Aussies have rated Disney+ as the new top brand in Canstar Blue’s latest pay TV & streaming service ratings, with the brand rated five stars for choice of content, availability of new releases, ease of sign up and overall satisfaction.
Our review compares pay TV & streaming services on customer satisfaction, so you can find out what other Aussies think about the compared brands before you go ahead with a purchase. Think of it as like asking hundreds of your closest mates which pay TV & streaming service they think is best!
Canstar Blue surveyed 8,035 Australians for their feedback on the Australian pay TV or streaming service(s) they are currently subscribed to.
The winning brand is the one that receives the highest Overall satisfaction rating once all the scores from the Overall satisfaction criteria are combined and averaged.
Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included, so not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The brands rated in this survey are listed below in order of best overall satisfaction.
Find more detailed information on our Most Satisfied Customer methodology.
Got a show or movie lined up but aren’t sure if your internet can handle it? Test your NBN Speed below!
Disney+ was rated five stars for choice of content, availability of new releases, ease of sign up and overall satisfaction, with four stars for ease of use and value for money.
Launched in Australia in 2019, Disney+ has made its way into many hearts and homes, given how many of us grew up with the Disney classics. Offering a wide array of shows and movies, Disney+ covers original Disney shows and movies, recent Marvel releases and original content, alongside more parent-friendly content with the inclusion of Star.
Available as either a yearly or monthly subscription, Disney+ costs $13.99 per month or $139.99 if you pay for a yearly subscription, with additional costs involved if you’re looking to partake in the Premium Access content before general release dates.
After some Disney classics? Sign up to Disney+! There are two plan options to choose from – a monthly subscription, or prepay for a year. Both plans include the same features, with unlimited downloads and the ability to stream on up to four screens at the same time. This table includes links to a referral partner.
| Brand | Subscription Type | No. of Screens/same time viewing | Advertised Cost^^/month or year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
min. cost $13.99 over one month |
4 | $13.99 |
Get DealCanstar Blue receives a commission for sign-ups through Disney+ * |
|
min. cost $139.99 over one year |
4 | $139.99 |
Get DealCanstar Blue receives a commission for sign-ups through Disney+ * |
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^^View important information | |||
Netflix was rated five stars for choice of content, availability of new releases, ease of use and ease of sign up, with four stars for value for money and overall satisfaction.
Launched Down Under in 2015, Netflix filled a void in Australian pay TV and officially delivered what many Aussies had already been viewing through a VPN and a Netflix U.S. subscription. Now we get access to Netflix Original shows and movies, along with an ever-changing library of content.
Costing between $6.99 and $22.99 per month, Netflix offers multiple subscription tiers to choose from, including Basic with Ads, Basic, Standard and Premium. The Basic Plan includes only one stream or screen at a time, while the Standard Plan bumps this up to two, with the Premium allowing for four screens or streams at once, making it ideal for larger households, or those who can’t agree on what to watch! You can check out our guide on Netflix Plans to get the full breakdown of what comes with each plan.
Hayu was rated four stars for availability of new releases, value for money and overall satisfaction, with three stars for choice of content, ease of use and ease of sign up.
Hayu is a little different to the rest in that it specialises solely in reality TV shows. For fans of trashy yet binge-worthy shows, Hayu has you covered, although may not be the option for those after more traditional new releases or genres. However, it does cost just $6.99 per month, making it one of the cheaper options available, with a free trial also available.
BritBox was rated five stars for value for money, with four stars for ease of sign up, availability of new releases, choice of content and overall satisfaction, with three stars for ease of use.
Home to all things British (surprisingly), BritBox offers both classic and new British-themed shows and movies, making it much easier to cross the pond. Priced at $8.99 a month or $89.99 a year, BritBox also has a seven-day free trial available if you’re looking to dip your toes in, with multiple genres available on BritBox, including drama, crime, comedy, documentary and lifestyle, giving you the best of the British life.
| Brand | Subscription Type | No. of Screens/same time viewing | Advertised Cost^^/month | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
BritBox Monthly Subscription:
min. cost $8.99 over 1 month |
5 | $8.99 | Go To Site |
|
BritBox Annual Subscription
min. cost $89.99 over 1 year |
5 | $89.99 | Go To Site |
|
^^View important information | |||
BINGE was rated three stars for ease of use, with four stars for all remaining categories, including ease of sign up, availability of new releases, value for money, choice of content and overall satisfaction.
