Australia has already embraced streaming services with a passion – we are, after all, famous for being early adopters of new technology. But we’re now at the point where there are more streaming services looking for your subscription money than ever before. Netflix, Stan and Prime Video already have plenty of customers – and now Disney Plus has arrived, mounting a very real challenge to Stan.
As regular customers of Stan TV would know, that service signed a lucrative deal in late 2018 to get access to a bunch of movies and shows from the Disney catalogue. Rumours abounded about the possibility of Stan and Disney forging a long-term partnership in Australia, but that was not to be. Instead, Disney announced that Australia would be one of only five countries in the world to get their full Disney Plus streaming service at launch.
And that meant bad news for anyone who was subscribed to Stan for their Disney content – because as soon as Disney Plus arrived, Stan’s Disney shows and movies were gone. Now, that’s not the tragedy it might seem to be – Stan only had a small subset of the Disney catalogue available, and all of it represented only a fraction of their total library. But with the global might of Disney Plus now tempting some to drop another streaming service in favour of it, which one comes out on top – can Stan still hold its own against the power of the mouse?
Disney Plus Australia
Rumoured for years and launched to great excitement, fanfare, and the inevitable server meltdown, Disney Plus brings together the legendary studio’s own decades-long catalogue of animated and live-action films and TV shows, with a distinct emphasis on family-friendly content (nothing on the service is allowed that rates higher than a PG-13 in the US, or M here in Australia). Buffing up the catalogue are movies and shows from Disney’s blockbuster franchises – Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars – as well as documentaries from National Geographic. While it’s a smaller
Disney Plus Plans
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Save 16% with an annual subscription- Premium Yearly
- No Lock-in Contract
- Up to 4K UHD & HDR video
- Dolby Atmos audio
- $179.99/365 days
Save 16% with an annual subscription
- Premium Monthly
- No Lock-in Contract
- Up to 4K UHD & HDR video
- Dolby Atmos audio
- $17.99/mth
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Save 16% with an annual subscription- Standard Yearly
- No Lock-in Contract
- Stream in full HD & up to 5.1 audio
- Downloads on up to 10 devices
- $139.99/365 days
- Standard Monthly
- No Lock-in Contract
- Stream in full HD & up to 5.1 audio
- Downloads on up to 10 devices
- $13.99/mth
Last audited 1 November 2024
Stan TV Australia
About to chalk up five years of operation, Stan is a hugely popular streaming service in Australia, second only to the Netflix juggernaut. Having beaten Netflix to launch in Australia, it remains a unique example of a local streaming service that can step up and play in the big game, with subscribers now exceeding the magic million mark. Stan’s formula is a diverse mix of quality content that runs the gamut from family fare to adult arthouse, with everything imaginable in between. Exclusive deals with Showtime, Starz, MGM, Paramount and others make sure there’s plenty of quality content you can’t get elsewhere, too.
Last audited 1 November 2024
Kids’ Movies and Shows on Stan vs Disney Plus
One thing that parents will already have noticed is that the pull of Disney can be incredibly strong with kids – not surprising since the studio’s been responsible for some of the biggest kids’ movies in history, from early cartoons like Sleeping Beauty all the way through to modern classics like The Lion King and Frozen. All of that’s there on Disney Plus ready to stream in immaculate quality, alongside plenty of Disney content for older kids, including tons of Disney Channel shows and movies. Disney Plus also lets you set up profiles for your kids that completely changes the app interface to a brighter, entirely kid-focused one.
Stan’s kids’ section has a similarly bright theme, though you have to navigate there from the main interface. And despite the loss of Disney, there’s no shortage of excellent kids’ content here. Featuring shows from Cartoon Network, ABC Kids (yes, the all-important Wiggles are here) and Nickelodeon, there’s tons of favourites to be found. And when it comes to movies, Stan has the Dreamworks Animation line-up (Madagascar, Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon and many more) as well as a curated selection of kid-friendly films from the wider Stan catalogue. Stan lets you set up kids-only profiles, and unlike Disney Plus, your main profile is protected by a PIN so the kids can’t switch over.
