ThreeNow review | Price, features and content

Since 1989, when it launched as New Zealand’s first privately-owned television channel, Three has been a household television staple. The network has come a long way since – now you can watch your favourite Three and ThreeLife shows online, as well as tune in for content from sister channel Bravo. Catch-up service ThreeNow lets you watch and re-watch anything you may have missed during its original free-to-air broadcast.

While there’s a focus on news and current affairs, you can tune into Three for everything from comedy and light entertainment to reality. There’s also a nice mix of local and international programming available to watch online – about half the shows featured on Three are home-grown.

Popular programmes like NCIS and Law and Order: SVU are available to watch for a period ranging from weeks to a month at the click of a button. You’ll have to wait until after the free-to-air broadcast before you can stream ThreeNow programming online.

However, in some cases international content is available to watch before the local broadcast. This means you may be able to watch the latest episodes of some popular overseas television series right after the American broadcast.

ThreeNow works with a number of devices. You can stream on selected Apple and Android smartphones and tablets by downloading the native application.

You can also access content through a range of Internet browsers, including Chrome and Internet Explorer. Just make sure you have the latest version of the web browser installed on your machine.

Prices and packages

The ThreeNow platform is completely free to use. Simply create an account on the website or download the iOS or Android application and you can start watching catch-up television right away.

ThreeNow serves advertisements during playback, which is one of the ways they keep the service free. Not to worry – these ads are unobtrusive and do not detract from the overall viewing experience.

You can stream ThreeNow content on your mobile data connection as well as your home Wi-Fi connection. You can even select the video quality you want to match the type of connection you’re using. International viewers may be disappointed to hear that most content is geo-blocked, which means you need to be in New Zealand to be able to catch up.

Top picks on ThreeNow

• Law and Order: SVU
• Blue Bloods
• Come Dine With Me NZ
• Below Deck Mediterranean
• Dancing with the Stars
• Gogglebox
• Chicago Med
• Australia’s Best Houses
• Hawaii Five-O

Three offers a fun mix of content, with a little bit of everything from comedy to reality. You can live stream ThreeNow content online – all you have to do is click “Live TV & Guide” in the menu bar at the top of your screen and select the channel you wish to watch.

Or, you can browse their vast content library to find your favourite series. There are also programmes focused on news and current affairs (like NewsHub), some sports content (mostly motorsport) and a small selection of movies.

Additionally, users also get access to extra content from streaming channels owned by the parent company, MediaWorks. These channels include: Newshub, EdgeTV, The Rock, MoreFM, George TV, Mai FM and The Breeze.

How do I sign up to ThreeNow?

You can watch all your favourite ThreeNow programming for free. In fact, you don’t even need to become a member of the catch-up service to stream its content.

If you do decide to register your details with ThreeNow OnDemand, you get access to the other content streaming channels owned by the parent company, MediaWorks. These channels include 3News, FOUR, The Edge, The Rock, George, Mai FM, RadioLIVE, More FM, The Breeze, The Sound and Magic.

Log on to the TV3 OnDemand catch-up website and follow the links to join the service. Accept the terms and conditions and wait for an email to confirm your membership with MediaWorks. When you receive the email, click the link contained in the message to confirm your email address and you’re good to go.

Membership is free and there are no financial commitments to stream content. You can cancel your membership and unsubscribe your email address at any time.

How does ThreeNow compare?

ThreeNow pros and cons

Verdict

Convenience is a big selling point for online television catch-up services and for the most part, ThreeNow provides a quality complement to free-to-air broadcasting.

To stay relevant to an online viewing audience, application glitches and incompatibility with certain devices can make viewers switch off from one channel and turn to another. That being said, the ThreeNow platform is a great way to stream your favourite shows, especially if you’ve missed an episode.

What devices and platforms are compatible with ThreeNow?

You can view ThreeNow content on the following devices.

• Computer

  PC, Mac

• Tablet and mobile Apple

  iOS, Android

• Smart TV and streaming devices

  Apple TV 4, Airplay, Chromecast, smart TVs via Freeview Plus

If accessing via computer, make sure you have the latest version of the Internet browser installed on your machine for the service to work properly.

Although you can watch ThreeNow programming on your iOS and Android device, screen sharing via HDMI and Airplay or Chromecast has been disabled.

Reviews for the ThreeNow Apple and Android applications show that there is room for improvement. As of September 2018, the majority of users have given this application a rating of just one star on the Apple and Android app stores. There are various issues with the application crashing and freezing during playback – issues that ThreeNow needs to address if it wishes to satisfy a growing segment of customers that rely on streaming.

FAQs

• Why does the advertisement play but not the show?

  If you can see the advertisement but the programme will not play, try to load the page again in a few minutes. ThreeNow experiences periods where content may be unavailable due to high server traffic. This is especially common during the peak viewing period between 7pm and 11pm.

  You may also want to try clearing your Internet browser cookies. You can find this option in your web browser’s settings menu.

  Also important: the ThreeNow player can sometimes be stuck on a watermelon pulsing animation if you are using an ad blocker. If that’s the case, disable the ad blocker and try again.

  You may also want to try clearing your Internet browser cookies. You can find this option in your web browser’s settings menu.

  If you’re experiencing problems with video playback, like repeated video buffering, you may want to check your Internet connection speed and select a lower video quality in the TV3 settings menu. Also check that your browser is using the latest Flash Player 10 or higher, as TV3 recommends.

• Why are episodes only available for a limited time?

  Every show is purchased under a different licence agreement, which dictates when and how long a show will be available. Availability ranges from shows with a 28-day expiry period to shows that have been purchased exclusively for ThreeNow and not for TV, which may be available for longer.