Battle of the streams: How Netflix, Stan and others stack up
The Australian on-demand streaming landscape is no longer the sole domain of Netflix. Photo: Getty
Netflix made the bold move on Thursday to up the price of its premium subscription, despite the looming arrival of Disney Plus.
The king of content streaming in Australia has raised its luxe package from a monthly cost of $17.99, to $19.99.
The basic and mid-range packages remain unchanged.
It might seem like peanuts, but it’s an interesting move when you consider Australians have never had so much choice when it comes to on-demand entertainment.
Disney Plus is set to land on November 12, and will eventually migrate a bunch of content from other providers – namely the Disney and Marvel offerings that Stan has been enjoying.
Analysts and experts watching the streaming world develop have remained divided on what effect Disney’s arrival will have on Stan and, to a lesser extent, Netflix.
Some say it will force the Australian-owned Stan to move into producing more home-grown content. Others say it will land the platform in a dire situation.
There’s also the growing force of Amazon Prime’s TV service to consider, and Foxtel’s power move to remain on Australian screens in its partnership with Netflix.
Oh yeah, and Apple TV could land any day now.
Latest figures show there are 12.03 million subscriptions to on-demand streaming services in Australia, with 43 per cent of households subscribing to more than one service – but we tend to cap our monthly spending at $30.
There’s no definitive answer to which platform is the best – it’s all down to personal tastes and budgets.
With that in mind, The New Daily has laid out the most popular platforms and stacked them against each other. Happy bingeing.
Netflix
Monthly cost Basic one screen, standard definition $9.99; luxe four screens, ultra HD, $19.99
Lock-in plan? No
What you get Orange is the New Black, Stranger Things, Ozark, Black Mirror
Stan
Monthly cost Basic one screen, one device to download to, standard definition $10; luxe four screens, five download devices, Ultra HD, $17
Lock-in plan? No
What you get A Handmaids Tale, Romper Stomper, Better Call Saul
Amazon Prime
Monthly cost One plan to rule them all – three screens, 4K definition on supporting devices, $6.99
Lock-in plan? No
What you get Carnival Row, Downton Abbey, Fleabag
Bounty hunting is a complicated profession.
The Mandalorian, an original Star Wars series, streaming from 19 November, only on #DisneyPlus.
More info: https://t.co/aHLrIT0zD7 pic.twitter.com/2bamU7lAhz— Disney AUNZ (@DisneyAUNZ) August 24, 2019
Disney Plus – what we know
Monthly cost One-size-fits-all, stream on every device imaginable, four screens, unlimited downloads, $8.99 a month
Lock-in contract? No, but you can pay $89.99 for an annual subscription
What you get The Marvel Universe, Star Wars, National Geographic content, Pixar, Disney
Foxtel Go
Monthly cost Basic (drama and entertainment) $49, plus six months free Netflix; luxe (sport, drama, movies, entertainment) $78, plus six months free Netflix. Watch or stream on all devices or through Foxtel iQ4 box
Lock-in plan? Yes, 12 months minimum
What you get As much as you want – the big up here is sport and movies
https://www.instagram.com/p/B2OOMgPozJl/
Hayu
Monthly cost One package, $6.99, stream to devices
Lock-in plan? No
What you get All the reality TV you could ever (and never) want
Hungry for sport? Check out what's on the menu this month on Kayo! 😋 pic.twitter.com/QQx3XkeoEf
— Kayo Sports (@kayosports) October 2, 2019
Kayo Sports (owned by Foxtel)
Monthly cost Basic $25 two screens; luxe $35 three screens, high definition on supported devices
Lock-in plan? No
What you get 50+ sports, streamed to your device
