Traditionally, if you wanted to watch a TV show or movie you pretty much had three choices: you could watch it on free-to-air TV, watch it on cable TV, or rent or buy a DVD.

But there are now more ways than ever to watch TV shows and movies in Australia – at last count there were over 20.

With the advent of the internet, and now the convergence of television and online services, your choices are way beyond what you could have imagine even five years ago.

And you don’t even need to be stuck in front of the television any more. You can now watch television shows and movies on-the-go on your tablet or smartphone.

Definitions

All these various services come with new terminology all their own, so before we jump in, let’s take a look at some of the more common terms and their meanings.

Broadband Quota This is a set amount of data you can transfer (including downloads and uploads) per month based on the contract you have with your internet service provider (ISP).

Streaming and downloading content from internet-based entertainment services can contribute to using up this data limit, so it is recommended you check with your ISP on what allowance you have, and whether or not these entertainment services are counted towards the total.

Contract A contract is a set period of time you need to pay for a particular service. For example, if you pay $20 per month for the service, but have signed up for a period of 24 months, your total cost would be $480 and you will need to pay for the entire two years on a monthly basis.

Download A download is a program or show you have requested from the service provider and stored on your hard drive – usually on a computer, but increasingly on a set-top box of some sort.

Pay-per-view Pay-per-view is a way of buying or viewing content on a per-show basis.

Streaming When you stream a program you are accessing it via the service provider’s servers and it is being sent, in small parts, to your TV or mobile device. This is done in a way you can enjoy uninterrupted viewing. This is counted as downloading and can have an impact on your monthly broadband quota.

Subscription A subscription model is where you pay for access to programs while not actually owning any of them. So, when you stop paying for the service, you will no longer have access to them.

Video-on-demand (VOD)VOD allows you to watch shows when you want to, rather than waiting for a television station to broadcast it.

Ways to watch shows

Now we have the terminology sorted out, it’s time to take a comprehensive look at the various ways to watch TV shows and movies in Australia.

The various services fall into one of four categories:

1. Regular TV
2. Streaming services
3. Download services
4. Access media

Regular TV

Regular television has been around since the 1950s, but we have seen a rapid change to the number of programs and the way in which we watch it over the last five years. Here are a couple of options for watching regular television.

Freeview Freeview includes all of the free-to-air channels that are available in Australia. This includes the ABC, channels 7, 9, 10 and SBS, and their respective digital stations.

Foxtel Foxtelgives you access to a whole host of extra channels, many specializing on certain topics, such as 24-hour news, sports, documentaries, and movies.

Foxtel is a traditional cable company and is based on a contracted subscription model.

Streaming services

Streaming services allow you to start viewing the show you request almost instantly rather than having to download the show completely before viewing it.

Freeview Catch Up Some of the Freeview channels have an online service that lets you catch up with shows that have already aired. These include: iView, SBS On-Demand, Plus7, 9 Jumpin, and 10 Play.

Catching up with the shows you missed in this way can be a little hit and miss however, as not all shows are accessible via these online channels.

YouTube You may think of YouTube as a whole bunch of silly videos by teenagers, but YouTube now features full-length movies, TV shows, and internet-only shows. Some of these are free to view, while others are available on pay-per-view basis. And with newer, digital televisions, YouTube is easily accessible from your couch.

Netflix This US company‘s services are now available in Australia. It allows you to watch television shows on demand. In addition to standard programming, Netflix also have a number of award-winning shows they have produced themselves, giving them exclusive content no other platform has. Some of the better known Netflix produced shows include House of Cards and Orange is the New Black.

Presto Presto is a streaming service which gives you access to TV shows and movies.

You pay a monthly subscription, which gives you access to the majority of movies, TV shows (or both) on the website.

However, some movies (usually latest releases) are only available for an additional fee. This means you have to pay extra to view these movies and you only have 48 hours to watch them.

There are no lock-in contracts with Presto – you simply keep paying for as long as you want the service.

And you can view the movies on a variety of devices such as your television, computer, and mobile devices.

