The year has gone by in a flash – Black Friday deals have come and gone, Boxing Day sales are on the horizon and Christmas movies are at the front of everyones mind. One thing has been consistent throughout 2024, and it remains so in December – a whole heap of tasty new content on the best streaming services in New Zealand.
There's plenty of new Christmas content to sink your teeth into. Of course, there's plenty of cheesy rom-coms filled with merriment to enjoy, but headlining your holiday viewing are A Nonsense Christmas with Sabrina Carpenter on Netflix and Jack in Time for Christmas on Prime Video. It's not all Christmas, though. Across the two service above, as well as Neon, Disney Plus and Apple TV Plus, there's content like One Hundred Years of Solitude, Fly Me to the Moon and Skeleton Crew to enjoy if you're feeling a little Grinchy.
Consistently great offerings from New Zealand's best streaming services make it hard to make a decisive decision on which is best. However, with streaming prices continuing to rise, affording more than one or two is growing increasingly difficult, too. But, by paying attention to the monthly changes to each service, you can jump back and forth between services depending on which suits you best – only paying what you can afford, while watching the content that most attracts you.
You don't need to put in that degree of time and effort. We've done it for you. Analysing the best streaming platforms in New Zealand so that you can choose the best for you. No matter what you’re into, we've got you covered in this guide to New Zealand's best streaming services – starting with this month's best streaming service.
Recent updates
December 6, 2024: updated the introduction, our monthly pick and refreshed each a service with relevant content throughout to ensure the latest information.
Streaming service of the month (December 2024)
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Best TV streaming service 2024:
What is the best TV streaming service you can get right now?
Netflix came to New Zealand and Australia in 2015, and it has seen massive changes since then – price-increases in May and the password-sharing crackdown that New Zealand was at the front of, being the most recent. Even still, thanks to its massively diverse library, best-in-class user experience and consistent influx of original content, Netflix continues its reign as king and is still the best streaming service in New Zealand for most people.
Since its inception to NZ, Netflix has delivered hit series and movies in the form of Netflix Originals, offering a variety of highly entertaining Netflix-exclusive content. It all kicked off in 2016 with the smash-hit launch of Stranger Things and continuation of Black Mirror. In the few years following, Netflix added The Witcher, The Umbrella Academy, Bridgerton, Emily in Paris and Big Mouth, while more recent hits like Beef, Wednesday, 3 Body Problem, Supacell, That 90's Show, Bodkin, Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Gentlemen have continued that legacy to varying degrees.
It's not all sunshine and rainbows. Lots of Netflix's content is underwhelming, and we're still feeling the impact of the 2023 writer's strike – and how Netflix handled it – today. It's now been more than two years since the second part of Stranger Things season four released, and Stranger Things season 5 not expected until sometime in 2025 – nearly ten years after season one.
Netflix also has a reputation for cancelling series, even when it seems it was met with satisfaction by fans. 1899 was cancelled early in 2023, as were Inside Job and Firefly Lane, adding to a list that includes Lockwood and Co., Travelers and Altered Carbon. Then there's Mindhunter, one of the best shows of this century, cancelled due to high production costs – while Netlflix put $166 Million into Rebel Moon that was panned by fans and critics alike if Rotten Tomatoes and word of mouth is any metric.
One thing New Zealand Netflix subscribers do have, though, especially over Aussies, is a lack of an ad-supported plan on Netflix NZ, remaining strictly ad-free for the time being. However, Kiwi prices did increase for the first time since 2021, with Basic now NZ$14.99p/m, Standard costing NZ$20.99 and Premium, which provides 4K, coming in at NZ$27.99. All plans allow downloads on one to six different devices, and the two more expensive plans allow you to add people living outside your household to your plan at an additional cost of NZ$7.99 per person.
Even with all of that, Netflix's deep library, high-quality originals and supremely snappy app makes it the easy answer to "what's the best streaming service?". While it's not our choice for August, there's still several new additions worth checking out.
