NOW

NOW was a consumer-electronics brand operated by Hasbro through its Tiger Electronics division. It was created around a family of portable multimedia products aimed primarily at children and preteens, combining video playback, music recording, communication, gaming, and personal video recording in compact handheld devices. The brand's best-known product was VideoNow, a portable player introduced in 2003 that used proprietary Personal Video Discs, or PVDs, to deliver television programs and other short-form video away from a television set. VideoNow formed the commercial and strategic center of the NOW range. The original player used a black-and-white display, while later versions added color, child-focused designs, interactive functions, and translucent styling. Content was distributed on small discs with limited capacity, generally accommodating approximately one short television episode together with promotional material. The format was used particularly for licensed children's programming, including shows associated with Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network. A smaller number of releases came from other entertainment companies, and longer films required multiple discs because of the medium's constrained storage capacity. Following the initial VideoNow launch, Tiger Electronics broadened the NOW name into several adjacent categories. PlayItNow combined portable digital-audio recording with simple electronic-game functionality and included licensed Atari titles. ChatNow was designed to resemble a simplified mobile phone for young users, but communicated over the Family Radio Service radio band rather than a cellular network. Its features included direct user-to-user calling through assigned buddy numbers, limited text messaging, a basic digital camera, and optional accessories. TVNow, which evolved from a product initially known as VuGo, extended the brand into portable digital-video recording. It allowed users to transfer programs from home entertainment equipment and watch them on a handheld device, while also supporting MP3 playback and removable storage. The broader NOW strategy reflected the early- to mid-2000s consumer-electronics market, when manufacturers marketed dedicated portable devices for particular media functions. Rather than offering a general-purpose computer or smartphone, the products were built around tightly defined use cases and child-oriented entertainment properties. Their appeal depended on licensed content, affordable hardware, and the novelty of taking television, music, games, or communications outside the home. The approach also involved proprietary media formats and specialized accessories, including blank media and editing tools for VideoNow users. The brand did not remain in the market long term. After the VideoNow line passed through several generations and related products were introduced, Tiger Electronics discontinued the NOW branding by late 2007. VideoNow Color FX and TVNow were among the products that had left retail shelves by that point. NOW is therefore best understood as a discontinued Hasbro/Tiger Electronics product brand from the transitional period before multifunction mobile devices and digital distribution displaced many dedicated children's media players.

NOW was developed by Hasbro's Tiger Electronics division as a group of dedicated portable electronics for younger consumers. Its emergence belongs to the early 2000s, when portable entertainment hardware was expanding but before smartphones and broad mobile broadband had consolidated video, music, games, and messaging into one general-purpose device. Tiger positioned NOW products as accessible, highly focused alternatives for children and preteens: a child could carry television episodes, record music, play simple games, or communicate with friends without using a conventional computer or mobile phone. The first and most successful product was VideoNow, introduced in October 2003. The system used small Personal Video Discs, a proprietary optical format derived from compact-disc technology. Video was encoded across the disc's audio channels and played at a low frame rate, allowing a limited amount of content on each disc. In practical terms, a typical release could hold roughly one television episode and additional promotional material. This capacity shaped the content strategy: short children's programs were more suitable than full-length films, and movies generally required several discs. VideoNow's content library relied heavily on licensed children's entertainment. Nickelodeon programming was prominent, including SpongeBob SquarePants and The Fairly OddParents. Later releases also drew from Cartoon Network properties such as Ed, Edd n Eddy and Dexter's Laboratory. Disney contributed a smaller selection, including episodes of America's Funniest Home Videos and a Hannah Montana music video. The use of recognizable television brands helped compensate for the limitations of the playback format and made the device part of a broader toy-and-media merchandising strategy. Tiger followed the original black-and-white player with VideoNow Color in 2004. In 2005 it introduced VideoNow Jr. for preschool users under the Playskool name and VideoNow XP, which used a design influenced by handheld game systems and added interactive features. In 2006, VideoNow Color FX became the fifth and final player in the original VideoNow sequence, using a more translucent appearance. Tiger also supported the system with VideoNow Media Wizard software and blank media that enabled users to create custom VideoNow Color discs. VCamNow, a branded camcorder supplied with the editing software, extended the concept from licensed playback toward user-created video. The NOW name was also applied to products outside the VideoNow family. PlayItNow, launched in 2004, functioned as a portable digital music recorder and a simple game system. It included an auxiliary input for recording audio and licensed Atari games such as Pong, Circus Atari, Adventure, Battlezone, and Lunar Lander. ChatNow targeted preteens with a product shaped more like a mobile phone than a conventional walkie-talkie. It used Family Radio Service UHF radio, assigned users numeric buddy identifiers, supported limited text messaging, and included a basic black-and-white digital camera. The product was sold in pairs and was offered in flip-phone and slide-out configurations. TVNow was the final major extension of the brand. It was originally released as VuGo in 2005 and marketed as TVNow from 2006 through 2007. Unlike VideoNow, which depended on prerecorded proprietary discs, TVNow allowed users to connect the device to equipment such as a DVD player, cable box, satellite receiver, VCR, or television and record programs for later portable viewing. Its built-in memory could hold approximately one hour of video, with an SD-card slot for additional storage, and the device also supported MP3 files. By late 2007 the NOW brand had been withdrawn from retail distribution. The discontinuation closed a short-lived experiment in dedicated, child-oriented multimedia hardware. Its history illustrates both the appeal and limitations of that product model: licensed content and specialized hardware created recognizable product ecosystems, but proprietary formats, limited storage, and rapid changes in portable digital technology made the products difficult to sustain over time.