Operating under parent-company Foxtel, BINGE has been looking to make waves when it comes to, well, binge watching TV. Launched in 2020, BINGE offers some of the big-name titles that were previously only available through Foxtel, which includes the big names from America, such as HBO titles, as well as plenty of exclusives and classics.
BINGE will set you back between $10 and $18 per month, depending on which plan you sign up to. The Basic Plan will cost you $10 per month, but you’ll only be able to watch via one screen at a time, while the $16 Standard Plan bumps this up to two screens. The $18 Premium Plan offers four simultaneous streams, as well as HD streaming, with all plans available with a two-week free trial for new customers.
Sign up to BINGE!
Are you looking for something binge-worthy? Why not check out BINGE? With multiple subscription plans available, you can choose a plan that suits you (or your family) and settle in for a night on the couch with a wide range of movies and shows!
| Brand | Subscription Type | No. of Screens/same time viewing | Advertised Cost^^/month | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
min. cost $10 over one month |
1 | $10 |
Go To Site |
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min. cost $16 over one month |
2 | $16 |
Go To Site |
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min. cost $18 over one month |
4 | $18 |
Go To Site |
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^^View important information | |||
Amazon Prime Video was rated four stars for value for money, availability of new releases, ease of sign up and overall satisfaction, with three stars for choice of content and ease of use.
Amazon Prime Video or ‘Prime Video’ received a lot of hype when it was released in late 2016. Since then, it’s been plugging away, and more recently becoming one of the more exciting platforms to sign up to, with plenty of original content showing up on our screens. Amazon Prime Video costs $9.99 per month, or you can sign up to a yearly subscription for $79, with a 30-day free trial also available for new customers. You can also expect a few freebies or discounts if you sign up to parent company Amazon and Amazon Prime in Australia, giving you a few more options to consider.
Read more: The top sports streaming services in Australia
Ratings resultKayo was rated four stars for value for money, choice of content, availability of new releases, ease of sign up and overall satisfaction, with three stars for ease of use.
The streaming platform described as the “Netflix of sport”, Kayo quickly emerged as the budget competitor to Foxtel when it comes to watching high-profile Aussie and U.S. sports. Kayo includes a massive range of sporting codes and competitions, making it arguably still the go-to for sports fans.
Kayo has multiple subscription plans available, priced between $25 and $35 a month. The difference is how many simultaneous streams you can have, with the more expensive options giving you more simultaneous streams to enjoy your sports on. There’s also Kayo Freebies if you’re looking for some free content as well.
| Brand | Subscription Type | No. of Screens/same time viewing | Advertised Cost^^/month | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Kayo One Subscription
min. cost $25 over 1 month |
1 | $25 | Go To Site |
|
Basic Subscription
min. cost $30 over 1 month |
2 | $30 | Go To Site |
|
Premium Subscription
min. cost $35 over 1 month |
3 | $35 |
Go To Site |
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^^View important information | |||
Ratings resultStan was rated three stars for choice of content, with four stars for value for money, availability of new releases, ease of use, ease of sign up and overall satisfaction.
As a direct competitor and Australia’s own answer to Netflix, Stan was launched around the same time as a joint venture between Fairfax Media and Nine Entertainment Co. In addition to plenty of Australian-themed and produced content, Stan has plenty of big American hitters as well, with a wide variety of shows and movies to be enjoyed.
Similarly to Netflix, Stan offers three subscription tiers to choose from, ranging from $10 to $21 per month, with each increment increasing the number of screens you can watch on, with the Premium tier also offering 4K viewing. Stan also unveiled Stan Sport for an additional $15 a month, which includes a variety of rugby union, motorsport, football and tennis content for fans to watch live and on-demand, again giving it the edge over Netflix. And, unlike Netflix, Stan still offers a free trial.
Ratings resultTelstra TV Box Office was rated five stars for availability of new releases, three stars for value for money and ease of sign up, with four stars for ease of use, choice of content and overall satisfaction.
As part of the Telstra empire, Telstra TV Box Office (previously known as BigPond Movies) is a pay-per-view subscription service, but you don’t actually need to be a Telstra customer to use it. You can buy or rent movies not far removed from their cinematic release, and stream new and popular TV shows, with Telstra frequently updating its library of content available.
Signing up to Telstra TV Box Office is technically free, but the cost comes from buying and renting titles. For new releases, expect to pay about $5-7 to rent, and between $15-25 to purchase in HD, although you may see prices decrease the older the movie becomes. Additionally, television shows are usually $2-3 per episode, or you can purchase full seasons for around $20. But once you purchase and download them, they’re yours for good, meaning you can get plenty of value out of them.
