A compatible device, with the appropriate settings enabled. Find out how to adjust your audio settings
• Content that’s available in Dolby Atmos.

Just head to the NOW Membership area of My Account and look for the Viewing experience section, where you can upgrade to Ultra Boost.

Once you’ve upgraded, you’ll be able to enjoy all the features of Ultra Boost straight away.

If you’re upgrading from Boost, and you had any Boost time remaining that you’ve paid for and haven’t used, we’ll refund you for this. This will happen automatically – you don’t need to do anything to claim your refund. Find out more about refunds for Boost  

If you decide Ultra Boost isn’t for you – maybe you don’t have a 4K UHD-capable device, or you don’t need to be able to stream on 3 devices at once  – it’s easy to manage your upgrades in the NOW Membership area of My Account. Just look for the Viewing experience section, where you can switch to Boost.

You’ll keep your Ultra Boost benefits until your next billing date, when you’ll switch to Boost and be able to stream on 2 devices at a time in full HD with surround sound.

If you’ve got a monthly membership, you might be eligible for a free trial of Boost or Ultra Boost. Just head over to the NOW Membership area of My Account to see if a free trial is available.

Keep in mindIf you’ve only got Sports Day Membership, you won’t be eligible for a free trial. You won’t be able to get Boost or Ultra Boost if you’ve only got Sports Mobile Membership.

That depends on what type of membership you’ve got.

As long as you’ve got an active monthly membership, Boost or Ultra Boost will renew automatically each month unless you cancel it. You can cancel at any time in exactly the same way as you’d cancel your membership, by going to NOW Membership.

If you’ve only got Sports Day Membership, your Boost or Ultra Boost will only run for one month, and won’t auto renew – so you don’t need to remember to cancel it.

If you cancel your last monthly membership (unless it’s one you pay for through a third party, like Apple), we’ll automatically cancel your Boost or Ultra Boost for you as well.

No. The enhanced picture and audio benefits of Boost and Ultra Boost are only available on devices that specifically support these capabilities (see the What do I need? section above for more details).

But even if you can't benefit from full HD/ 4K UHD and Dolby Atmos or 5.1, you can still choose to upgrade to get the extra streaming allowance and enjoy ad-free viewing.

If you don't have auto-download activated on your PS5, first check you've got the latest version of the NOW app downloaded. Open the app and if you can't see any UHD content, start streaming any piece of content (the quality doesn’t matter) and then restart the app. You should now be able to see UHD content.

You’ll still see ads on live channels, and promotional trailers for shows, movies and events you can access with your membership.

Members who don’t have Boost or Ultra Boost will see ads in on-demand Sports, Cinema and Entertainment shows too.

There are no ads in Hayu shows.

If you've got a soundbar or surround sound system, you'll just need to make sure your device is set up correctly to benefit from Dolby Atmos or 5.1 sound quality. Find out how to adjust your audio settings