Binge TV: Everything you need to know

In early 2019, Foxtel and Streamotion revealed Binge, a new Australian streaming service. Binge wasn't intended to be a replacement for Foxtel Now rather a second streaming option for those who were only interested in Foxtel's TV shows and movies. Since launch, Binge has gained momentum and has become an attractive and more affordable alternative to traditional Foxtel.

Built by the same team that brought you Kayo Sports, Foxtel's Binge is positioned as a true competitor for streaming stalwarts like Netflix and Prime Video. From its competitive pricing to its improved functionality and user experience, Binge is an answer to almost every criticism thrown at Foxtel Now over the few past years. For our full thoughts and impressions, check out our Binge app review.

Otherwise, if you just want to know more about Binge's price, plans and content here's everything you need to know.

Binge is already available on a decent number of devices (more on that below) but even if you don't have a compatible smart TV, you can cast Binge content from a smartphone or tablet to a streaming device like Chromecast or Apple TV. If you're interested in checking out Binge, your first step will be to sign up for a 2-week free trial via the website or download the Binge app on your smartphone or tablet via Google Play or the App Store.

Once you've taken that first step, you'll be faced with three Binge plans: Basic, Standard and Premium.

Binge costs between $10 and $18 per month. Binge Basic costs $10 per month for a single SD stream, Standard costs $14 per month for two HD streams, and Premium will set you back $18 per month for four HD streams.

That's almost exactly what Stan and Netflix charge, though Binge's top tier is a fraction cheaper. Stan currently costs $10, $14 and $17 per month for its Basic, Standard and Premium plans, and Netflix is not far off at $9.99, $13.99 and $19.99 for its tiered plans. The difference is, Stan and Netflix's top plans include 4K streaming, whereas Binge doesn't, which is probably why Foxtel decided to price Binge a little lower.

Foxtel says there are no "plans to offer 4K streaming for Binge."

There's also a 2-week free trial of Binge available. So if you give it a crack and  you don't fancy it, you can cancel without paying a cent.

Here are those plans again.

After duking it out with Stan 'till the eleventh hour, Foxtel secured the victory it desperately needed and locked down distribution rights for HBO content in Australia before the launch of Binge. It was a make-or-break deal for Binge because now Foxtel's streaming service can lay claim to some of the biggest and most popular TV shows in history.

Binge offers some of HBO's most popular series (like Game of Thrones, Succession, and Big Little Lies), as well as original productions for HBO Max like the upcoming Sex and the City reboot titled And Just Like That. 

Here's a quick look at some of the most popular TV shows currently streaming on Binge.

Binge has some of the latest HBO Max exclusives, like The Flight Attendant, and Raised by Wolves but a few originals are missing. As we pointed out in our review of Binge, the content distribution between Binge and Foxtel is a little messy. For example, both services have The Flight Attendant and Raised By Wolves but only Foxtel has Class Action Park, another HBO Max Original. Then there's J.G. Quintel's Close Enough, another HBO Max Original that's available on Netflix here in Australia and Made for Love, yet another HBO Max original that found its way to Stan here in Australia. As we said, it's messy. The point is, you can't guarantee that every new HBO Max original you've been waiting for will stream on Binge and Foxtel Now.

Back in 2019, Foxtel also signed a multi-year deal with NBCUniversal (NBCU). That deal would give Foxtel the rights to a slew of big movie franchises from Universal Pictures, like Fast and the Furious, and some of NBCU's most popular comedies, such as The Office, 30 Rock, and Parks and Recreation. But it's a similar confusing story for NBC comedies. For example, Community is only available on Netflix and Stan while The Good Place is a Netflix exclusive.  Superstore, 30 Rock and Parks and Recreation all both available Foxtel Now and Bingebut also available on Netflix, Stan and Prime Video in some capacity.

It's worth noting that NBCU's Peacock streaming service also released in 2020, bringing with it new originals like Brave New World, the Saved by the Bell and more, but those are available exclusively on Stan.

When we first wrote this guide, we were led to believe that all HBO Max content would make its way to Binge but Close Enough on Netflix proves that's just not true. There's also the question about how Warner Bros. shift to HBO Max streaming for cinematic releases will work in Australia. We've reached out to Binge, Warner Bros., and Village Roadshow but still don't have an answer on whether the likes of Wonder Woman 1984 and Dune will appear on Binge at any stage. Despite getting an early release on HBO Max in the U.S., Wonder Woman 1984 isn't currently available to stream on any service in Australia.

