Netflix Faces Stiff Competition from Stan, the Latest Streaming Service in Australia

Stan-The New Entertainment Sensation in Australia

Rumors are rife that Netflix is all set to make its foray in Australia in March 2015. The streaming service is a popular entertainment source in the country, which already owns around 200,000-350,000 subscribers. This is surprising, as the company has not yet entered the country officially. In fact, the Aussie viewers enjoy it all without license, with the help of certain unblocking services like VPN and proxy servers.

Anticipating the severe business threat, several existing TV show providers in the country are collaborating to come up with new, productive, and entertaining initiatives. In a similar move, Nine and Fairfax have joined forces to unveil Stan, a promising Australian based Streaming TV and movie service. The new service was officially released on the Australia Day i.e., 26th January amid high speculations. It is expected to create even greater stir in the Australian entertainment industry in the long term. 

Besides the US based streaming service provider Netflix, Stan will also compete with Fetch TV, Foxtel, Quickflix, and Presto, all of which have been entertaining the viewers since a long time now. However, considering the sensible strategy it is set to follow, it holds better chances of overshadowing the rivals. It aims at broadcasting unlimited streaming for a flat monthly fee, hence enabling the viewers to watch movies, entertainment programs, news shows, etc. beyond limitations.

To begin with, the streaming facility is available at $10 per month. As compared to Netflix, which offers subscriptions for US $8.99, this would be slightly more. To view the brighter aspect, it frees the users from abiding by any contract, hence allowing them to sign off or on as per their wish. It also allows a free trial with its don’t-forget-to-cancel model.

The video-on-demand service is offering 750 titles including films, TV shows, and documentaries in its initial stage of launch. The subscribers of Stan will be able to watch Better Call Saul, the Breaking Bad spin-off series as soon as it is aired on Feb 9, 2015. It has already grabbed the exclusive rights for Golden-Globe winner Transparent and the American comedy series Mozart In The Jungle.

The service has even much more in the lineup to show in the coming times, thanks to its multifarious

deals that it has signed with the media and entertainment moguls of the likes of BBC Worldwide, Viacom, ABC, SBS, and Sony. The collaborations will ensure an overwhelming dose of lively entertainment including titles from foreign languages besides a flurry of shows from the unplugged Australian and Hollywood entertainment world.

Some prominent titles include Hannibal, The Good Wife, Sherlock, Ray Donovan, Call the Midwife, Masters of Sex, Top Gear and Doctor Who, and Californication, to name a few. For those seeking to enjoy watching Australian programs, Stan is all engrossed with the favorite shows like Redfern Now and Rake, House Husbands and Love Chil, Underbelly seasons, and Ja'mie Private School Girl.

With such impressive kickoff, it would be interesting to see how Stan competes with the rapidly growing popularity of Netflix, which is just around the corner, along with the existing market of other market capturers like Presto and Quickflix.