It ticks a few boxes right out of the gate when you think about it, great price, no ads, and great shows, important when you’re trying to crack it as the fifth big player in a market flooded by way more than just five streaming services all arguing for your dollars each month.
Binge is the name for the streaming service from Foxtel launching on Monday (May 25) packed with all the shows Foxtel is known for, but free from the installation, high monthly cost, and ad breaks people get watching shows on Foxtel.
Launched and run by Streamotion, the company which built Kayo and launched that with amazing success, it’s the same platform as Kayo, just a whole new bunch of content and a different interface.
There’s huge shows like Westworld, Chernobyl, Game of Thrones, The Wire, The Sopranos, Ballers, and even Seinfeld with the West Wing and Friends to come.
No shortage of great content.
But there’s also some nifty tricks we’ve not seen before on streaming services. For example; “Surprise Me” – think of it as a button that could take you to any content, or as Binge executives described it to me, like turning on the TV when you don’t know what’s on.
And it’s targeted head on at Stan and in part Netflix.
Moreso Stan one has to say, because Netflix is really finding its feet with Netflix originals content these days, where as Stan is a portal to some epic content from the big studios around the world as well as locally.
Binge in this sense is the same as Stan, except they have no plans to make local content, only to aggregate content (that Foxtel have the rights to).
Julian Ogrin, CEO of BINGE says “BINGE speaks to the heart of what great entertainment viewing is about, something that is so good you can’t switch off. BINGE will provide permission to indulge in the shows you love and the shows you can’t get enough of; it’s entertainment that’s unturnoffable.
“This is a next generation streaming service that we want to go beyond providing the best content by creating an emotional connection with viewers based on unapologetic entertainment pleasure, a place you can escape to for that precious ‘me time’. We couldn’t be more excited to pull the curtain back and show Australia this incredible product.
“The time is right to unleash this new service providing Australians with the best in drama, lifestyle, reality and movies. With an amazing line-up of entertainment from the world’s best brands, BINGE will have something for everyone, whenever you want to watch, on your favourite device. And with new content added daily, there will always be something fresh to enjoy.”
Binge is available on a two week trial to everyone, after which the pricing starts at $10 a month (just like Stan) for a single stream in Standard Definition.
Bump up to $14 a month (just like Stan – though Stan offers three streams), for an additional stream and HD quality.
The top package is $18 a month ($1 more than Stan) for four streams in HD.
No 4K. Stan and Netflix offer 4K, Binge has really missed the mark not offering 4K from the get-go.
Pretty much every single TV sold in the last 4 years is 4K – why not offer some of the amazing content they have – in 4K. This I think will be the main challenge for Binge – lacking that high quality output for their high-quality content.
But, perhaps they know only too well there are millions of Aussie homes who have wanted to see some of these shows that are made famous on social media and around the watercooler, but are only on Foxtel. Binge makes them accessible.
Just imagine if Binge was around during Game of Thrones – a legitimate legal viewing platform for just $10 a month.
Binge will be available on Android TV, Apple TV, Telstra TV, Chromecast, and Mobile devices. Samsung TVs will follow soon, given the platform already exists for Kayo. Don’t hold your breath for more though, that might take some time.
It’s got a solid base, we know Kayo streaming is reliable. It’s got great content, and it’s priced well.
The real question is are Aussies willing to sign up for “yet another” streaming service.
