It’s been over 18 months since Mediaweek last ranked the streaming services in order of value for money. So it’s high time we did it again.
Many people are tightening spending on entertainment as part of the higher cost of living. That hasn’t all been bad news for streaming services though. Some people are cutting back on nights out as they see streaming services as a way of saving when it comes to entertainment dollars.
Here is my list of the top 10 streaming services in order of value. The number in brackets is where they were ranked on our 2021 list. We also review the entry-level price and then list possible upgrade options.
While this list comes down to personal taste, I have tried to judge on overall value for money, not who has the best horror movies, the best action-thriller or the most superheroes.
Number in brackets refers to our 2021 ranking.
1 Binge (1)
$10 monthly
Still amazing value and with Foxtel extending its HBO deal there is good reason to stay subscribed. Remember Binge is the home of The Last of Us, Succession, White Lotus plus many of the other goodies Foxtel has at a starting price of just $10 a month. The big news for entry-level customers now is they are now served ads on the platform. To help offset that jolt is the arrival of HD for no extra charge.
Upgrade: If you really want to jettison the ads the cost jumps to $16 and allows viewing on two screens. If money no object, go for the full Foxtel experience.
2 Prime Video (6)
$7
The big mover on this chart since last time we published it. Prime Video subscribers get the added benefit of free delivery, Amazon Music, Amazon Reading and more. The Prime Video content this year has included The Power with Toni Collette, the wonderful Daisy Jones and the Six, a second season of Clarkson’s Farm plus the fifth and final season of The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel. Movies in the top 10 at the time of writing include Bullet Train, Everything Everywhere All at Once and Good Luck to You Leo Grande. Dead Ringers with Rachel Weisz later in April sounds fun too. In May it is expected that Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s new movie Air will debut on the platform after its cinema run.
Upgrade: Best deal is to pay $59 for 12 months which takes the cost under $5 monthly.
3 Netflix (2)
$11
The big daddy of the streaming world has slipped to #3. It’s really the third and final platform on the list I consider “must haves”. The Netflix volume alone means there will always be something to temp you each month whatever your taste. Discovery can be a problem though and we’ve all had evenings scrolling endlessly until we lose interest! It helps to use the My List option to keep track of new arrivals when you hear about them. This month viewers have been exploring the John Wick back catalogue amongst other things. Recent hits include Murder Mystery 2, five seasons of Drive to Survive, and of course Heartbreak High and The Crown – both back with new seasons later in 2023. Current hits attracting good crowds are Beef and Transatlantic. There is much on offer later this year including Nicole Kidman’s first Netflix Original, The Perfect Couple, the Bridgerton spin-off Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story and the latest project from Game of Thrones producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, The Three-Body Problem.
Upgrade/Downgrade: A cheaper option is the controversial Basic with ads level at $7. If you want no ads and HD and 4K content you will be paying $17 monthly which also allows for downloads.
4 Disney+ (4)
$14
Disney+ has plenty of fans, but for me the platform doesn’t deserve a higher ranking. There is plenty of great content with 2022 hits ranging from Pistol and Pam and Tommy to The Bear, The Old Man and Only Murders in the Building. There’s plenty to love if you are a Star Wars and/or Marvel fan too. There is a very handy Disney+ Star Wars timeline for newcomers too so you can work your way through 19 movies and series. There are also three more movies coming too which will eventually live on the platform. The Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline order boasts 48 separate pieces of content. Don’t forget all the family-friendly Disney content too. New adult fare under the Star banner includes the Keira Knightley movie Boston Strangler. And of course, Disney+ is the home of The Kardashians. However, this is one platform you could dip in and out of and binge-watch before you unsubscribe. That’s easier said than done though and before you know it you could be racking up more monthly fees.
Upgrade: Pay 12 months in advance and get Disney+ for $11.67 monthly. There is also a bundle option with free delivery from stores like Kmart and Target.
5 Stan (3)
$10
This has been a long-time fave and still gets a spot in our top five. However, they are just making us wait too long for more Yellowstone! The platform has more recently been hanging its hat on the best Australian content. The quality varies, but when Stan gets it right they are spot on with series like The Tourist, Black Snow and Bump. There is high expectations they will score another winner with the forthcoming Ten Pound Poms. Stan also has some brilliant international content including Billions, Gaslit, Your Honor, Drag Race, Lucky Hank, Poker Face, and The Great. Sean Penn is the star of the forthcoming satirical series C*A*U*G*H*T.
Upgrade: HD and 4K will cost you from $16 monthly. Upgrade to Stan Sport for an extra $15 monthly.
6 Paramount+ (5)
$9
The competition at the top is pretty tough and the relative newcomer has slipped one spot this year. There’s plenty to like here though and if the platform has another half-price 12-month sale jump right in! Paramount+ has what will possibly be the best Australian commission this year in The Last King of the Cross. The platform is perhaps now best known as the home of Yellowstone spins offs 1923 and 1883 (although the original series lives on Stan.) There are more spin-offs to come and I wonder if all the original Yellowstone cast might end up moving to spin-offs and the original disappears! Paramount+ is also a magnet for Star Trek franchise fans with around 25 films and series on offer. The Paramount movie library is also a bonus as is the live-streaming US CBS News channel. Recent releases include Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies and Rabbit/Hole. A sports offering, included in your monthly fee, includes football from the A-League, Liberty League, FA Cup and Matildas and Socceroos matches.
Upgrade: Pay $90 annually and the monthly cost drops to $7.50.
