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LG has become the first TV manufacturer to offer Now TV, Sky’s movie and TV streaming platform. The deal means LG flatscreen owners will be able to feast on live and on-demand content from Sky Sports and Sky Movies without needing a Sky subscription.

The service will launch in August and LG has snaffled a 12-month exclusivity window, barring other Smart TV providers from offering Now TV. Hardware support runs to LG’s 2012/2013 range of TVs and 2013 Blu-ray players and home cinema systems 

The service includes a 'customised NOW TV card' that will sit on the Smart User Interface and will curate content according to major upcoming releases and events. 

Content can be purchased in two different ways: for a £9.99 fee, Now TV offers a 24-hour pass to all six Sky Sports channels. Film fans, however, can a pay monthly fee, beginning at £8.99 for the first three months, for a Sky Movies Pass, which provides access to the satcaster's blockbuster library.

Says Now TV: 'Sky Movies on NOW TV offers access to more of the latest and biggest releases. This includes the likes of Skyfall, Argo and The Dark Night Rises over the next month, and up to four new premieres every single week. These films are exclusive to Sky and will not be on any other subscription service for at least a year.'

Naturally, LG thinks it has scored a major hit in the ongoing Smart TV battle with the likes of Sony, Samsung and Panasonic. Says LG Consumer Electronics UK's marketing head, Craig West: '2013 has been a fantastic year for LG. The LG / NOW TV joint multi-million pound investment to develop, launch and market the service demonstrates LG’s continued commitment to bringing the best in home entertainment.'

'[We're] proud to be the first and only TV brand to offer consumers the benefits of the NOW TV service.'  
We recently reviewed Now TV in a roundup of streaming services including Netflix and LoveFilm. The conclusion then was that it needed more hardware support and an HD avenue beyond the Xbox 360. Unfortunately, the LG Smart TV iteration will only stream in SD. But we guess some people won't care when they compare the content library to rival platforms...