Family Movies and Shows on Stan vs Disney Plus
Again, the mighty power of Disney is a bit hard to beat when it comes to family content, with the small but mighty Disney arsenal bringing together films like The Nightmare Before Christmas, the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, The Princess Diaries and many more. And of course, the collection of National Geographic documentaries here makes for perfect family viewing, with some favourites from the TV channel joined by new shows like The World According to Jeff Goldblum.
Over on Stan, the huge library of movies and shows offers up some family favourites including The Lego Movie and The Black Stallion. There’s no denying that it’s a bit harder to find the family content amongst Stan’s formidable selection of stuff, but there’s plenty of it there if you’re prepared to look around.
Movies and Shows for Everyone Else on Stan vs Disney Plus
When it comes to stuff for the grown-ups, things start to fall more in Stan’s
FeaturedThose looking for a diverse range of general entertainment will have a much better time with Stan, where there’s a vast range of movies and shows to suit all tastes. Whether it’s the nostalgic fun of Saturday Night Fever and Grease, modern classic drama like Breaking Bad and Billions, arthouse movies, Aussie movies, obscure horror movies, cheesy movies, classic TV shows… it’s only when you start browsing through the library that you realise how much there is. Where Disney Plus has a clear market in mind, Stan is very much “something for almost everyone” – and they do that really well.
Sports on Stan vs Disney Plus
This isn’t a comparison that could even have been made until recently, since neither service offered any sports content before at all – despite Disney being the owners of ESPN, one of the world’s biggest sports broadcasting networks. And when it comes to sports, nothing’s changed with Disney Plus – the service is designed specifically to deliver entertainment in the form of movies, TV shows
Stan, meanwhile, has recently launched Stan Sport, a paid add-on for your regular Stan subscription that will open up access to both live and on-demand sport, all of it ad-free. Being launched in partnership with Stan’s parent company Nine, Stan Sport initially offers a selection of exclusive Super Rugby matches, as well as add-free versions of those broadcast on Nine as part of the company’s new rights deal with the sport. These include Super Rugby AU, Super Rugby Aotearoa, and Trans-Tasman tournament, along with every match of the Rugby Championship, Bledisloe Cup, to name a few. Additional sports have been rumoured to be coming to Stan Sport (such as tennis) but full details have not yet been revealed.
Stan vs Disney Plus – Plans, Prices and Unique Features
Comparing the cost of these two streaming services is pretty straightforward since Disney Plus has only one plan – $11.99 per month (or $119.99 per year) for everything including the newly added Star, which diversifies its library with more TV and movie content. That includes up to four simultaneous streams, up to seven profiles
Stan’s pricing is a more traditional tiered affair, with higher video quality or extra streams costing more. The basic plan is $10/month (SD, 1 stream), but if you want HD and multiple streams you’ll have to pay $14/month for the Standard plan. And if you want 4K Ultra HD you’ll be up for $19/month – more than double what Disney Plus charges for the same level of access (though Stan has far more content, to be fair). If you want to add Stan Sport on top of your base subscription, that’s also another $10/month additional fee.
In the area of unique features, Disney Plus has something rather cool waiting for fans who like to take a deep dive into their
Stan vs Disney Plus – Device Compatibility
While both Stan and Disney Plus have apps available for a wide range of devices, Stan holds a slight advantage when it comes to the sheer number of devices supported. Not that Disney’s being slack about it – as a brand new service, they’re already supporting a fairly large range of popular platforms, with more to come.
| Devices | Stan | Disney Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Smart TVs | Samsung, LG, Sony, Hisense, Panasonic, TCL, Toshiba, Philips, Kogan, Ffalcon | LG, Samsung, Sony, Sharp, Vizio |
| Game Consoles | Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, PS3 | Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Xbox One S, Xbox One X, PS5, PS4, Playstation Pro, Playstation Slim |
| Apple TV | 2nd Generation and higher | 4th Generation and higher |
| Android TV | ✓ | ✓ |
| Chromecast | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fetch TV | ✓ | ✕ |
| Fire TV Stick | ✓ | ✓ |
| Telstra TV | ✓ | ✓ |
| Phones and Tablets | iOS and Android | iOS and Android |
| Computers | Yes, web browser and Windows app | Yes, web browsers |
Stan vs Disney Plus – Free Trials
The all-important free trial period is a must for anyone trying out a new streaming service. You not only want to get an idea if the content is what you’re looking for, but also whether it’ll stream well on your devices and broadband connection.
