Video Streaming
SERVICES IN AUSTRALIA
What was once dominated only by Netflix and Stan is now a veritable playing field for a horde of video streaming platforms.
With new services popping up at an exciting rate, it's not easy to keep track of them all.
So, we've done the hard work for you and watched a LOT of streamed entertainment, so you know which subscriptions are most worth your dollars (and your binge time).
NETFLIX
The OG streaming service; who could forget the ‘Netflix and chill' sentiment that immortalised the platform as the modern-day date of choice? Netflix probably has the most easy-to-use interface, with navigation and content volume being second to none. It's the front-runner by far for exclusive content, with a huge number of made-for-Netflix films – Netflix Originals – that are overtaking cinema blockbusters in popularity.
STAN
Arguably neck-and-neck with Netflix but favoured by many, Australian platform Stan is the perfect foil to its competitor's repertoire. Where one has gaping holes, the other delivers. It's a little behind on the usability front with clunkier navigation that Netflix, but the content more than makes up for it.
APPLE TV+
It's a limited range – Apple TV+ does not contain any non-original shows and purely offers Apple's own content – but the content is decent. This service is home to high-quality productions such as Morning Wars starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, and Hala with Aussie actress Geraldine Viswanathan. There's also Oprah's Book Club, where she interviews authors. It's one the cheapest services around at $7.99 per month, and you get it free for one year when you buy an eligible Apple device.
FOXTEL NOW
It's not exactly winning in the value stakes. Foxtel Now doesn't include everything in its most basic package; subscribers are given the option to whack an extra monthly charge on their subscription just to get content that's standard for other services. To add on movies, it's an extra $20; access to sports will cost you $29 more; Drama Extra is $10; Kids' content is $10 more; and documentaries are an additional $10. A bit cheeky considering the base subscription rate is $25 per month (or $104 for ‘all packs'). But they've got their viewers held ransom; Foxtel Now is recognised for having some of the most in-demand content.
BINGE
This comparatively new addition is an underling of Foxtel but it's far superior in terms of user interface. With navigation and algorithms that are decidedly reminiscent of Netflix and Stan, Binge delivers on the ease-of-use and content-range brief since its revamp. It's also content-rich; the platform is privy to exclusive HBO content as well as shows from Sony, FX, WarnerBros, HBO Max, NBC Universal and the BBC. Titles include Chernobyl, Big Little Lies, Sopranos, Sex And The City, Game of Thrones and True Blood. All killer, no filler – and totally living up to the service's name.
DISNEY+
The streaming platform that brought the entire back catalogue of The Simpsons to one on-demand place for your bingewatching pleasure has rocketed in popularity with Aussies. Thanks to its acquisition of 21st Century Fox, Disney holds rights to streaming everyone's favourite yellow family along with content from Marvel, Pixar and Fox. Of course, there are animated Disney classics such as Lion King and The Little Mermaid, but Disney+ also has its own original series – The Mandalorian and WandaVision have a huge following.
HAYU
This is the home of reality TV – an unashamed mecca for fans of everything Kardashian-related, Real Housewives, Top Chef and other fly-on-the-wall faves. Navigation is a little clunky – the on-screen rewind/forward control is tediously inaccurate – but the pink-tinged interface is in keeping with the nature of its content. There's also lifestyle and true crime content, including home improvement challenges, celebrity docos, love and dating, psychic mediums and other experiments in human nature. It's a veritable hub for guiltypleasure comfort-viewing.
AMAZON PRIME VIDEO
If you have a subscription to Amazon Prime, which provides services like free delivery on certain items and a selection of free Kindle ebooks, then you'll get Amazon Prime Video along with it. This streaming service boasts a premium choice of blockbuster films and major TV series as well as movies you won't find streamed anywhere else, such as Borat – Subsequent Moviefilm and Coming2America, which are tagged Amazon Originals.
KAYO
This Aussie service is where the sports fans go – it's a never-ending feast of live and on-demand match-replays, live news, documentaries and sports-related shows, all available any time from around the globe. It's priced with two tiers – a basic subscription is $25 and a premium is $35, with the difference being two screens or three respectively.