The days of streaming our precious stories online, rather than through our TVs like pure schmucks, is nigh, everyone, as Australia’s online-streaming service has begun today: Foxtel and Seven West Media‘s Presto Entertainment has just launched online.
Presto is one of two major competitors to the near-ubiquitous, highly anticipated arrival of Netflix in Australia – whose release date has so far been rather shady, but which has been rumoured to drop on March 31 – the other service being Farifax and Nine’s gentlemanly-named Stan.
Presto’s pricing point appears to follow in Stan‘s footsteps – $9.99 for TV or moving streaming per month – but with the added price tier of $14.99 for access to both movie and TV streaming.
While we can assume that Netflix Australia will (hopefully) bring the original programming that has made it so successful – Orange Is The New Black, for starters – Presto doesn’t appear to have secured the kind of highly sought-after exclusive distribution rights that make streaming services so attractive. At a glance, some of the biggest shows Presto is offering are Girls (Season 1 and 2), the complete series of The Wire, True Blood, The Newsroom, Dexter and Boardwalk Empire, among others.
Meanwhile, Stan – release date yet to be announced – has secured distribution rights for Transparent (which cleaned up well at Monday’s Golden Globes), Better Call Saul, and Fargo, again, among others.
With Presto, Stan and Netflix all to be vying for our loyalty soon enough, the Australian TV landscape is set for a pretty huge shake up. And the more TV there is the better, obviously.
Via news.com.au
