Netflix vs Stan, Foxtel Now and Amazon Prime: Australian streaming providers in contrast

Posted On May 23, 2019 By admin With Comments Off

UPDATE: Stan has raised the price of its Premium package, which is now time designated you back $17 a few months- that& apos; s a$ 2 grow from the rank& apos; s original $15 monthly fee. Updated article below.

Now that streaming media has become a mainstay in Australian dwellings, Aussies have abundance of options to choose from when it comes to get their home entertainment fix.

When mixed, Netflix, Stan , Amazon Prime Video and Foxtel Now present an enormous straddle of content that can be instantly streamed into your residence. However, if you can only afford one due service, restricting down a definitive selection can be harder than it seems.

As each service brings with it a unique stray of video substantiates and movies aimed at different segments of the streaming audience , not to mention differing price stations, device compatibility and streaming tones, we& apos; ve made it upon ourselves bring you an in-depth guide to what you can expect from Australia& apos; s four major SVOD platforms.

With the constantly evolving nature of each service discussed in this guide, we will endeavour to keep you updated on any significant changes and modernizes that may occur to these streaming monsters in the future.

Here& apos; s how the Australian streaming place loads up in 2019.

The best VPN for Netflix 2019 Price

Australia's best streaming services compared

Probably the best thing about having so many streaming alternatives to choose from, is the fact that it impels each assistance to be priced competitively.

Netflix proposals the cheapest brook of the main three, with a single series in standard explanation at $9.99, which, if we& apos; re is sincere, isn& apos; t peculiarly good value, but may appeal to those who live alone and have a poor quality internet connection.

Thankfully, for $13.99 a month you can get a dual-stream subscription that offers HD streaming quality.

If 4K streams are what you& apos; re after, you& apos; ll need to subscribe to Netflix& apos; s payment carton, which costs $17.99 a month and allows you to watch the service on four devices simultaneously. This is probably the most ideal subscription for categories with differing smacks in depicts and movies.

Though Netflix is obviously employed off of how it& apos; s priced overseas, Stan has chosen to come out at the low , no-nonsense toll of $10 a month. That& apos; s for everything the service has to offer at a maximum resolutions tabled in 1080 p.

If you want to make use of your 4K Tv though, you can upgrade to a Premium Stan subscription for the new premium of $17 a few months, which is a slight increase from its original $15 monthly cost.

So far, Stan has a steadily growing 4K material lineup, including reveals like Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad, Preacher and Wolf Creek, and movies like Ghostbusters, Taxi Driver, Arrival and Sam Raimi& apos; s Spider-Man trilogy.

These kinds of prices cut straight-shooting to the point- formerly you& apos; ve measured the service& apos; s 30 daylight trial, you& apos; re either on board with forking over a tenner( or an extra fiver) each month, or you& apos; re not.

Undercutting Netflix& apos; s pricing significantly, Amazon has a special introductory offer that concessions new customers access to the service for a monthly fee $4.99 for the first six months, after which it will reincarnate at US $6.99 each month after that.

Foxtel Now is different in that it offers a number of different content carries( split into Starter packs and Premium bundles) so the subscribers can tailor-make their subscription to their viewing habits.

The minimum price for Foxtel Now has been increased to $ 25 per month, which includes the Pop and Lifestyle multitudes.

You& apos; ll probably have to sign up to at least a couple of multitudes to get a decent selection of demo overall. As we& apos; ve already mentioned, Lifestyle and Pop are now bundled together, while the individual Kids and Doco cartons ought to have scrapped solely — if you want that content back, you& apos; ll have to pony up for the $104 All Packs bundle.

Thankfully, the Drama package is still around, and is still priced at $15 per month( though you& apos; ll come$ 5 off when you sign on ).

The Movies pack will still give you back $20 a few months and the Athletics package remains unchanged at $29 per month. Seeing as you& apos; re obligated to sign up to the Pop and Lifestyle backpacks, the minimum overhead for watching sports on Foxtel Now has been raised to $54 per month.

Devices

Australia's best streaming services compared

For numerous beings, the decision of which streaming service to sign up for may come down to the inventions they own.

Netflix has the most important one global reach and has been around the longest, which is why it can be streamed on the largest number of devices.

The Netflix app is available on a wide range of smart TVs from manufacturers like Samsung, Sony, LG, Panasonic, Philips and Hisense, though you should check your television framework to see if the service is supported. Stan is available on all current Samsung smart TVs, Sony smart TVs( operating Android TV) and all LG smart TVs flowing WebOS software.

Stan is also streaming on Hisense smart TVs from 2015 onwards, and we& apos; re reading the app pop up on more and more manufacturers names. Basically, if you buy a new smart-alecky TV locally, opportunities are that it will frisk Stan.

