Free Streaming Services Australia: Watch Your Favourite Movies and Shows


Free Streaming Services In Australia

Streaming services have become the most popular form of watching our favourite shows and movies in the last few years, but are there free streaming services in Australia?

Streaming sites and movie streaming services have completely changed how the world watches content. And it’s no different in Australia.

But with so many paid streaming services available, it would cost a small fortune to try them all, wouldn’t it? This makes free streaming services in the country even the more essential.

Free Streaming Services

This article will go through some of the best free to air streaming services in Australia, which offer access to some of the best TV shows, as well as movies and entertainment.

Free TV Streaming

Check out these streaming services to watch your favourite shows and movies on your TV or on your devices, their features, prices and more!

Search our Free To Air TV Guide

ABC iView (4.5/5)

ABC iView

Where better to start than the national broadcasting network in Australia? ABC has been the home to the best content in Australia since 1932 and is one of the free streaming services in Australia that offer premium dramas.

  • Concurrent streams: 1
  • Catalogue size: 1000+ movies and TV shows
  • Requirements: Email address

Pros:

  • Fantastic range of ABC original content
  • ABC iView is available to stream in over 40 countries throughout the Asia-Pacific region
  • Light data usage
  • User-friendly interface

Cons:

  • The ABC iView app is only available to people outside Australia
  • The app has a slimmer content offering compared to ABC Australia and the main ABC iView service
  • Lacking in sports content, especially live sports
  • Poor resolution (standard definition) compared with premium streaming services

The ABC iView streaming service is a brilliant option for people who missed their daily dose of ABC. It is also a great place to find a range of content in every genre – ABC News, ABC Comedy, ABC Arts, or the family-friendly ABC Kids. So, for access to current affairs and popular shows, ABC iView has got your back!

Sign up for their free streaming service account and spend as much time as you want flicking between great TV shows such as Mystery Road and Broadchurch, or classic comedies like The Witchfinder and Fisk. Not to mention the excellent content for kids and the vast collection of popular movies that have been shown on the ABC TV channel.

You can also check out this ABC TV guide to help you search for other programs, or find the latest series to stream tonight with our ‘What’s on ABC TV‘ highlights page.

SBS On Demand (4/5)

SBS On Demand - free streaming services in Australia

SBS On Demand is another excellent free streaming service which allows fans of TV shows, movies, news, and live sport in Australia to catch up on their favourite content. These are the things you need to know about the service.

  • Concurrent streams: 1
  • Catalogue size: 1100+ TV shows and 1000+ movies
  • Requirements: Email address

Pros:

  • You can create your own SBS On Demand playlists
  • Amazing range of free movies and TV shows, with many available indefinitely
  • Access to basketball and cycling competitions

Cons:

  • Long advert breaks
  • Not a great range of sports
  • 720p max resolution

The SBS On Demand service includes channels from SBS, Viceland, NITV, and the SBS Food Channel, with brilliant TV shows and movies available for no cost at all. Check out what’s new on SBS On Demand here.

And SBS is also home to a vast range of original content and the Tour de France in Australia – the perfect place to stream it on-demand completely for free, with no free trial required.

You can find out what’s streaming on SBS tonight with the help of our SBS TV guide.

7Plus (4.5/5)

7Plus - Free streaming services in Australia

The 7Plus streaming service has got one of the widest ranges of on-demand and live TV shows for the whole family.

Here’s what you need to know.

  • Concurrent streams: 1
  • Catalogue size: 1000+ movies and TV shows, as well as a good range of live and catch-up sports content
  • Requirements: Email address

Pros:

  • Extensive range of content for a free service
  • Very good sports content
  • A dedicated and easy-to-use app
  • Great original content and a deep back catalogue

Cons:

  • Long advert breaks
  • The Cricket and AFL are not available due to licencing issues
  • Average resolution compared to paid services

From the cricket to Dawson’s Creek and Desperate Housewives – not to mention the brilliant Fox drama 911 – you’ll be fighting over the remote to get your pick with Channel 7 providing the best of TV.

Or if you want to lock yourself away and watch your favourite shows on your laptop or tablet, you can! You can do this through web browsers or the brilliant 7Plus app.