Quickflix

Quickflix allows you to view movies and TV shows two ways: either streaming over the net, or via a physical DVD or Blu-ray mailed to your home.

The former allows you to watch the shows over various devices, such as smartTVs, game consoles, computers and mobile devices.

Quickflix also charges separately for their premium movies and TV shows, over and above the monthly subscription price.

Stan

Stanis another streaming service that allows you to watch movies and TV shows. You can watch shows via your television (via Apple’s Airplay or Google’s Chromecast), computer, or mobile device.

You are not locked into a contract with Stan and may cancel any time.

Download services

This service allows you to download a show after purchasing it and gives you the choice of renting it (that is, watching it for a certain period of time), or owning it forever. You usually have to download the entire show before being able to view it.

iTunes

iTunes gives you the ability to download movies and TV shows. You will need to download iTunes to your computer and then you will have access to an impressive library of movies and TV shows.

You can either stream over the internet or download a show. Both options give you access to the show from a variety of Apple devices, which allows you to watch the show wherever you are.

EzyFlix EzyFlix is a service that allows you to buy or rent movies and TV shows, which you download and have access to on your computer or mobile device.

You pay per show and you can also get access to the shows wherever you are via a cloud-based service called Ultraviolet.

Google Play

Known mainly as a way to download apps on your Android-powered mobile device, Google Playalso offers movies and TV shows. You have the option to buy or rent, and can download an app to view it on your mobile device.

Access media

Access media is a device or software that allows you to view more content on a variety of devices.

Foxtel Play

Foxtel Play streams TV over the internet so you can watch Freeview and Foxtel channels on a variety of devices, such as modern gaming consoles and computers.

Foxtel Go

If you have a Foxtel cable or Foxtel Play service you can get access to Foxtel Go, which allows you to view Freeview and Foxtel channels on portable devices, such as your smartphone or tablet. This comes free with your Foxtel cable subscription and allows you to view programming on up to devices at the same time.

Telstra TBox

Similar to a standard set-top box that lets you record, pause and rewind live free-to-air TV, Telstra TBox also gives you the ability to rent movies and TV shows, as well as having access to an additional 30 Foxtel channels.

FetchTV

FetchTV is a subscription service offering users the ability to watch TV over the internet. It is a set-top box with a built-in video recorder, which adds up to 35 subscription channels, radio, and video on demand.

Apple TV

Apple TV is a small device that allows you to access movies, TV shows, sports, music, and your own media on your TV.

Chromecast

Brought to you by Google, this USB plugs into your TV and allows you to view media on your TV via Wi-Fi. This would allow you to stream any sort of media from your computer or mobile device to your TV, as well as anything available online.

FreeviewPlus

FreeView Plus is little more than a service for the online Freeview channels that allows you to watch, search, save, and set reminders all from one program. See Freeview Catch Up above.

What’s the cost?

So, what’s the cost of all this?

Some services, like Freeview – as its name suggests – are free, others require a one-off or on-going fee.

All the streaming services have a monthly subscription cost, but these are mostly contract-free, so you have the option of cancelling any time.

Download services tend to only charge you for what you download, although this can be a more expensive option depending on how many shows you watch.

The hidden cost

There is a potential hidden cost with some of these services, especially streaming services – and that is bandwidth costs.

To be able to access the internet you usually pay an internet service provider (ISP) a monthly fee in exchange for access to a certain amount of downloads within that month.

The problem with some of these services is, due to their video content, they can use a great deal of your bandwidth.

So, you could find yourself running through your allotted monthly bandwidth very quickly with some of these services. And once you reach your quota, you could find your internet slowed considerably, cut off, or you may be charged extra for additional usage.

It is a good idea to check with your ISP before you sign up to one of these services.

Conclusion

Watching your favourite shows is changing quickly in Australia, and while most people will still access their content via their televisions, where that content comes from (and what we pay for it) has, and will continue, to change considerably.

Over to you

Are you already using one of these services to watch your favourite TV shows or movies? Are you thinking about it? Let us know in the comments below.