At launch, Amazon Prime Video merely offered its service in Australia through computer browsers, however, the Amazon Prime app have already been appeared on a number of 4K smart-alecky TVs, including simulations from Sony, Samung, LG and more. Before adjudicating on Prime, you should check and see if you smart TV has an app for it.

If your smart-alecky Tv is of the 4K/ UHD variety, probabilities are that its Netflix app supports 4K streaming. You can also get a 4K Netflix stream for the latest wave of Ultra HD Blu-ray actors, such as the Panasonic DMP-UB9 00 and the Samsung UBD-K8 500. Microsoft& apos; s newest console, the Xbox One S, also offers 4K playback.

The Apple TV also supports Netflix and has boasts built around service, such as the ability to use Siri to search for entitles by utter, which targets Netflix entitles see alongside iTunes listings. A Stan app is also available for Apple TV, but Amazon triumphed& apos; t allow its app on Apple TV or Chromecast for business intellects. With that said, you should be able to flaunt Amazon Prime Video on your Apple TV through AirPlay. So far, Siri functionality is only available to Netflix.

Netflix, Stan and Amazon Prime Video are all available on iOS and Android smartphones and tablets, though some older Android modelings may not be compatible.

When it comes to game consoles, Netflix has the biggest reach, with apps for Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox One S, PS3, PS4 and the Nintendo Wii U. Stan has most of the consoles included but absences support for Xbox 360 and Wii U.

It& apos; s also possible to watch Amazon Prime Video on home gaming consoles, including the Xbox One and PS4, and you can also watch the service use Amazon& apos; s Fire TV Stick.

Netflix and Stan are also available on Fetch TV, which is quite handy for hundreds of Australians currently subscribed to Fetch.

If you don& apos; t have any of the TV-connected devices stated above and still want to watch Netflix and Stan on your video, the two services is also possible to streamed to a Google Chromecast, which ostensibly equips regular TVs with smart TV functionality( so long as you have a smartphone or tablet to stream from ). That said, Amazon Prime Video is not patronized on Chromecast.

Foxtel Now was working on iOS and Android manoeuvres, Chromecast and Chromecast Ultra, PC and Mac and the newly-released Foxtel Now streaming casket. Finally, you can also watch Netflix and Stan on the Roku 2-powered Telstra TV media streaming box.

Adolescent content

Australia's best streaming services compared

When it comes to boys indicates and movies, each work has its own fortes and weaknesses.

Stan has a wide selection of children-friendly shows that mostly stem from its partnerships with Turner Broadcasting( the Cartoon Network ), the ABC and Viacom.

And , now that Stan is Disney& apos; s brand-new home for stream content in Australia, readers now have access to an enormous library of classic movies from Disney and Pixar, such as the Toy Story trilogy, Finding Nemo, Frozen, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid and more, along with a wide selection of Disney Channel TV shows.

Cartoon Network favourites like Adventure Time, Ben 10, Regular Show, The Powerpuff Girls, Cow and Chicken, Generator Rex and Ed, Edd, n Eddy are all ready to stream on Stan.

Likewise, classic ABC entitlements like The Wiggles, Dorothy the Dinosaur, Guess How Much I Love You and Justine Clarke, as well as overseas entitles like Octonauts, Angelina Ballerina, Bob the Builder, Thomas and Pal, Fireman Sam, Sesame Street and Mister Maker are available to stream on the app, and its Viacom deal brings with it a large range of demoes from Nickelodeon and Nick Jr, like Avatar: The Last-place Airbender; Octonauts, Ni Hao, Kai-Lan, Bubble Guppies, and favourite live-action demonstrates like iCarly, VICTORiOUS, and Drake& Josh.

Like the rest of Amazon Prime Video& apos; s content library, its Kids selection is quite sparse at present. You& apos; ll find a number of Amazon Original teenagers goes to show& apos; ve probably never heard of, like Wishenpoof !, Tumble Leaf and Just Add Magic, alongside some tried-and-true minors movies classics, like The Little Rascals, Casper, Spy Kids and Babe.

Animation supporters will be happy to know that Netflix has also rendered some original presents based on classic DreamWorks properties, including Puss in Boots and How to Train Your Dragon.

Deals with other big children& apos; s platform distributors Saban, DHX Media and Hasbro Studios have also stipulated Netflix with innumerable incarnations of Power Rangers and My Little Pony.

Special mention should also be given to inclusion of the classic Aussie kid& apos; s register, Round the Twist, on both Netflix and Stan& apos; s respective catalogues.

