A survey of more than 2,000 Australian subscription TV users by Canstar Blue has found that Netflix and Stan leads the pack in terms of value, but Foxtel still has the best content.
Netflix received the best value rating of five stars, followed by Stan with four stars, but Foxtel and Presto only received three stars. This corresponds exactly to the minimum monthly spend for each of these services, with Netflix being the cheapest at $8.99 per month for unlimited TV and movie viewing, while Stan is slightly dearer at $10 per month. Presto does have a $7.99 monthly plan, but users have to choose between being able to only view movies of TV programming - to watch both, users have to fork out $14.99 per month. Foxtel is the most expensive, at $25 per month for their most basic subscription package.
However, when it comes to content, both in terms of range and the availability of new content, Foxtel was unbeatable, being awarded five stars in both categories. Netflix received four stars for range of content, Stan received three stars, while Foxtel backed Presto only managed to get a two-star rating. For new content, Netflix and Stan both received three stars, but Presto lagged behind again with only two stars.
Quickflix was also rated, but it failed to excel in any particular area, getting three stars for most of the rating categories.
But when it came down to looking at the whole package, those surveyed still preferred to spend less, even if it meant sacrificing content. As a result, Netflix led the pack with a five-star overall satisfaction rating, with Stan getting four stars, and the rest (Foxtel, Presto and Quickflix) all getting three stars.
Megan Doyle, the head of Canstar Blue, says some of these low user ratings should serve as a wake-up call for some of the players involved.
"While it's little surprise to see Netflix at the top of the ratings, it is shocking to see how some other services have performed," said Megan Doyle. "These ratings clearly reveal a frustration with the limited content and new releases we are able to access, even if we pay a relatively low cost for it."
