9Now Smartphone App Review

About
The 9Now app is the Nine Network’s dedicated on demand, catch-up and streaming television service, which replaces the Jump-in and FIXPlay services before it. The 9Now app and website launched simultaneously on 27 January 2016 with the ability to stream Channel 9 programmes and, during May 2016, live streams for 9Go!, 9Gem and 9Life were made available.

Features
The 9Now app is primarily an on-demand service and performs very well in that respect. Viewers have the ability to choose from over 150 programmes spanning 12 genres from “Comedy” to “News and Current Affairs”. Loading times are extremely quick, even when utilising mobile data, so the viewer never has to wait long if they want to watch the latest episode of The Big Bang Theory. The app does an excellent job in providing viewers with a diverse range of programming, however, each show only has about three episodes available for viewing and it would be nice to see this number increase in the near future. 



Although the streaming service takes a backseat it’s no lacklustre. Viewers are able to watch any of the four channels live, allowing access to free-to-air television in any location with a stable internet connection. There are minimal buffering times and practically no lag in framerate. Understandably, picture quality depends on internet speed but overall images are clear enough for viewers to comfortably enjoy the content.

                           

However, 9Now falls slightly behind competitors PLUS7 and TENplay, as the service requires users to create a My9 account before they are allowed to access on-demand content and live streaming, although Facebook login is available making this process a lot less tedious.

Download Links
9Now is available to download on both the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store

The Verdict
I am surprisingly impressed with the quality of service that the Nine Network has provided. Its interface is clean and easy to use by all viewers, there is a large collection of content and loading times are extremely quick. With slight tweaks being made to address accessibility and availability of content, the 9Now app has the potential to be the leading network dedicated on-demand and live television streaming service in Australia.

Reviewed by Ryan
★★★★☆