Foxtel Now renders spate of girls establishes and directs hosting a large number of Nickelodeon and Disney curricula, though the only way to access them now is via its excessively pricey All Packs bundle, which& apos; ll begin you back $104 per month.

Tv proves

Stan Content

A wide and varied range of video reveals are available on Netflix, Stan and Amazon Prime Video, thanks to individual administers between each of the SVOD services and their content spouses. Because of this, each service should have something for everyone in your family.

While there& apos; s a lot of crossover when it comes to the availability of registers on each scaffold, perhaps the most important deciding factor comes down to the exclusives and original shows can be found in each service.

Netflix is without question the captain in this regard, with a large, world-wide slate of original shows that are, for the best part, available in every one of its territories around the world. And if you want to access your own catalogue from abroad, then you should look to download the best Netflix VPN from our guide.

The service has achieved huge success with its diverse lineup, which includes award-winning indicates House of Cards and Orange is the New Black, long-form superhero shows like Marvel& apos; s Daredevil and Jessica Jones, internationally-targeted depicts like Narcos, inspired sitcoms such as BoJack Horseman and F is For Family, humors like Fuller House, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Master of None, and countless stand up comedy specials, to words but a small selection from its rapidly-expanding library.

On top of this, TV series like Stranger Things, Black Mirror, Making A Murderer, Mindhunter and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina have also received crossover request with mainstream audiences.

Though Stan is only available in Australia, it has commenced making its own original content, having made the improvised slapstick lines No Task, the Tv spin-offs of Wolf Creek and Romper Stomper, as well as the humor serial Plonk.

Stan is notable for also having a large range of exclusive reveals in its stable, with big hitters like the Twin Peaks revival, Better Call Saul Mozart in the Jungle, Transparent, Power, UnReal, Community, Lost Girl, Dig, Ash vs Evil Dead, Angie Tribeca and 11.22.63 confined to the service for the entire life of each series.

On top of this, Stan is the only service in Australia offering both the ended streak& apos; of US sitcom classics Seinfeld and Pal, which are huge comes for the services offered. If it ever manages to secure The Simpsons( as unlikely as that is likely to be ), it& apos; ll have the holy trifecta on offer.

Australia's best streaming services compared

Stan also fast-tracks brand-new chapters of its exclusive demoes as soon as they air overseas, a practise that both Netflix and Amazon Prime Video has now been adopted with such appearances as Riverdale and American Gods.

As the newest assistance to punch Australian shores, Amazon Prime Video doesn& apos; t currently have a huge TV content library on offer, then again, who are likely to moves a long way to explaining why the subscription cost is so cheap.

Most beings considering a Prime subscription are probably looking to watch The Grand Tour, the new gondola supporter picture from the team behind the beloved line, Top Gear. If that& apos; s what you& apos; re after, you& apos; ll happy to know that every available escapade of the streak is found in Amazon Prime Video in HDR, with brand-new occurrences arriving weekly.

Aside from that, other exclusive choose cards include American Idols, a hyped brand-new demonstrate based on the immensely favourite Neil Gaiman novel of the same name, Jean-Claude Van Johnson, which superstars Jean-Claude Van Damme as a snoop copy of himself, The Tick, a comedic superhero lines resurgence, “The mens” in the High Castle, which posits a world in which the Nazis acquired World War II, and The Terror, a horror collection streaks based on a best-selling book.

Unlike the race, Foxtel Now makes you likewise watch live television broadcasts, essentially giving you the regular Foxtel experience over the internet. Aside from this, the majority of members of the packs on offer, such as Drama and Pop( which have loadings of HBO material split across them ), are mostly fitted with video shows. Supporters of actuality TV will get a real kick out of the choices here.

Movies

Australia's best streaming services compared

As with most SVOD services, the entitles available on Netflix, Stan and Presto change sometimes according to content licensing agreements. That said, each assistance has a pretty respectable collecting of movies aimed at slightly different audiences.

When it first propelled, Australian Netflix had a much smaller content offering than its US counterpart. However, its focus on Original content over licensed information has established this question chiefly insignificant, with a huge selection of quality depicts and movies now available.

Netflix Original movies like Bird Box, Bright and the critically acclaimed Roma have found much larger audiences on the streaming service than they likely would have if liberated through traditional paths, while peculiar cinema experimentations like The Ballad of Buster Scruggs might never have been built without today& apos; s streaming pose of distribution.

Amazon Prime Video offers a number of classic older films, though not many recent blockbusters are currently available to stream. Its recent Amazon Original film The Neon Demon, for instance, is currently geo-restricted.