As with most free streaming services, 7Plus is ad-supported but it’s worth it for the free sign-up and the brilliant content. Other great services such as 7flix, 7two, 7food and 7mate shows are also available.

You can find out what’s streaming on Channel 7 tonight with the help of our Channel 7 TV guide. With the wide range of TV series available, it might take you a bit of time to choose that’s why we’ve also listed the best programs available to stream for free in our ‘What’s on Channel 7’ highlights page.

9Now (4/5)

9Now - Free streaming services in Australia

9Now is a free on-demand streaming platform where you can catch all your favourite Channel 9 shows without paying a penny.

  • Concurrent streams: 1
  • Catalogue size: 1000+ movies and TV shows, as well as a good range of live and catch-up sports content
  • Requirements: Email address

Pros:

  • Extensive range of content for a free service
  • Very good sports content
  • A dedicated and easy-to-use app
  • Great original content and a deep back catalogue

Cons:

  • Long advert breaks
  • The Cricket and AFL are not available due to licencing issues
  • Average resolution compared to paid services

One of the popular free streaming services in Australia is 9Now, the home of Australian classics like the drama-filled McLeod’s Daughters, Chicago Med, and Sea Patrol as well as retro shows like Baywatch and Botched. It also offers a brilliant selection of kids’ films and TV shows completely for free, such as LEGO Friends, Teen Titans Go, and Transformers. Perfect for the whole family!

You can find new shows to stream using our ‘What’s on Channel 9’ page, or you can explore more programs and their schedules with the help of our Channel 9 TV guide.

10Play (4/5)

10Play - Free streaming services in Australia

TenPlay is the free streaming service for you if you love brilliant shows like Survivor, Masterchef: Back to Win?, and Anger Management.

Not only is it home to such brilliant programmes, but Channel 10 also offers free live sports streaming in Australia. Some of your options are the Australia Cup and the A-League. You can catch up on all the sports from this season and last, as well as local and international news.

So, what do you need to know?

  • Concurrent streams: 1
  • Catalogue size: 100+ movies and TV shows
  • Requirements: Email address

Pros:

  • A good range of sports content
  • The app is free and easy to use
  • Original content and a range of tv shows and movies

Cons:

  • Very long advert breaks
  • The range of sport is not exceptional
  • Standard definition resolution only

Simply go to the site, sign up for an account and watch all of your favourite Channel 10 shows whenever you want, free of charge – no need for a free trial or introductory offer.

You can find new shows to stream using our ‘What’s on Channel 10’ page, or you can explore more programs and their schedules with the help of our Channel 10 TV guide.

Kanopy (3.5/5)

Kanopy

Have you got a local library card or are you enrolled at university? If so, Kanopy is the streaming service for you. Kanopy is a free streaming service that has partnered with libraries and universities across Australia to deliver access to films that ‘inspire, enrich and challenge’ viewers.

It is an intellectual streaming service for those who want to watch something beyond the mainstream Star Wars and Marvel films and who love to learn and explore new content.

Here are the key details about this brilliant service.

  • Concurrent streams: 1-4
  • Catalogue size: 6000+ titles
  • Requirements: Your university or library card details

Pros:

  • A brilliant selection of over 6000 movies
  • Unique, high-quality content you won’t find elsewhere

Cons:

  • Not free without a library card
  • Limited Smart TV and games console support
  • A limited number of streams per month
  • Not all libraries and universities are eligible

With Kanopy you can access and watch a wide collection of Australian and world cinema, documentaries, and a huge range of classics.

But it isn’t all niche stuff on the site, there are still new releases for you to stream and watch! The film Lion is particularly excellent. The site also includes Kanopy Kids, which seeks to inspire and inform the next generation.

Beamafilm (4/5)

Beamafilm

In a world saturated with large-scale streaming services, Beamafilm champions ‘local, diverse and independent voices’. Their commitment is to high-quality, local and international cinema and to helping underappreciated cinema reach a growing audience.