Stan offers the more or less industry-standard 30 day free trial, giving you ample time to get a feel for the service. You get the full 30 days regardless of the plan tier you choose, and if you cancel during that 30 days you won’t get charged a cent.
Disney Plus, however, doesn’t have a free trial currently on offer.
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Stan vs Disney Plus – Conclusion
It’s a difficult environment that Stan finds itself in these days, with more and more competition coming online and their brief foray into hosting Disney content interrupted by Disney itself. But Stan’s got years of experience under its belt and a long track record of giving its many customers what they want. Its pricing is on a par with its main rival (Netflix) and its library is large and diverse.
Disney Plus comes out of the gate bursting with family-friendly content and is an easy choice for parents everywhere. The great thing about it is the price – which, at only $10 a month if you pay annually, is low enough that you probably won’t need to cancel any other services to add the world of Disney to your streaming arsenal. It’s a winner, but it’s best paired with other services so you’ve got more choice of what to watch.
Frequently Asked Questions about Streaming TV
From the birth of television, we got all our content through live TV broadcasts on free-to-air TV – signals containing continuous TV channels sent out to anyone who can pick them up.
Streaming TV is completely different – you choose which TV shows and movies you want to watch from an app – whether it is on your TV, laptop, smartphone, or tablet device – and it’s then sent to you via your broadband internet connection.
It’s called “streaming” because you watch it as it’s being sent to you, rather than downloading it to watch later. And in recent years the Australian streaming market has exploded.
If you’ve got a recent model TV, it’s almost certainly what’s known as a “Smart TV” – in other words, it can download and run apps.
The most popular apps for smart TVs are those for streaming services. This is because it’s easy to just sit back and load up the app for your favourite service and start watching.
But smart TV support for each streaming service varies, so if you’re watching a lot of it, the better option is to buy a dedicated streaming device like Telstra TV or Apple TV or get a low-cost device called a Chromecast so you can send streaming TV to your screen from a phone or tablet app.
Streaming is really easy on modern smartphones and tablets, but not everyone wants to watch their shows and movies on a tiny screen. You can fix that easily with a small device made by Google called Chromecast.
It plugs into a spare HDMI port on your TV and connects to the same Wi-Fi network that your phone is on. Once it’s set up, all you need to do is load up your favourite streaming app – Netflix, BINGE, Kayo, and hundreds of others – and tap the little TV screen icon in the top right corner to connect to Chromecast.
Then everything you play will stream directly to your TV, letting you enjoy the best TV shows and movies of the Aussie streaming scene on the big screen!
If you’ve got a fairly recent model of Mac or PC, you’ll almost certainly find an HDMI video output socket on the back (or side, in the case of laptops) of the computer.
If you have one of these, streaming direct to your TV is easy – just connect it to a spare HDMI input on your TV with a cable and switch to that input, then start streaming. Other computers may have different video connectors, such as Mini DisplayPort, USB-C, or Thunderbolt.
These can connect to your TV as well, but you’ll need a special adapter cable for this. An easier option in those cases may be to use a Chromecast connected to the TV, sending video to it from the Google Chrome web browser.
Of all the streaming services, Netflix is the one that almost every Smart TV and streaming device supports – if you’ve bought a TV, disc player, or streaming device recently, it’ll probably have a big red and white Netflix button on its remote control!
All you need to do to stream Netflix TV shows on any TV is simply load up the app and sign in with your account email and password. Doing this will load up all your profiles, favourites, and watchlists, so you can pick up your TV shows and movies where you left off on the phone or PC.
While you’ll find Netflix support on pretty much every smart TV, the other streaming services you can access on that TV will vary greatly depending on the brand, model, and year of your TV.
The best solution, if you’re streaming all the time, is to buy a dedicated streaming box. These smart little devices plug into your TV via HDMI and act as a sort of “one-stop shop” for all the different streaming service apps. With them you can stream from any of them from the one remote control.
The best streaming boxes are the ones with the widest app support – with the Telstra TV and Apple TV at the top of the list. Both Apple TV and Telstra TV are priced at just above $200.
While Foxtel Now offers plenty of TV shows and movies for you to watch on demand, its main purpose is to deliver Foxtel’s live TV channels to you via streaming rather than satellite.