Still, fans of B-grade cinema, including straight-to-video& apos; 90 s martial arts movies,& apos; 80 s horror movies and disreputable grindhouse movies will find plenty to cherish on Amazon Prime Video. In fact, it blows all of the other services out of the water in this regard, with a preferably large-scale back catalogue of these kinds of cinemas.

As was mentioned earlier, you& apos; ll need a Movies package to watch feature film through Foxtel Now, though that will set you back $20 per month on top of a $10 Starter pack. Many of the movies are new releases, evidencing much of the contents you& apos ;d expect to see on live Foxtel.

Australia's best streaming services compared

Stan& apos; s shocking partnership with Disney has given the service a huge leg up over the contender when it comes to licensed content, with access to a wide selection of Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm movies on offer.

It also provides a somewhat big-hearted selection of Roadshow Entertainment claims, though previously accessible films like Mad Max: Fury Road have since plummeted off the service. Thankfully, gargantuan rights like The Lord of the Rings and The Matrix are present and accounted for.

A content deal with MGM also provides Stan with a large back catalogue of classic movies, including the entire James Bond series in majestic 4K quality, along with The Silence of the Lambs, When Harry Met Sally and a huge selection of Woody Allen films.

Stan has always been the leading streaming service when it comes to art films and nature cinema, including access to cinemas from over 45 countries in more than 70 words, but now you can count mainstream blockbusters among its numerous licensing accomplishments.

Streaming character

Presto Quality

All three assistances volunteer HD streams( unless you& apos; re subscribed to Netflix& apos; s lowest tier ), however, Netflix is unquestionably the commander when it comes to streaming quality, as it offers “the worlds largest” 4K HDR content( top pricing rank only) of any of the services listed here.

Netflix Originals, with some exceptions, are generally available in 4K streaming excellence. The service has also begun to stream HDR( high-dynamic-range) and Dolby Vision content for many of its original substantiates and movies.

The service has an adaptive bit rate that adjusts itself based on the quality of your internet acquaintance. It should be noted that, even if you have a blazing fast connection, Netflix will seldom fail to reach full settlement during primetime hours due to congestion.

Stan likewise use adaptive fleck proportion technology, however it also offers users the ability to select the stream character of its displays( where accessible ). The Ultra setting proposals full 4K resolution, although you& apos; ll need to subscribe to the Premium package to see the profits of the the Ultra HD upgrade.

Unlike its challengers, Stan allows users to select the quality of their brooks on smart-alecky devices, media manoeuvres and smart-alecky TVs. Simply select the cog icon and choose between Low, Medium and Highly qualified series. This is especially handy if you& apos; re having buffering difficulties or if you& apos; re streaming off mobile data.

With Netflix adding offline see to its due premium, allowing using to download a selection of demonstrates and movies to their manoeuvres for examining outside of Wi-Fi systems, the service immediately increased its overall quality.

Thankfully, Stan has followed suit, and now lets subscribers to download the vast majority of the content of the report. This stimulates its $10 monthly premium pitch even more of a negotiation than it already was.

Amazon Prime Video also offers 4K HDR content, though with the differing quality of the proves and movies on offer, it& apos; s a little knotty to know what& apos; s available in SD, HD or Ultra HD until you start watching it. Original demonstrates are, for the best part, offered in 4K.

Foxtel Now is said to offer HD streams, but the quality is a mixed bag. Often blurry or with overly saturated emblazons, the picture quality here is a far cry from what Netflix, Stan and Amazon Prime Video are offering. That is something that alters on a show-by-show basis. Game of Thrones looks pretty clean, though.

Decision

Though each assistance has its own fortes and weaknesses, Netflix is unquestionably the winner when it comes to device compatibility, original material and series quality.

Its library of Netflix Originals continues to rise and maintain a generally high level of quality, with the service causing the kind of content that holds HBO a run for its money when it comes to premium programming.

When you ignore its standard clarity pricing alternative( and we ignore it fairly hard-boiled around these fractions ), Stan& apos; s flat $10 due fee is emphatically more appealing for people who want access to a HD stream, but when you consider how many original indicates Netflix causes, a couple of extra horses a month is hardly a deal-breaker.

It& apos; s great that Amazon Prime Video has established its room to Australia, and while it still has a long way to go in terms of growing its content library and register of compatible designs, it continues to add new content forever, filling out the content selection with a number of masterpieces.

On the plus area, the service is quite inexpensive at the moment, so if you want to try it out for yourself anyway, you can do so without divulging its own budget.

We love the sheer quantity of the information contained available on Foxtel Now( it genuinely does leave the competition in the dust in this regard ), though coming a respectable assortment up will hurt your wallet in the long run.

Still, when all is said and done, there& apos; s no denying that Netflix genuinely is the king of streaming media in Australia.