TV streaming is globally popular, and luckily, Pay TV options in Australia are just as diverse and available.
Explore a variety of broadband plans below to find the one that fits your budget, location, and TV preferences. Connect with our team to learn more.
Whether you prefer a cosy movie night, catching a sports match, or indulging in a TV series marathon, Pay TV is the convenient choice. Foxtel and Fetch are the two main Pay TV providers in Australia.
Online streaming has become a go-to for families, offering a broad selection of content you can watch, pause, or skip at your convenience. Many TV services come with minimal advertisements, making it a seamless viewing experience compared to Free-to-Air.
If you're exploring Internet TV or searching for the ideal Internet provider for streaming, we've got you covered.
Streaming involves sending compressed content over the Internet, which is then displayed to viewers in real-time. Unlike traditional downloads where you wait for a file to finish downloading before playing it, streaming delivers a continuous flow of data directly to your device, allowing you to watch or listen as it arrives.
The beauty of streaming lies in its efficiency – no need to worry about cluttering up your device with downloaded data, as it's automatically deleted once you're done.
This feature makes streaming, including popular forms like Live Streaming for real-time Internet content, a convenient and appealing option in our modern world.
Viewers are increasingly favouring streaming TV over traditional cable, influenced by factors like cost, flexibility, content variety, and user experience.
Technology has evolved significantly over the years, with customers able to consume almost all paid TV through the internet without worrying about cable or a satellite being installed on their home.
TV shows and movies are among the most streamed types of media online. There are a few top contenders for streaming, and the best one for you depends on your needs, preferences, and taste in shows.
Here's a quick comparison of the most popular movie TV streaming services in Australia right now.
Once known for mailing DVDs, Netflix is now a household name accessible on Smart TVs, tablets, PCs, laptops, and smartphones.
Netflix receives positive reviews, but some users note the absence of certain US shows on the Australian platform.
Disney Plus stormed into the streaming scene with a bank of old favourites, new releases and TV shows to suit everyone. The range of genres is top notch and it can be downloaded to all smart devices.
It should be noted that Disney Plus prices are often higher than other streaming platforms.
For those who love to watch TV shows from start to finish, Binge offers a huge range of TV shows and a smaller selection of movies to enjoy.
The app is accessible on TV, phone, tablet and laptop devices.
Prime Video offers TV shows and movies under a monthly subscription model, with the option to rent or buy movies and TV shows that are not yet readily available in Australia.
You’ll need an Amazon account to get a Prime account but once you do, you can purchase downloadable movies and TV shows via your phone and stream them to the TV.
Foxtel Play, part of Foxtel, streams sports, movies, and TV shows on devices like Xbox, PC, Tablet, Mobile, and Smart TVs. It's a handy option for those without a TV or limited time for traditional viewing.
The 2-week trial period lets you explore its 3000 hours of content. However, it has mixed reviews on Product Review, with users mentioning concerns about streaming quality and app issues. On the positive side, it offers live sports channels, a feature not yet available on some other platforms.
Now, let's talk about Stan. It's compatible with various devices, from Smart TVs and Apple TV to PCs, Mobile Phones, and Tablets - much like Netflix and Foxtel Play.
While Product Review rates Stan slightly lower than Netflix, giving it 2 stars, some users have noted concerns about the application freezing or being offline at times.
Understanding the data consumption of streaming is crucial for making informed choices about broadband and mobile plans, ensuring you stay within your data limits and avoid unexpected fees. Here's a breakdown of data usage for some popular streaming platforms:
Being aware of these figures will help you manage your data usage effectively and avoid unexpected charges from your broadband or mobile provider.
Lastly, let's check out the best broadband providers for enthusiastic streamers. If you love streaming music and movies, we suggest going for unlimited broadband plans.
These plans give you peace of mind, ensuring you won't exceed any limits. Here, we list some of the top unlimited broadband plans available right now.
Belong is a fantastic broadband provider that offers users with unlimited data plans on a Tier 1 connection, for just between $45 - $70 a month, depending on whether you are signed up to a lock-in contract or a month-to-month subscription.
If a Tier 1 speed connection doesn’t satisfy you, you have the option of upgrading your Belong Broadband plans to Tier 2 or Tier 5 speeds for an additional $10 or $30, respectively.
TPG offers users with three of their unlimited plans (NBN Fibre Basic Liimitless, NBN Fibre Boost Liimitless and NBN Fixed Wireless Boost Liimitless) that will cost you $59.99, $69.99 and $79.99 per month respectively. In terms of unlimited broadband that can be shared between housemates and families, these plans are highly affordable for what you get out of them.
Additionally, TPG offers Boost and Superfast plans that are ideal for streaming movies and TV shows. All plans, Standard, Boost or Superfast, are available with no lock-in contracts, or as part of an 18 month deal.
Tangerine stands out by providing straightforward value without confusing tech talk or surprise charges. If you prefer an Internet provider without extra frills, Tangerine's NBN and mobile plans might be the perfect fit.