What’s more, the content is completely free and ad-free, provided you have a local library card. This means you can stream and watch all the best in independent cinema direct to your TV and spend no money at all in the process. Who knew a library card could be so valuable?

  • Concurrent streams: 1-4
  • Catalogue size: 1000+ movies, documentaries, and TV series
  • Requirements: Your university or library card details

Pros:

  • A brilliant selection of local films and independent voices
  • Unique content you won’t find anywhere else
  • Brilliant range of documentaries

Cons:

  • App can often experience difficulties
  • Limited number of supported devices
  • Picture quality limited to 720p

If you do not have a library card, new customers can sign up for a 30-day free trial and stream all the films and documentaries to their heart’s content.

The cost of the service after the trial is $5.99 per month. For no cost at all, however, you can rent any premium title for 48 hours.

Tubi (3.5/5)

Tubi

Tubi may not give you the films you get on mainstream platforms, but it does offer a vast collection of almost unheard-of movies for a fun experience. And it helps that it’s one of the free streaming services in Australia you can easily take advantage of.

This means films such as Attack of the Mushroom People and Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama (oh, yes) are completely free.

  • Concurrent streams: 1-4
  • Catalogue size: 7000+ titles
  • Requirements: Email address and credit/debit card details

Pros:

  • A brilliant selection of classic films
  • Unique content you won’t find elsewhere – Titanic 2, for example
  • Available on many devices – comparable to a premium platform

Cons:

  • Frequent and annoying ad-breaks
  • No offline playback
  • Picture quality limited to 720p

Let us tell you for free, the films on this site are completely worth the money – although you will have to sit through an advertisement roughly every 12-15 minutes. They aren’t going to win an Oscar but they will win your heart!

Free Trial Streaming

As well as all the best free streaming sites in Australia, we will also guide you through the best premium streaming sites that offer free trials, so you can watch all your favourite shows and movies online in the world through your Smart TV or Android TV.

Amazon Prime Video (5/5)

Amazon Prime Video

Along with Netflix, Amazon Prime Video is one of the largest and most successful streaming sites in the world, with well over 200 million subscribers.

Here is a look at all the details you really need to know.

  • Concurrent streams: 1-3
  • Catalogue size: 18,000+ movies and TV shows
  • Free trial: 30 days

Pros:

  • Some of the best original series out there
  • Huge range of content
  • Can also rent and buy TV shows and films

Cons:

  • Not the best user interface
  • Not as many free titles as Netflix
  • Australian library still smaller than the US

Not only does Amazon Prime offer one of the most complete and diverse selections of movies, TV shows, and documentaries completely free, but customers can also take advantage of Prime next-day and same-day delivery.

There is also the spectacular Amazon Prime original content, which includes Patrick Stewart in the award-winning Picard and the upcoming, and highly anticipated, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power series – which is the most expensive series ever with a budget of well over $1 billion.

And with Prime, you can watch sports documentaries like Warriors on the Field, The Test: A New Era for Australia’s Team, and the brilliant All or Nothing series which feature the seasons of teams such as Tottenham and Juventus.

The Amazon Prime free trial

An Amazon free trial lasts 30 days. Once the free trial is over, your subscription renews at $9.99 a month. You can also pay for the full year in advance for $79.

Your Amazon subscription is no-contract and you can leave anytime. Plus, it is easy to unsubscribe, unlike some sites which make it almost impossible. Plus with a long free trial and a very reasonable monthly cost, it’s almost like you can consider Amazon Prime to be one of the free streaming services in Australia.

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BINGE (4.5/5)

BINGE streaming

BINGE is Foxtel’s entry into Australia’s continuously growing streaming landscape. The streaming service provides mostly Foxtel content but without the sports and news channels, which makes it a great alternative for those who only want Foxtel’s library of TV shows and movies.

Find out more about the BINGE streaming service below.

