There are many ways to watch sport the world over and Australia is no different. Since Kayo Sports arrived in 2018 it has well and truly taken the sports streaming world by storm. This is in no small part due to the fact it offers customers the chance to stream all of Foxtel’s sports channels without having to commit to a fixed contract – and without the necessity of subscribing to other non-sports channels.
Kayo has the best in local and international sports and with over 50 live and on-demand sports available to view across the calendar year, no other streaming service really comes close.
Stan Sports is a more recent competitor to Kayo Sports, with streaming service Stan launching their sports-dedicated platform in early 2021. With an initial focus on Rugby Union, Stan Sports has slowly begun to branch out into the world of tennis, and it won’t be long before it broadens its offering.
We’re going to look at which service offers the best packages in terms of money and entertainment so you can find out the best option for all your sporting needs.
Coverage comparison: Kayo vs Stan
Kayo and Stan both offer a number of sports streaming channels for you to watch sports live or on demand at a time and place that suits you.
What can I watch on Kayo Sports?
Kayo Sports provide customers with over 50 sports events, tournaments and matches throughout the calendar year – thanks to its ties with Fox Sports, Kayo’s sporting access is almost unrivalled for a streaming service.
There are 14 channels to choose from that cover a huge amount of sports, with 8 channels available from Fox Sports alone – including their dedicated Cricket channel and Fox Sports 506. While this covers the majority of major sport in Australia, there’s more from around the world to access, too.
With links to ESPN, Kayo offers the best of American sport with the NBA, NFL and NHL.
Here are the other sports you can watch on Kayo.
What can I watch on Stan Sport?
Stan Sports offer a specialist angle on sports streaming – particularly with Rugby Union. Pretty much any and every rugby union competition the world over will be available on Stan, making it an excellent choice for rugby union fans.
Add to that specialist offering the likes of top-tier European football with the UEFA Champions League and Grand Slam Tennis, you won’t be missing out if your preferred sporting entertainment falls within these sports.
When you’ve signed up to Stan, you also gain access to hoards of Hollywood movies and Stan originals and thousands of hours of TV content, so it’s a great all-rounder. Here are other sports you can watch on Stan Sports.
Price comparison
Now for the part that affects your bank balance – the cost.
Kayo Sport
As a popular sports streaming platform, Kayo Sports offer two main price plans for you to watch and stream sports in Australia. Their basic plan is $25 per month. Their basic plan allows you to stream all the sport you want on two compatible devices simultaneously in high definition.
The premium plan with Kayo offers the same wide range of sports as the basic plan, with the added benefit of being able to stream on three devices at once rather than two.
With both plans you’re free to cancel your monthly, rolling contract at any time you please, and the same goes for upgrading or downgrading your plan. With no lock-in plans, you’re free to cancel at any time with no charge for doing so, offering excellent flexibility.
Stan Sports
Stan Sports is a cheaper option on the surface, with its sports plan available for $10 per month. However, you must first subscribe to Stan’s basic non-sports plan, which is between $10-19 per month – meaning the overall cost to subscribe to Stan Sports lies between $20-29 per month.
Kayo and Telstra
Existing Telstra customers can benefit from a discounted Kayo subscription with Kayo from Telstra. With Kayo from Telstra, you can enjoy three plans (One, Basic, and Premium) and this is exclusive to Telstra customers with eligible mobile and broadband plans and is part of a 12-month contract.
Kayo One is a new plan from Kayo, replacing the former Basic subscription as the lowest tier option. Priced at $25 per month, it offers the same features and content available with the Basic and Premium plans. The only difference is that it allows streaming on 1 device only. When you sign up via Telstra, you’ll get the same Kayo subscription and every sports action that comes with it.
Eligible Telstra account customers can conveniently add a Kayo Basic plan to their Telstra account for $27.50/month. The Kayo Basic monthly fees give you instant access to over 50 live sports in HD, including live NBA, Cricket, Tennis, MotoGP, and NFL, plus many more sports whether you’re at home or you’re out and about. Kayo Basic also allows you to stream sports on 2 devices at once and comes jam-packed with a range of in-game viewing features.
A Kayo Premium subscription offers all the same features as a Basic plan, the only difference being that you can stream on up to three devices at once wherever you may be. This option is ideal if different members of your household wants to check out Kayo Sports at the same time. You can easily switch between Basic and Premium plans when you please for added practicality.
Free trials
Both streaming services do offer a free trial period to new customers to try out their service, which can be used to watch your favourite tournaments before deciding whether its worth paying for a subscription.
Kayo’s 14 day free trial offer is a great way to check out their range of features as well as gain access to any sport you’re looking for, though Stan do have a bit of an edge here as they offer a 30 day trial to new streaming customers.
Devices
Both streaming services are available across the usual suspects of compatible devices, offering downloadable apps for Apple and Android devices, while also being available on PCs, Macs, smart TVs and more.
Stan does have the advantage of being compatible with a higher number of smart TVs, too.
