Are Australians Being Rorted By Online Movie Services? [Infographic]

A CHOICE investigation into video streaming services has found what most of us already know: Australians are paying more money, have fewer choice and less flexibility than other overseas markets when it comes to online movies and TV shows.

According to CHOICE, Australian customers are being treated like “second class citizens” when it comes to accessing movies and television shows via online entertainment services.

“Netflix in the US costs only US$7.99 per month and features a hit-parade of shows including Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, House of Cards and Arrested Development,” CHOICE’s director of campaigns and communications Matt Levey said in a statement.

“In Australia, Quickflix subscription costs range from AU$15 to AU$35 per month and you pay extra to watch some movies and TV shows. Also, it uses DVDs for new release movies, while Foxtel charges AU$72 per month.”

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We feel it’s worth noting that the Quickflix comparison isn’t particularly fair — the addition of DVD rentals would be considered beneficial to many consumers and the equivalent service from Netflix carries an additional fee which makes the prices roughly comparable. There’s no arguing with Quickflix’s limited content library and plan flexibility, however.

“It’s little wonder that Australian consumers are using free browser plugins such as Media Hint and Hola to access Netflix in the United States,” Levey said.

“We encourage consumers to get around so-called ‘geo-blocks’ to pay for legitimate content, but you need to do your due diligence.”

Below is an infographic produced by CHOICE comparing Quickflix and Foxtel to the American streaming service Netflix:

See also: The Lifehacker Guide To Streaming Blocked Overseas Content | Australia’s Best (Legal) Online Movie Services


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