• 2007

  Brand discontinued

  [1]Now (brand)en.wikipedia.org

  The NOW product family was discontinued by late 2007 as its remaining products left retail shelves.

• 2006

  VideoNow Color FX and TVNow marketed

  [1]Now (brand)en.wikipedia.org

  The final original VideoNow player and the rebranded TVNow handheld recorder represented the brand's later-generation products.

• 2005

  VideoNow Jr., VideoNow XP, and related products introduced

  [1]Now (brand)en.wikipedia.org

  Tiger added preschool and interactive VideoNow variants, while ChatNow and the original VuGo portable recorder broadened the NOW concept.

• 2004

  VideoNow Color and PlayItNow added

  [1]Now (brand)en.wikipedia.org

  The product family expanded with a color VideoNow player and PlayItNow, a portable music recorder that also included simple licensed games.

• 2003

  VideoNow introduced

  [1]Now (brand)en.wikipedia.org

  Tiger Electronics launched the first VideoNow portable video player with a black-and-white display and proprietary Personal Video Disc media.

Child- and preteen-oriented portable entertainment and communication electronics, built around dedicated devices, licensed content, and proprietary media formats.

• Portable video player · 2003

  VideoNow

  VideoNow was the core NOW product line and a portable video system for children. Introduced in 2003, it used proprietary Personal Video Discs containing short-form video, generally one television episode plus promotional material. The first player had a black-and-white display, followed by color and redesigned versions. Its library emphasized licensed children's programs from Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network, with a smaller number of releases from Disney and other sources. Several generations were produced, including VideoNow Color, VideoNow Jr., VideoNow XP, and VideoNow Color FX.

• Portable music recorder and game device · 2004

  PlayItNow

  PlayItNow was a portable digital music recorder introduced in 2004. An auxiliary input allowed users to record audio for later listening, while the device also operated as a basic electronic game system. Bundled licensed Atari titles included games such as Pong, Circus Atari, Adventure, Battlezone, and Lunar Lander. The product extended the NOW brand from video playback into portable music and casual gaming.

• Child-oriented radio communication device

  ChatNow

  ChatNow was a preteen communication product designed to resemble a basic mobile phone while using Family Radio Service UHF radio rather than cellular service. Units used numeric buddy identifiers for directed communication, offered limited text messaging and buddy-list functions, and included a small digital camera capable of storing black-and-white photographs. The devices were sold in pairs in flip-phone and slide-out forms, with accessories including cases and an antenna for FM-radio reception.

• Portable digital video recorder · 2006

  TVNow

  TVNow was a handheld digital video recorder marketed from 2006 to 2007 after an earlier release under the VuGo name. It connected to home entertainment equipment, including DVD players, cable boxes, satellite receivers, VCRs, and televisions, so users could record programs for portable playback. The device had built-in memory capable of holding about one hour of video, an SD-card slot for expanded storage, and MP3 playback support.

• Video-editing software and camcorder · 2005

  VideoNow Media Wizard and VCamNow

  VideoNow Media Wizard was editing software released in 2005 for creating custom VideoNow Color discs from blank PVD media. VCamNow, a related VideoNow-branded camcorder, supplied a source for user-created recordings and was packaged with the editing software. Together they expanded the system beyond prerecorded licensed programming into limited personal video creation.

• 2007

  Discontinue the NOW brandOther

  Background

  The brand's later products, including VideoNow Color FX and TVNow, had left store shelves by late 2007.

  Action taken

  Hasbro and Tiger Electronics ended retail support for the NOW product family.

  Aftermath

  NOW became a discontinued electronics brand.

  Source

• 2006

  Shift toward recordable portable videoGeneration change

  Background

  The proprietary prerecorded-disc model limited the amount and type of content available on VideoNow.

  Action taken

  Tiger marketed TVNow, derived from VuGo, as a portable recorder that could capture programs from household video equipment and store them for mobile playback.

  Aftermath

  TVNow became the last major product marketed under the NOW name before the brand was withdrawn.

  Source

• 2004

  Broaden NOW beyond video playbackStrategy

  Background

  After VideoNow's introduction, Tiger tested whether the NOW name could cover several kinds of portable child-oriented electronics.

  Action taken

  The company added PlayItNow for music and games and continued developing communication and video variants.

  Aftermath

  The brand became a portfolio of specialized products rather than a single-device line, but the expansion did not establish a lasting brand.

  Source

• 2003

  Launch a dedicated portable video platform for childrenProduct launch

  Background

  Tiger Electronics entered portable children's video with a device designed around proprietary discs and licensed television content.

  Action taken

  The company introduced VideoNow and built a content ecosystem around Personal Video Discs.

  Aftermath

  VideoNow became the most prominent product line associated with the NOW brand and was followed by multiple hardware generations.

  Source

• 2022.01.05

  Reported2022.01.05

  Borzo acquires India-based delivery startup NOW[2]Borzo收购印度配送初创公司NOWinc42.com

  Borzo acquired NOW, an India-based last-mile delivery startup. NOW will remain an independent entity after the acquisition.

• 2021.03.19

  Reported2021.03.19

  NOW TV rebrands as NOW[3]NOW TV更名为NOWadworld.ie

  Sky’s on-demand streaming service NOW TV rebranded as NOW, accompanied by a new brand identity, look and feel.

Read more

1. 1Now (brand)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2Borzo收购印度配送初创公司NOWinc42.com
3. 3NOW TV更名为NOWadworld.ie