Where and how to stream and download TV and movies in Australia
Whether you’re after free or subscriber content, here are the services to visit when you’re in the mood to binge watch.
The number of movies and TV shows available to download or stream in Australia is growing at an impressive rate, as are the platforms to view them on.
No longer is Netflix our only means when we’re in the mood to binge watch — a variety of platforms now offer endless choice and convenience at a range of prices. Disney+ and Apple TV+ will launch in Australia at the end of this year, bringing with them TV shows and movies you won’t find anywhere else.
Roy Morgan estimated that 14 million Australians have access to some form of streaming or pay TV, and Telsyte research found streaming subscribers paid on average $30 a month for various services, with 55 per cent of Australian households paying for at least one of 12.3 million subscriptions.
Whether you’re after free or subscriber content, here are the services to visit when you’re in the mood to watch an old favourite, or something new.
NETFLIX
Host to a wide variety of award-winning TV, movies, anime and documentaries, Netflix plans start from $9.99 per month. With an estimated 150-million plus subscribers globally, the company is primed to spend $US15 billion this year on content, according to Variety. Available to stream or download on your device and with plenty of new releases, enjoy TV series and films like When They See Us, Stranger Things, 13 Reasons Why, A Star is Born, and The Politician.
STAN
With 1.7 million active subscribers, Stan is the home of all your binge-watching comfort food, with subscriptions from $10 per month.
The Office, Friends, The OC, Will & Grace, The Nanny and Golden Girls are just some of the series available to stream or download when you need to fill the nostalgia-shaped hole in your heart. The platform is also host to a wide range of movies, series and Stan exclusives, like local production Bloom and TV Land’s Younger .
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FOXTEL NOW
A Foxtel Now subscription will set you back $25 per month, with access to sport, films, and family-friendly entertainment packages available at an additional price. With 460,000 active subscribers, the platform enables you access to exclusive on-demand and live TV like The Americans, Veep, and Succession, as well as HBO series like Euphoria and Big Little Lies.
KAYO
With live and on-demand options and over 50 sports, this Australian service is for streaming sport on your own terms. Plans start from $25 per month, and everything from cricket, AFL, NRL and soccer to motorsports, basketball and tennis is available.
Viewers can enjoy up to four games at once, skip to key moments, and switch camera angles. Live sports channels, including Fox Sports and ESPN, can also be accessed, with less than a 10-second delay.
AMAZON PRIME VIDEO
The online shopping behemoth’s alternative to Netflix, a subscription to Amazon Prime Video will cost you from $6.99 per month, or $59 per year if paid upfront.
Despite being a much cheaper alternative, the streaming service is home to thousands of movies and TV shows, as well as Amazon Originals like Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevigne’s Carnival Row.
You can also find Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s much-lauded Fleabag, and a healthy dose of nostalgia in Seinfeld, Parks and Recreation and The Office.
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HAYU
If you’re in the mood for drama-fuelled reality television, Hayu is your destination. While reality TV is a mainstay for free-to-air and pay TV services, the platform offers over 6000 episodes across 200 shows, available to stream or download for $6.99 per month.
Your episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians or The Real Housewives will never be spoiled again either, with new episodes accessible as soon as they air in the US.
YOUTUBE AND GOOGLE PLAY
Thousands of on-demand movies and TV shows are available for online rental in Australia through the video-sharing website and the Google Play store.
Similar to the pricing on Apple’s iTunes store, new release and old favourite rentals can be purchased in either standard definition (SD) for $5.99, or high definition (HD) for $6.99, while TV episodes can be purchased for around $2.99.
With everything from Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame and Game of Thrones to Pretty Woman and Sex and the City, viewers will have 30 days to begin watching their rental, and, once started, 48 hours to finish.
RELATED: Tubi launches with free movies and TV streaming
TUBI
The newest kid on the streaming block is American platform Tubi, on which you’ll have access to a catalogue of over 7000 titles. The best bit? It’s completely free, and Dirty Dancing and Django are among the films on offer.
The price you pay? Tubi’s library is mostly made up of B movies and TV shows you have never heard of (but sound very familiar), like Straight Outta Oakland and Paranormal Entity. The platform is also ad-supported, meaning on average, you watch four minutes of ads per hour of streaming.
SBS ON DEMAND AND ABC IVIEW
Providing over 7000 hours of content from Australia and around the globe, Australia’s publicly-funded free-to-air TV channels offer up on-demand access without viewers paying a cent.
Exclusive shows like The Handmaid’s Tale, Killing Eve and Wentworth are among the movies, documentaries, sport, comedy and current affairs available to stream or download from your device.
What is your favourite streaming platform? Comment below.
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