Still, there's a healthy library of the latest films already on Binge. Rian Johnson's Knives Out gets a look in, as do blockbuster movie series', like Jurassic Park, Fast and the Furious and more. Here's a quick glance at some of the most popular movies streaming on Binge.

There's plenty of options for streaming Binge, with experiences tailored separately for mobile and couch-based viewing.

Here's the list of Binge-compatible devices.

• Web browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge)
• Telstra TV
• Smartphone (iOS and Android)
• Tablet (iOS and Android)
• Apple TV (Gen 4)
• Google Chromecast
• Android Smart TV
• Samsung Smart TV (2017 or later)

At launch, Binge also promised PlayStation 4 support would be coming within a year, with no mention of PlayStation 5. However, Binge has since removed the help page from its site that detailed proposed PlayStation compatibility. There also don't seem to be any plans to bring Binge to Xbox One, or the next-gen Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X.

Binge launched in Australia on Monday, 25 May 2020 on a wide range of devices, including web browsers, smartphones, tablets, Android TV and more. Releasing just a few months before HBO Max in the U.S., Binge was first marketed as a streaming destination for original Warner productions created for HBO Max.

We spoke to Foxtel at Binge's launch, confirming that Binge would offer "Warner productions made for HBO Max" when released. And while Binge has delivered on that promise with some of the bigger HBO Max releases, there's still a big disconnect between American and Australian release dates when it comes to certain HBO content.

Months after launch, there are still so many unanswered questions around Binge. Will it have 4K? Will it ever come to PlayStation 4? This is where you'll find the answers to those questions as soon as we know.

While Binge and Foxtel are both owned by the same company, they are two very different services. 

While Foxtel is a traditional pay TV service with a streaming spin-off (Foxtel Now), Binge is exclusively a streaming platform like Netflix. As such, they share a lot of the same content but there are exclusives reserved for Binge and some that can only be found on Foxtel. Binge is a service dedicated to TV shows and movies and doesn't offer any of the news or sports channels offered by Foxtel.

Unlike Foxtel, Binge doesn't have channels or "packages" so to speak, just three all-inclusive plan tiers. Binge also doesn't offer 4K streaming so that's a feature that is still exclusive to Foxtel iQ subscribers.

Unlike Foxtel Go, being a Foxtel customer doesn't automatically give you access to Binge. If you already pay for Foxtel, you'll have to pay extra to use Binge (or consider switching entirely).

Offline viewing is not available on Binge at launch.

Foxtel spoke to Reviews.org before launch and confirmed that "offline viewing won't be available for launch, but it is in the pipeline." We still don't know what type of content will be available for offline viewing on Binge, but we'll keep this section updated with the latest updates.

There are no plans to offer 4K on Binge.

We also asked Foxtel about a potential 4K streaming option for Binge.  Foxtel stated that there are "no current plans to offer 4K streaming for Binge."

Binge claims to be working on PlayStation support but don't get your hopes up.

When Binge first launched in Australia, PlayStation 4 compatibility was promised within a year. We reached out to Binge a representative who confirmed PlayStation 4 compatibility would be arriving in 2021, but there have been no updates around Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5 compatibility.

Binge's support page still says a PS4 app in on the "roadmap for development" but no further updates have been offered since launch.

Yes, English subtitles and closed captioning are available on select content.

At launch, one of our biggest criticisms of Binge was that it didn't have any subtitles or closed captioning. Binge has since added subtitles and closed captioning for select content. At the moment, Binge only has English subtitles and closed captioning but the help page claims Binge is looking at adding more languages in the future.

Yes, it's owned by Foxtel subsidiary Streamotion.

Just like Kayo Sports, Binge is owned by Streamotion, a subsidiary of Foxtel. Despite seeming like a direct competitor to Foxtel Now, both apps are in fact owned by the same company. They are just run by different teams.

Yes, Telstra offers 3 months of Binge Standard free when you sign up to a select plan

If you're signing up for an eligible Telstra mobile or broadband plan, you can grab 3 months of Binge Standard free until 18 January 2021. Here are those eligible Telstra broadband plans.