A User’s Guide To All The Streaming Platforms That Want Your Money This Year
Netflix. Presto. Quickflix. Stan. Here's everything we actually know.
IT’S ON.
Netflix is now only an alleged matter of months away from coming to Australia, and all the local platforms are now scrambling to get their shit together.
Last year Quickflix dropped their prices by a third in anticipation of the fight; Channel Nine and Fairfax announced a totally brand-new streaming venture named after Eminem’s biggest fan; and yesterday Foxtel and Seven West Media re-launched Foxtel Presto as Presto Entertainment: a stellar alternative for those who don’t want to fork over a fortune for 500 mind-numbing channels, only three of which they’ll ever actually watch.
Sure, the market looks pretty saturated, but with any unappealing corporate clusterfuck comes a useful kind of competition. Our piracy problems are worse than ever, and this could be just the shake-up that Australian television needs to become sustainable. Each company is guaranteed to try and outdo each other at each turn and inadvertently make our nation’s entertainment industry significantly less woeful in the process.
Here’s what the playing field looks like.
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Presto Entertainment
Look, kids! Foxtel’s not just for old people anymore!
Who runs it?
Foxtel and Seven West Media.
When’s it launching?
Right now. Look, it’s here.
Foxtel Presto has been floating around in its original form for ages now, but the new service has added TV shows for the first time in an attempt to compete with the soon-to-be-released Australian version of Netflix.
What’ll it cost?
$9.99/month for unlimited movies or TV shows separately, or $14.99/month for access to both.
What’s it got?
There will be all the movies that original Presto already had, as well as selected shows from Foxtel, Channel Seven and HBO.
Most notably, you’ll get Girls, The Sopranos, Deadwood, Boardwalk Empire, True Blood and The Newsroom.
What’s it missing?
The HBO shows you really want, AKA Game Of Thrones. Also… most other things. While its movie selection is pretty decent, the new TV catalogue is comparatively tiny. It has fewer than 100 shows in total so far, and that’s including its programming for kids.
Should you bother signing up?
It looks like it’s going to be the most expensive offering on the market for basic streaming, and will need more content to justify that.
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Stan
Does this guy help you forgive the platform’s awful name?
Who runs it?
Fairfax and Channel Nine.
When’s it launching?
They haven’t released a launch date yet, but we’d put our money a week or so before the Netflix launch #drama.
What’ll it cost?
$10/month for unlimited TV and movies.
What’s it got?
Pretty decent stuff! Stan are chasing a “truly Australian character” with a deal with ABC and SBS World Movies, and they have promising partnerships elsewhere with Sony, CBS, BBC Worldwide and MGM. This means shows like The Good Wife, Dexter, Fargo, and Masters of Sex, as well as old classics like Twin Peaks and Fawlty Towers.
Most impressively, it’s also got the exclusive Australian rights for the much-anticipated Breaking Bad spin-off Better Call Saul and the critically-acclaimed, Golden Globe-winning dramedy Transparent — the latter of which has only previously been available on Amazon Instant Video.
What’s it missing?
A quality name. Until we see the full program selection, that’s pretty much all we can tell you.
Should you bother signing up?
As long as you don’t mind constantly having this song stuck in your head.
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Quickflix
Pictured: you before you find out the extra cost for GoT.
Who runs it?
It’s doing its own thang.
When’s it launching?
It’s been up and running since 2003, you’ve just been frothing over Netflix so long you never really noticed.
What’ll it cost?
$9.99/month will get you unlimited streaming of TV and movies. $12.99 will give you access to separate Blu-Ray and DVD disc rental. $19.99 will deliver the lot.
What’s it got?
Quickflix has a large selection of content including Sherlock, The West Wing, The Sopranos, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Brooklyn Nine Nine. It also has an extensive list of BBC titles.
What’s it missing?
As Foxtel have an exclusive deal with HBO to air Game Of Thrones express from the US on Showcase, Quickflix is unable to air your favourite blood-drenched drama. They do however offer old episodes for separate digital sale. A full season will set you back $28.99.
This is the case with most of their quality offerings including Girls, True Detective, Looking, and even series that have previously aired on Australia free-to-air, like Josh Thomas’ Please Like Me.
Should you bother signing up?
It’s definitely a lot more appealing since they dropped their prices, but it’s fairly disheartening to see such a big divide in included streaming content, and stuff you need to pay extra for. It’s all-inclusive if you take up the $19.99 deal, but that makes it far and away the most expensive service on offer.
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Netflix US
[Insert ominous aside about power and corruption]
Take a wild guess.
When’s it launching?
Let’s not play dumb.
What’ll it cost?
$7.99US/month for unlimited access to movies and TV, if you access it via a geo-unblocker. However, that price will fluctuate with the state of the Australian dollar. It usually works out at around $10AUD.
What’s it got?
A lot. Netflix US has a rotating selection of excellent content that features major American releases as well as huge libraries of much-loved shows. Here, you can power through all of Friends, Parks and Recreation, Bob’s Burgers, 30 Rock and pretty much anything else you can name, as well as original series released in full-series batches, like Orange Is The New Black, BoJack Horseman and House of Cards. (February 27 can not come fast enough.)
What’s it missing?
Australian content, and the security of total legality. In July last year it was estimated that 200,000 Australians pay for and access this service, but it’s still in a legal grey area. With the Australian service just a couple of months away, it looks as though the US company may be cracking down on this practice soon. (Neflix, for the record, denies it.)
Netflix also has exclusive “DVD” content that you need to pay extra for, but the basic streaming collection is large enough that you probably don’t really need it.
Should you bother signing up?
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Netflix Australia
ALWAYS PICK THE MYSTERY BOX.
Who runs it?
Exactly who you think.
When’s it launching?
The official announcement told us it’d be sometime in March, but TechGuide are reporting it’s likely to kick off from March 31.
What’ll it cost?
Again, details are hazy at best. But rumour has it there will be a three-tiered pricing system starting at $9.99.
What’s it got?
We’ve been drip-fed a few original titles like BoJack Horseman and Grace and Frankie as well as a selection of stand-up comedy, classic films and critically-acclaimed documentaries but are way off having an idea of the full picture.
What’s it missing?
Though the full catalogue is yet to be announced, the most glaring omissions seem to be their own major shows like House of Cards and Orange Is The New Black. Since both are licensed locally to Foxtel, Netflix now need to look at buying back the rights.
Should you bother signing up?
Who knows! Mystery sure can be fun and all, but sometime you end up with the dud.
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Meg Watson is Junkee’s staff writer.