2015’s a freaking big year for the Australian television industry in terms of the outlets through which producers can distribute content. Though we might be somewhat behind the eightball with regards to the rest of the world, all that’s about to change as our fair little island home catches up in a big hurry.
Ahead of the planned “official” expansion of US streaming giant Netflix, which is allegedly set to touch down on familiar shores on March 31st, local networks have been scrambling to set up their own subscription services. We know that the Seven Network are getting chummy with Foxtel to provide a TV arm to the cable service’s pre-existing Presto streaming platform. And now the newest player is set to enter the game.
Fairfax Media and the Nine Network have joined forces and will be launching their own streaming platform Stan, and today have confirmed that the service will go live on Australia Day – this coming Monday the 26th of January.
Fairfax and Nine have been spruiking the product particularly hard across their media networks over the past couple of days, focusing on selling points such as the $10 per month price tag with a free 30 day trial period.
They’ve also revealed a chunk of the content that will be available to subscribers, including the exclusively held airing rights to the hotly anticipated Better Call Saul – which will be coupled with the option to binge-watch all five seasons of its parent show Breaking Bad.
Other titles on offer include the transgender comedy/drama Transparent starring Jeffrey Tambour, acclaimed drama Mozart in the Jungle, and other fare such as Masters of Sex, Hannibal, Ray Donovan, Californication, The Good Wife, Sherlock, Call the Midwife, Top Gear, Doctor Who, Ja’mie: Private School Girl, Redfern Now, and every season of Underbelly.
Whether that’s enough to convince you to sign up, or whether you’re still a little miffed by the fact that there’s going to be three different services with disparate content who are all kind of just trying to guess what it is you want to view, remains to be seen.
But still, brace yourselves kids. Things are about to get real different real quick around here.
via SMH.