7 AppleTV+ (7)
$10
This can be a hit-and-miss collection of programming. There is just enough to justify keeping the account open though with hit series like Ted Lasso, Morning Wars, Black Bird, Slow Horses, Physical, Five Days at Memorial, and Bad Sisters. The movies also include many engaging adventures including the recent Tetris, Sharper, and off course three-time Oscar winner Coda. Coming soon are the series The Last Thing He Told Me and Silo.
Upgrade: Get a limited free subscription for certain Apple hardware purchases and AppleTV+ can be bundled in the Apple One plan.
8 BritBox (9)
$9
Some people will think BritBox might be a luxury, but lovers of British drama will always find something to entertain them. The platform is home of six seasons of Line of Duty, but so is Netflix and Stan among others. What BritBox does have exclusively is three seasons of All Creatures Great and Small (no longer available on iview). The platform is at its best with originals which seem to drop with increasing regularity. One of the best series on any platform this year was Stonehouse with real-life husband and wife duo Keeley Hawes and Matthew Macfadyen. Recent commissions include Sister Boniface Mysteries and Murder in Provence. Still to come this year are After The Flood, Archie, Passenger, Payback, and Three Little Birds.
Upgrade: The monthly cost drops of $7.50 if you pay annually.
9 AMC+ (New)
$9
The channel is available as a standalone via its app or an add-on via Prime Video or AppleTV+. The subscription covers AMC content plus the bonus of additional channels Shudder (horror specialist) and Acorn (British TV specialist). AMC content includes Mayfair Witches, Interview with the Vampire (both coming to ABC in May), Fear the Walking Dead, and Tales of the Walking Dead. From Acorn look out for crime dramas London Kills, Signora Volpe, The Chelsea Detective, Queens of Mystery, My Life is Murder, Ms Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries and much more. Shudder has an almost endless menu of thrills including Skinamarink, Deadstream, Resurrection, The Innocents to classics like the original Halloween and Night of the Living Dead.
Upgrade: Pay $83.88 for 12 months and the price drops to $7 monthly.
10 YouTube Premium (8)
$15
While over two billion people are happy with the free YouTube offering monthly, there’s a growing crowd of around 80m who subscribe to YouTube Premium. In addition to the ad-free viewing experience, the YouTube Music subscription is bundled into the offering. The cost allows subscribers to download videos to watch offline, save playlists and gives them the ability to queue videos for viewing. Among the viewing highlights is coverage from the Coachella Festival in the US. This year YouTube is going live from all stages with six feeds across both weekends. Premium members can now continue watching YouTube videos wherever they previously left off even as they switch between devices, allowing them to jump back in without any interruption. Also coming for Premium members, in the coming weeks YouTube is launching an enhanced bitrate version of 1080p HD video quality starting on iOS (with an experiment coming to web viewing soon too.)
Upgrade: While there is an annual plan available in some markets, it’s not on offer in Australia.
• Monthly total for the top 10: $104.00
• Monthly total if taking annual payment plans: $87.70
If your budget is $50 monthly
Binge $10
Amazon Prime $7
Netflix $11
That’s a total of $28 monthly leaving you with $22 to move in and out of subscriptions with other platforms. We suggest rotating through the others and binge-viewing what you want to see then unsubscribing.
If you need sport and want to keep it to $50
Binge $10
Amazon Prime $7
Netflix $11
Kayo $25
*That’s actually $53, but you can lower your cost by finding a Kayo discount voucher, and taking out annual Prime sub for $59 (saving about $2 monthly). Using that Amazon Prime sub too will easily save you money if you price-check purchases on Amazon and use their free shipping.
Speciality streaming services
Kayo $25
Optus Sport $25 (Or $7 if qualifying Optus customer)
Stan Sport $15 (But must have Stan subscription first)
Hayu $7 (Reality TV. Or $5.20 if paying annually)
Shudder (Horror central. Included in subscription to AMC+)
Acorn (Brit TV. Included in subscription to AMC+)
Flash $8 for 25 news channels, now finally includes MSNBC.
How many subscribe to streamers?
If Netflix has the biggest customer base in the country doesn’t that make it the best value? Good question, but no. (See above 2,000 words for explanation.)
Finding the exact number of subscribers a platform has is difficult. Out of these 10 platforms above, the numbers for Foxtel, Binge and Kayo are the most reliable as parent company News Corp updates shareholders quarterly with exact figures. Stan gives shareholders an update of subscribers every six months.
The global players also update shareholders, but only with a global total and no detail about international markets.
Below is the data published by Telsyte in the second half of 2022. We have updated with the latest data available for Foxtel, Binge, Kayo and Stan.
YouTube Free & Premium 17.5m
Netflix 6.3m
Prime Video 4.1m
Disney+ 3.0m
Stan 2.6m
Binge 1.4m
Foxtel 1.4m
Kayo 1.3m
Paramount+ 1.1m
Optus Sport 1.0m
Other SVOD 2.8m
Source: Telsyte, News Corp, Nine Entertainment, Meltwater
Free streaming library
Don’t overlook these services where there is plenty of great options, all free, sort of. The value exchange you means you watch ads on most. And you are also paying for iview and SBS On Demand via your taxes.
iview
7plus
9Now
10Play
SBS On Demand
Tubi
Kanopy
Subscriber discounts
Optus customers can take advantage of a product called Sub Hobs whereby they can manage their subscriptions via Optus. Place two subscriptions in Sub Hub for a 5% discount, three or more and that discount climbs to 10%. That means a saving of close to $100 or more if you spend $80 or more monthly on your streaming entertainment. Best extra deal in mid-April was six months free of Prime Video. Not all platforms are available including no Stan and no Disney+.