Consider their 'Speedy' plan (NBN 100) if you're a heavy Internet user or have many connected devices in a large household. Priced at $62.90 per month for the initial six months (then $89.90 ongoing), it guarantees a typical evening speed of 92mbps, ensuring a smooth experience even during peak hours.
Optus offers flexible month-to-month plans with unlimited data to suit your needs. Get connected now with a range of speeds and advanced Wi-Fi 6 modems for seamless connectivity, even during peak times.
In remote areas, choose the 5G Home Internet plan for fast browsing, HD streaming, and lag-free gaming, with a free one-month trial included.
Optus NBN plans also cater to binge-watchers, as selected plans include a standard Netflix subscription for endless streaming.
Optus SubHub is a free platform for Optus customers, simplifying subscription management. Eligible customers can sign up for various streaming services from a single page, check renewal dates, and easily manage accounts. It provides control, flexibility, and potential savings on subscriptions.
There are some providers that offer customers the option to bundle their NBN plan with a TV subscription. These include:
We hope that his handy guide to streaming has answered all the questions you may have had. Have any enquiries? Don’t hesitate to contact us today.
Pay TV is, as it sounds, is TV that you’ve paid for, as opposed to Free-to-Air, which has an equally unambiguous title. Pay TV is also known as premium television, but in modern times is probably more commonly referred to as subscription television, online television, or streamed television. Pay TV has always been a premium alternative to regular free television that offered customers a wider range of content.
Besides Free to Air TV, there are still plenty of ways you can stream video content without having to pay a monthly subscription fee (though keep in mind you’ll still need to pay for internet data and energy, obviously!).
First of all, some of the Australian free to air networks offer free video on (VOD) and catch-up services. Two statistically successful examples of this are SBS On Demand and ABC iView which now rank in some of the most popular ways to watch TV content in Australia; the commercial networks also offer 7 Plus, Now and Ten Play, for Channels 7, 9, and 10, respectively. These are all online streaming platform subsidiaries that the stations have filled with content that they have recently broadcast. In some cases,they will also offer brand new digital content that the network has commissioned and produced exclusively for the streaming platform.
You’ll find both TV and films on these platforms, but if you want to specifically focus on free movie streaming, you should definitely check out Kanopy, which is an Australian service that has thousands of movies that you can stream for free (including documentaries and arthouse films) so long as you have either a valid university student ID or a valid library card. And of course, you can always stream free content on online video sharing platforms such as Youtube - but not “YouTube Premium”, that’s YouTube’s premium subscription service!
TV streaming refers to any TV content that you watch online, as opposed to Free-to-Air TV. Content made exclusively (or at least originally) for a streaming service is sometimes referred to as “web television”. There used to be more of a line in the sand when it came to the terminology, but as TV streaming has become more mainstream, you can honestly just call it all TV. It’s just coming to you in different forms.
Just as you can watch an event live on regular TV, so too can you do that online. In fact, these days, it’s probably even more common online, especially with sports matches, such as Kayo’s live sports events.
In Australia we have access to Fetch TV, Optus Sports, Foxtel, Kayo Sports Plus, hayu, Disney+, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime, Stan, and Netflix - just to name a few!
They all range pretty vastly in cost, but on average you could be looking at around $15 - $25 a month. Disney+, the new Disney streaming service (also referred to as Disney Plus), is going to be competitively priced at $8.99 a month, with a discount if you buy a yearly subscription for $89.99, so it’ll be interesting to see if that forces the other streaming services to lower their prices. The Disney Plus release date for Australia is November 19, 2019.
It’s fairly uncomplicated these days. Simply go to the official website of the streaming service you fancy and click “Sign Up”. Alternatively, many of these streaming platforms offer deals that combine the TV streaming with a good internet package to accommodate it, which can be great value. Netflix, Fetch TV and Foxtel all currently offer this kind of deal.
Even if you’re not watching a lot of TV, you still don’t want slow buffering or blurred visuals, which is why Unlimited plans (or any plans with more data and speed) are most commonly recommended for TV streaming.
The best NBN plan for you is ultimately going to depend on where you live and what manner of connection you have, but to get you started, you might want to look at iiPrimus’ Unlimited Standard Plus NBN50 Entertainment plan, or iiNet’s Unlimited Standard NBN100 entertainment plan. Again, any plan with more speed and data is going to make your TV streaming more enjoyable.
If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to get in touch with us - we're a free comparison service to all Aussie homes, and we're independently rated 5 stars by our customers, with a Trust Pilot score of 4.8 out of 5 based on over 1,800 reviews. So if you’re after the best plan and provider to stream your videos, you can call us directly on 1300 106 571, or have a look at our broadband comparisons here - all you have to do is put your suburb or postcode into the white box and click “Compare”. Our website will ask you some simple questions about your household's average internet usage so that we can whittle down the best options for you. Happy hunting!
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