This is much the same as other streaming services, except that each channel is its own separate, continuous live stream, and you switch between channels rather than choosing individual titles.
It’s designed to behave just like regular TV does, but under the hood, it’s like any other streaming service and, as such, it performs best on a fast broadband connection.
All streaming TV uses an amount of download data on your broadband plan – so if you’ve got a monthly download limit, you’ll want to keep an eye on just how much data is being used.
That amount varies greatly between different streaming services, but as a general guide, expect to use around 1GB per hour at standard definition, 3GB per hour at HD (high definition), and 7GB per hour at 4K Ultra HD quality. This is not to mention offline downloads, which vary depending on the size of the file and your internet connection.
We’d recommend anyone who streams regularly get a broadband plan with unlimited data – they’re incredibly cheap now.
Innovative sports streaming service Kayo Sports is still working on apps for a wider range of Smart TVs.
At the moment, though, they offer an app for Samsung TVs made in 2017 and later, Hisense TVs made in 2019-2023, LG TVs made in 2018 or later, and for TVs running the Android TV operating system (like Sony’s recent models). You can also watch Kayo on the big screen using Google TV and Amazon Fire TV Stick.
For any other TV, Smart or not, you’ll need to use a streaming device, with the best ones for Kayo Sports being Telstra TV (which also lets you subscribe directly from the device) and Apple TV. Both Apple TV and Telstra TV offer a range of other content, making this worthwhile.
Kayo also supports Chromecast so you can cast from your phone, but a current-model Chromecast is recommended for best results. Check out our guide for more suggestions.
Foxtel Go is the app for phones and tablets that’s designed for use by customers of both Foxtel satellite TV and Foxtel Now services.
You can stream the live channels and on-demand content to a TV by using the new Foxtel app for LG and Samsung smart TVs, or by streaming from the mobile app to a Chromecast device.
However, Foxtel satellite customers will need to add the Multiscreen pack to their account before they can begin streaming. Foxtel Now customers can stream on simultaneous devices – up to two at the same time. They can also use the dedicated Foxtel Now box or Telstra TV and Apple TV to stream.
beIN SPORTS CONNECT lets you stream your favourite sports through your computer, smartphone or tablet. To watch through your television, the beIN SPORTS CONNECT app supports Chromecast and Apple TV AirPlay casting.
With the free-to-air streaming services – ABC iView, SBS On Demand, 7plus, 9now and 10 Play – you’ve got plenty of choices to watch on your TV, especially if it supports the “Freeview” standard.
TVs that offer Freeview will display a banner when changing channels, letting you access that network’s streaming service with the tap of a coloured button. For easier browsing and streaming, almost all Smart TVs include apps for all five of the free-to-air networks. As do the streaming boxes like Telstra TV and Apple TV.
All of these apps are completely free to use, though some require you to sign up for a free account, and all (except ABC iView) are supported by ad breaks during your streams.
No. That’s one of the best things about all the best streaming services, including Foxtel Now and Kayo Sports – there is no need to agree to any sort of lock-in contract.
You pay a month in advance for a month’s access and can cancel at any time. Even better, you can re-subscribe later and as long as it hasn’t been too long, you’ll find all your favourites and watchlists right where you left them.
The tradition with streaming TV has been to offer new customers a free trial period so they can see if they like what the service has to offer. However, not all services offer free trials.
Netflix and Disney Plus don’t offer a free trial anymore, so anyone signing up for the first time will have to pay for the first month to try them out.
However, there are still plenty of free trials around, such as Foxtel Now (10 days), BINGE (7 days), Kayo Sports (7 days), Paramount Plus (7 days), BritBox (7 days), and Amazon Prime Video (30 days). And along with Amazon Prime and the others, both Stan Sport and Apple TV offer a 7-day free trial of their services.
Because it’s designed to be watched on demand, streaming services don’t give you the ability to record shows and movies to watch later.
However, some services do allow you to download titles to a mobile phone or tablet to stream later without using the internet.
This can be brilliant for when you’re travelling – load up your iPad or phone with some movies or a series, and you can watch them anywhere without incurring a massive mobile data bill. Streaming services that allow downloads include Netflix, Stan, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube Premium, Disney Plus, Apple TV+, and BritBox on select devices.