  • Concurrent streams: 1-3
  • Catalogue size: 1,000+ movies and 1,000+ TV shows
  • Free trial: 14 days

Pros:

  • Premium programs from HBO, BBC, Foxtel
  • Access to all best shows from only $10/month
  • BINGE streaming features

Cons:

  • No offline viewing
  • 4K streaming not yet available
  • Doesn’t have sports content
  • Basic plan has ads

BINGE is your easy and cheaper access to all those binge-worthy HBO shows, Foxtel originals, BBC dramas, and basically anything that’s good TV. You’ll find complete boxsets of award-winning programs, both local and international, with the likes of Game of Thrones, Wentworth, The Wire, Sex and The City, Modern Family, The Sopranos, and so many more. The new Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon, also streams on BINGE.

BINGE free trial

New customers can access BINGE’s entire library for free for the first 14 days. Once your free trial ends, you can choose from three BINGE plans: Basic at $10/month, Standard at $16/month or Premium at $18/month. The BINGE cost for the Standard plan recently increased from $14 to $16 per month, being BINGE’s most popular plan.

New to BINGE?Get Your 7-Day Free Trial Now!Watch Now

Paramount+ (4.5/5)

Paramount Plus free trial sign up

Paramount+’s streaming service is proving to be a compelling streaming platform since it replaced 10 All Access in Australia and officially launched in 2021. The service combines content from major US networks like CBS, Showtime, MTV, Nickelodeon with Paramount+ originals, as well as local titles from Channel 10.

Find out more about what it offers right here.

  • Concurrent streams: 1-3
  • Catalogue size: 500+ movies and 400+ TV shows
  • Free trial: 7

Pros:

  • Original programming
  • Huge range of content
  • New movies straight from Paramount Pictures

Cons:

  • Shorter free trial
  • Australian library still smaller than the US
  • 4K streaming not yet available

This year Paramount+ has added several new titles that became smash hits among TV fans, including the new action thriller Rabbit Hole starring Kiefer Sutherland, the crime drama starring Sylvester Stallone, Tulsa King, as well as the acclaimed Yellowstone sequels, 1883 and 1923. The Paramount+ Australian original series Last King of the Cross had a successful streaming run as well.

Paramount+ free trial

New customers signing up for the first time can try the service with a 7-day free trial. After that, a monthly plan costs $8.99, or $89.99 per year if you want to save a little on your streaming plan fees.

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YouTube Premium (4/5)

YouTube Premium

This might not seem like the most obvious streaming service to sign up for, but YouTube has done amazingly well in recent years to reinvent itself.

It offers access to ad-free content – so you can watch all your favourite content creators without once being distracted or asked to wait five seconds before skipping!

Here’s the info you need to know.

  • Concurrent streams: 1
  • Catalogue size: Unlimited number of content creators
  • Free trial: 30 days or 3 months for students

Pros:

  • Unlimited access to all the YouTube content
  • Practically unlimited range of content and access to the huge YouTube Music library
  • Background play

Cons:

  • Not a great range of dedicated original content
  • Documentaries, films, and TV shows are not included in the membership price
  • Spotify has more music and a better interface

With Premium, you can download all the videos and songs you want. And with YouTube, you can now also buy and rent films, TV shows, and documentaries – such as the excellent Best of Enemies which charts the clash between William F. Buckley, Jr. and Gore Vidal in their prime.

YouTube Premium free trial

Students are eligible for a three-month trial! You read that correctly. And once your subscription renews, you pay $8.99 a month.

Individuals can access a 30-day free trial which then renews at $14.99 a month. Families can access the same 30-day free trial and then only pay $22.99/month for up to five family members on the same plan.

Foxtel (4.5/5)

Foxtel

Foxtel is perhaps the biggest TV service provider in Australia. Its range of content – movies, TV shows, and an incredible amount of sports – is unmatched in the region.

And the Foxtel streaming service is, of course, no different.

The important things

Here are the things you really need to know before streaming.

  • Concurrent streams: 1-2
  • Catalogue size: 1000+ movies and 1000+ TV shows, 50+ sports
  • Free trial: None

Pros:

  • Incredible range of content, particularly sports and movies via Main Event
  • Premium shows from HBO, BBC and AMC
  • Foxtel app allows playback anywhere, anytime

Cons:

  • Service split into many different subscription packages – expensive for them all
  • Documentaries, films, and TV shows are all separate

Foxtel Now

Foxtel Now is a separate streaming service that does not require you to have a Foxtel TV subscription.