Ratings resultFetch was rate four stars for ease of sign up, value for money and overall satisfaction, with three stars for choice of content, ease of use and availability of new releases.
As an all-in-one gateway to various services, Fetch is both a set top box/PVR and a streaming video on demand (SVOD) service. The Fetch device conveniently turns your TV into a home entertainment hub, and with a click of the remote you can stream Netflix, Hayu, YouTube and Stan (although subscriptions are required), catch up on TV with ABC iView and the like, as well as watch pay TV channels like ESPN and National Geographic. Fetch also offers a number of TV Packs for those after something specific, each costing $6 per month, or can be combined for a $20 per month price tag.
You’ll also need the Fetch TV Box, with three options currently available to choose from, including the Mini, Mini 4K and Mighty. Costing between $169 and $449, you’ll need these if you’re keen on watching Fetch TV, but also gives you the option to pause, rewind and record live TV.
Ratings resultParamount+ was rated four stars for value for money, availability of new releases and ease of sign up, with three stars for ease of use, choice of content and overall satisfaction.
Launching in Australia in 2021, Paramount+ is one of the newer entrants to the market, with parent company Viacom CBS rebranding 10 All Access, as well as including a host of US content from its wide range of subsidiary companies, including Paramount Pictures, Showtime and MTV. Costing $8.99 per month, Paramount+ hosts a wide range of movies and TV shows, as well as exclusive content and Australian content, in addition to coverage of the A-League and W-League football leagues to keep you coming back.
Ratings resultApple TV+ was rated three stars for ease of sign up, ease of use, choice of content, value for money and overall satisfaction, and four stars for availability of new releases.
Hitting Aussie shores in 2019, Apple TV+ has plenty of original content to entice viewers to tune in. Not to be confused with Apple TV (which is the physical product from Apple) or the Apple TV app (which allows you to rent or watch titles from other services) Apple TV+ still appears to lack behind other big-name competitors. However, it does only cost $9.99 per month, making it one of the more affordable options available, with discounts available for those who purchase select Apple product or services.
Ratings resultFoxtel was rated four stars for ease of use and availability of new releases, with three stars in all remaining categories, including ease of sign up, choice of content, value for money and overall satisfaction.
Foxtel changed the Australian landscape forever in the 1990s, and continues to keep us fixated with some top U.S. shows and various sports channels. While it may have recently lagged behind other competitors, it does also offer the cheaper Foxtel Now to keep pace for those who aren’t interested in signing up to Foxtel’s full suite of content. Foxtel also offers the option to sign up for a monthly subscription for a 12-month contract, with multiple ‘Bundles’ on offer to suit you and your family’s watching habits.
With Foxtel however, you’ll also have to consider the installation fee and organising the set-top box, which can add extra dollars to your initials bill. Alternatively, Foxtel also has a number of broadband plans available, allowing you to bundle the services.
While the above brands are the big hitters of the streaming market, below are a number of other options available, particularly in the free-to-air space.
While it depends on the platform and plan that you sign up to, streaming services can cost anywhere from $0 to upwards of $50 per month. There are a number of free streaming services available, or at least some with a free trial, while other platforms such as Netflix, Stan and BINGE offer tiered systems to help you decide on what you want to pay, with more features becoming available on the more expensive plans. Platforms like Disney+ only have the one plan, but also offer monthly or annual payment options, allowing you to save on a month-by-month basis if you sign up for a full year.
According to the latest Canstar Blue research, Aussies are spending $50 on streaming services, with 27% of all respondents subscribing to two services, with 20% subscribing to three, and 21% subscribing to four or more.
This report was written by Canstar Blue’s Site Editor, Dean Heckscher. He’s our resident expert on all things automotive, health & fitness, streaming and more. Dean is also one of Canstar Blue’s customer research report producers, helping to turn complicated subjects into easily-digestible information for our readers. He’s passionate about helping consumers make better-informed purchase decisions on all manner of consumer goods and services.
Samantha Howse is Canstar Blue’s Consumer Research Specialist, coordinating the consumer research program behind our customer satisfaction awards across Canstar and Canstar Blue in Australia and New Zealand. Sam has earned a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) from Griffith University and, with seven years in market research and 2 years in marketing, she is experienced in survey design, implementation and analysis, coupled with an understanding of marketing principles and best practice.
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