Yahoo Finance Netflix, Disney+, Stan, Apple+, Amazon Prime, Foxtel: Here’s how they stack up
Australia’s streaming landscape is growing more crowded every week, with Aussies now paying more than $35 a month to tune in online.
But with AppleTV+ and Disney+ recent entries into the competitive space, that price could get higher, with the number of major streaming platforms competing for viewer attention now at six.
In fact, if an Australian were to subscribe to the premium tier of all six platforms – that is, Netflix, Stan, Disney+, AppleTV+, Amazon Prime Video and Foxtel Now, they’d be set back $2,019.64 over the year.
But you probably wouldn’t do that.
Research by Telsyte has found that more than one-in-two Australian households have a subscription, while 43 per cent have more than one.
However, as viewers and industry pundits have all commented, there’s only so far consumption and spending can go.
Dear Apple, Hulu, Netflix, Disney, Amazon, CBS, NBC, and everyone else trying to create a streaming service: we're not going to pay for eight of these. Work it out.
— Dan Koboldt Puts Science in Fiction (@DanKoboldt) November 9, 2019
With this in mind, we break down the six major platforms to help you decide which offers you the best value for money.
Netflix
The selling point: It’s Netflix, part of our cultural lexicon, ‘Netflix and chill’ was the phrase that began the streaming phenomenon. And it’s got a content library to match.
Premium original content like The Crown, Stranger Things, Orange is the New Black, Making a Murderer, Queer Eye and Ozark all find a home on the popular platform, while hit shows like Gilmore Girls and Friends have also drawn viewers, along with classic films like the Harry Potter series.
Stan
Why buy: Stan is home to popular US show Younger, but has a distinctive international feel, with shows like Deutschland 83, and original Australian series Bloom helping the 9 and Fairfax beast position itself as a slightly left-of-centre alternative to Netflix.
Stan also has Supernatural and original shows like No Activity and Wolf Creek.
Disney+
The magic ingredient: With a huge in-built audience, Disney+ won’t need to try to convince millions of people, with 10 million in the US subscribing in just one day.
But its biggest selling point will likely also be the reason people stay away: plans to entice an older audience through originals like The World According to Jeff Goldblum, and Star Wars series The Mandalorian both have a more mature flavour, as will the National Geographic vault, but the Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars content will naturally skew younger.
AppleTV+
The service for the easily overwhelmed: If you’ve ever found yourself in a Netflix black hole, mindlessly swiping to try to find something you feel like among the thousands on offer, AppleTV+ could be the antidote.
The Apple service is going for quality over quantity, and will offer only originals. At launch, that means viewers can watch Morning Wars, Dickinson, See, For All Mankind and The Elephant Queen. That’s in addition to Helpsters, Ghostwriter, Snoopy in Space and Oprah Winfrey’s Book Club.
Servant, Truth Be Told, Little America, The Banker and Hala will also find a home on the micro-service in coming months.
So far, Morning Wars is the one show generating major buzz.
Amazon Prime Video
It has the ‘It’ show: Amazon Prime Video comes with an Amazon Prime membership, so that’s an automatic benefit. But it’s also home to a mix of premium and popular content including The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and 2019’s ‘It’show, Fleabag.
Amazon Video began as a marketplace and that shows, with critics saying the interface feels less like other on-demand services.
But it’s also producing a new Lord of The Rings series which will probably help fantasy fans get over the platform’s slightly more sterile feel.
Foxtel Now
For Game of Thrones and sports fans: Foxtel Now has a huge catalogue, but the only one most viewers care about is Game of Thrones.
Foxtel Now subscribers also have the choice to purchase based on the genres they’re interested in, like drama, pop, documentaries and kids, with premium packs like movies and sports also up for grabs, meaning super sports fans can chow down on some serious streaming.
Foxtel Now holds the rights to several sports, including the tennis, AFL, NRL, NBA, Rugby Sevens, A League, V8 Supercars and the F1 Grand Prix.
Netflix has nothing like this.
Hayu
Perfect if you love: the Kardashians. If you’re not interested in reality tv, then steer clear of this dedicated service. When you think Hayu, think the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Vanderpump Rules and Shahs of Sunset.
Because of its focus on reality, the content library is more limited than some, with 250 shows on the platform.
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