With this service, you to change your subscription streaming service package every month. This means that there is no long-term contract and the service is generally more accessible across more devices, including tablets, smartphones, Smart TVs, and laptops.

Fox Sports

Fox Sports is available as an extra subscription and offers an incredible sports streaming experience to Australian fans.

From Formula 1 and Field Hockey to Premier League football and Major League Baseball, Fox Sports has it all for you to stream.

Foxtel Now free trial

New customers can start with a 10-day free trial of the Foxtel Now content packs. You can get the Essentials and Sports packs not quite for free but discounts are available more often this year.

After the trial is up there are many different Foxtel Now subscription packages you can sign up for – all no-contract. The Foxtel Now All Pack costs $104 a month and contains everything – sports, TV shows, drama, kids, movies, and documentaries.

If it weren’t for the price, this would be a sure 5/5 rating.

Get Foxtel Now All Packswith a 10-Day FREE Trial!Watch Now

Apple TV+ (4/5)

Apple TV

Apple arrived in the streaming service market with great excitement in 2019 with Apple TV+. Once an exclusive feature of Apple devices and the Apple store, the brilliant streaming service is now available across a variety of devices.

Here are the things you need to know about streaming Apple TV.

  • Concurrent streams: 1-6
  • Catalogue size: 30+ original movies and 180+ original TV shows
  • Free trial: 7 days

Pros:

  • Some of the best original content out there
  • 4K streaming for a great quality picture
  • Incredible choice of third-party TV services

Cons:

  • Uninviting user interface
  • Generally drab range of content
  • Much less content than other sites
  • Short free trial period

Apple has become one of the top players in the world of streaming, a rival to the leviathans of Netflix and Amazon.

They have a brilliant range of content but are most famous for their original content. One such original is the multiple-Emmy-winning show, Ted Lasso. Other originals include the Jason Momoa show See, the wonderful Black Bird, and the incredible (and we mean it) Prehistoric Planet, produced by Jon Favreau and narrated by the inimitable David Attenborough.

And for sports fans, Apple TV has you covered. The company signed a deal for the rights to every MLS match in the soccer season. These games will be available in the app from 2023.

Apple TV+ free trial

Apple TV+ might not be to everyone’s taste but it is certainly worth a free trial.

Their free trial lasts 7 days, after which it costs $9.99 a month.

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BritBox (4/5)

BritBox Australia

Many of the world’s most engrossing content come from British TV, particularly those created by the BBC and ITV. If exact programming from these networks are what you’re looking for as an entertainment fan, then look no further than BritBox. Created by BBC and ITV themselves, you’ll find the most exciting British shows available like with the crime dramas Line of Duty, Luther, The Fall, Midsomer Murders, and Vera, just to name a few.

Here are the things you need to know about streaming BritBox.

  • Concurrent streams: 1-4
  • Catalogue size: 150+ movies and 300+ TV shows
  • Free trial: 7 days

Pros:

  • The best of BBC and ITV programming + Channel 4 and Channel 5
  • Complete boxset of Doctor Who classic collection
  • Growing library of BritBox originals

Cons:

  • Limited catalogue of shows and movies
  • New content isn’t added as regularly as other services
  • Short free trial period

This year is a prolific one for BritBox as we see more new originals being created. In Australia, crime drama fans can indulge in such titles as Crime, Hotel Portofino, Magpie Murders, Murder in Provence, and many others.

BritBox free trial

BritBox is worth checking out if you’ve got a penchant for watching British shows and movies. With a 7-day free trial, you can check if the streaming service is for you. After that, a monthly plan costs $8.99 per month, though Britbox costs cheaper if you opt for the annual plan at $89.99.

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Start watching with free streaming services in Australia

There is a lot to digest. We have gone through an incredible amount of free streaming TV content – enough to keep every type of streamer in Australia happy for years.

Just think how much content you could get through with just one of those free trials! Who knew you could get so much for absolutely nothing?

You now have all you need to choose the perfect free streaming platform – or platforms – to suit your needs. All that is left to say is this: Happy streaming!