Devices supported on Stan
- PCs and Macs: Yes – Safari 9+ (macOS 10.10 and later), Chrome 89+ (macOS 10.11 and later), Firefox 88+ (macOS 10.12 and later); Google Chrome 89+ (Windows 7 and later), Microsoft Edge (Windows 10 and later), Firefox 88+ (Windows 7 and later), Internet Explorer 11 (Windows 8.1 and later)
- Mobile Devices: Yes – iOS 11.0 and above; Android 4.4 and above; Windows 10
- Apple TV: Yes – Apple TV Generations 2-4 and 4K
- Fetch TV: Yes – Fetch TV Generation 2 and later
- Foxtel: Yes – iQ 3, 4 and 5 devices
- Hubbl: Yes – Hubbl Glass & Hubbl Puck
- Amazon Fire TV: Yes – Launch Stan app on Amazon Fire TV from Spotlight
- Chromecast: Yes – Google Chromecast and TVs/media players with Chromecast built-in
- Gaming Consoles: Yes – Xbox One, Xbox One Series X, Xbox One Series S, PS3, PS4, PS5
- Samsung Smart TV: Yes – 2013-2020 models
- LG Smart TV: Yes – 2013-2020 models
- Sony Smart TV: Yes – 2014-2020 models
- Hisense Smart TV: Yes – 2015-2020 models
- Panasonic Smart TV: Yes – 2017-2019 models
- TCL Smart TV: Yes – 2016-2019 models
- Android TV: Yes – Version 5 and above; Foxtel Now box, NVIDIA SHIELD, Mi Box, Google TV, Vodafone TV & more below:
- Philips Android TV: Yes – 2016-2017 models
- Kogan SmarterTV: Yes – select models
- Toshiba Android TV: Yes – select models
- FFALCON Smart TV: Yes – select models
- EKO TV: Yes – select models
Devices supported on Kayo
- PC/Mac: Yes – MacOS 10.12+ (Chrome, Safari, Firefox) & Windows 10 (Chrome, Firefox, Edge); web browser only
- iOS/Android Phones/Tablets: Yes – Via native apps (iOS 15+ and Android 8+)
- Hubbl: Yes – available on both the small device and Hubbl Glass
- Google Chromecast: Yes – Chromecast Ultra, 3rd Generation
and Chromecast with Google TV for optimal streaming. SplitView not available - Apple TV: Yes – tvOS 11+, 4th Generation or higher. Casting available to previous models
- Amazon Fire TV Stick – Yes
- Google TV: Yes – OS 8.0+
- Android TV: Yes – Via
app for version 8.0 andup on the following devices: Xiaomi Mi Box, Asus Nexus Player, NVIDIA SHIELD, Sony BRAVIA™ and select models of Hisense, Kogan, Mecool, Panasonic, Philips, Sharpand TCL - Samsung Smart TVs: Yes – 2017 and later models. SplitView not available
- LG TV: Yes – 2018 models or later using WebOS 4 and above. LG Netcast TV’s or via LG TV’s Web Browser Application not available.
- Hisense Smart TV: Select 2019 – 2023 models
- Gaming Consoles: Yes – PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5
The verdict
In our opinion it’s a little bit of a no-brainer. When it comes to cost and pure range of sporting access, Kayo Sports is the clear winner.
Add into the mix the fact that Kayo has additional features that other sports streaming services don’t offer, such as No Spoilers, Interactive Stats, Kayo Minis and SplitView – the ability to watch four different sports at once – it really does lie undefeated as a sports streaming service.
Stan Sports shouldn’t be discounted entirely, however, as it’s a great option for those who would enjoy taking advantage of Stan’s regular streaming service and only have an interest in the specific sports that Stan provides.
It really does lie with the customer, but for pure sporting streaming, Kayo is the one for us.
Other sports streaming services
If Kayo might not be quite the thing you’re looking for, check out the following streaming TV services available below that also show live sport in Australia. Most of the options below offer a free trial period, so you might as well test the waters for each service and decide for yourself which is best for your needs!
Other services comparison guide
If you want to explore more and find amazing streaming services available in Australia, here are some helpful comparison guides that you can use as references:
What people ask about Kayo and Stan
Check out the FAQs of these 2 streaming services
There are a great many options when it comes to sports streaming in Australia, with the stand out options being Foxtel Now and Kayo Sports due to their wide range of sports events and channels, as well as the special features offered. Other streaming services, however, have unique offering – such as Stan Sports and their specialist rugby union access.
If you’re sporting mad, Kayo is the streaming service for you. It’s wide range of additional features, such as SplitView and No Spoilers, make it a desirable option for many sports fans in Australia. The huge number of sports it offers are also a great pull.
Stan Sports and Kayo Sports are both sports streaming subscription services that offer live and on-demand sports viewing in Australia, but they are not the same. Kayo has a wider offering of sports and access to Foxtel Sports, and ESPN sporting channels, while Stan offers unique access to rugby union, UEFA Champions League football and Grand Slam Tennis.