Verdict: 5/5
Coming to Netflix this month
- December 1
- Paper Dolls: Season 1 / Sleeping Dogs
- December 3
- Fortune Feimster: Crushing It
- December 4
- The Children’s Train / Churchill at War / The Only Girl in the Orchestra / That Christmas / Tomorrow and I
- December 5
- Black Doves / Jentry Chau vs. the Underworld
- December 6
- Biggest Heist Ever / Camp Crasher / Echoes of the Past
- December 7
- Birdeater
- December 10
- Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was… / Polo / Rugged Rubgy: Conquer or Die
- December 11
- The Kings of Tupelo: A Southern Crime Saga / Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World / One Hundred Years of Solitude: Part 1 / Queer Eye: Season 9
- December 12
- Dune: Part Two / La Palma / No Good Deed / A Nonsense Christmas with Sabrina Carpenter
- December 13
- 1992 / Carry-On / Disaster Holiday
- December 17
- Aaron Rodgers: Enigma / Ronny Chieng: Love to Hate It
- December 18
- Julia’s Stepping Stones / The Manny: Season 2
- December 19
- The Dragon Prince: Season 7 / Virgin River: Season 6
- December 20
- Ferry 2 / The Six Triple Eight / Umjolo: Day Ones
- December 22
- Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
- December 23
- The Mountain Between Us
- December 24
- Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire / Your Friend Nate Bargatze
- December 26
- Squid Game: Season 2 / NFL on Christmas: Baltimore Ravens vs. Houston Texans / Kansas City Chiefs vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
- December 28
- Maestro in Blue: Season 3
- December 31
- Avicii: I’m Tim / Avicii: My Last Show / Michelle Buteau: A Buteau-ful Mind at Radio City Music Hall
Prime Video has a library of original content that can rival, if not beat, every other streaming service. Heck, between series like The Boys and Gen V, Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power, Fallout and Invincible, they might have everyone else beat already. Then there's fun flicks like Ricky Stanicky and Road House, as well as actual fantastic movies like the Sound of Metal, The Tender Bar and The Burial. Add in the fact that Prime Video boasts the biggest library of any streaming service, and it should be the best streamer, right?
There's only one thing, really, that Netflix and every other service in this list barring Neon, has over Prime Video – its user interface. While it might not actually be bad, Prime Video is much more difficult to navigate than competitors, and especially when trying to differentiate between content you have access to and that which is for rent. It makes sense, given how big its library is and the amalgamation of content from services within like Britbox, AMC and Paramount Plus that is shown to you even if you don't own them. Still, it holds it back from knocking off Netflix as king.
Nevertheless, if you just want as much content as possible, Prime Video is the best streaming service. Amazon’s library spans everything from the classics and the latest and greatest, to trashy B-rated flicks and niche cult classics. A great movie or series is always just around the corner, even if it takes a bit of navigation to find. And, if there's nothing there for you, there's hundreds of movies available for rent or purchase, sometimes so fresh that they're still in cinemas.
While Prime Video is part of the Amazon Prime subscription in some countries, it's available as an independent service in New Zealand, setting you back NZ$9.99 a month after a semi-recent price increase, though you can still try before you buy with a 7-day free trial.
Verdict: 4/5
Coming to Prime Video this month
- December 3
- Absolution / Jack In Time For Christmas
- December 4
- Pop Culture Jeopardy
- December 6
- The Sticky
- December 10
- Longlegs / Secret Level
- December 13
- Bandish Bandits – Season 2
- December 14
- Christmas in the Spotlight
- December 27
- Culpa Tuya (Your Fault)
Disney Plus, much like Disney itself, has grown significantly since first arriving in Aotearoa way back in 2019. While it's still the home of all things Disney, its content library has grown massively, with a huge selection of content that covers more than just Marvel and Star Wars, it's undoubtedly the best streaming service for kids, while also improving its content aimed at adults with original series like Star's Only Murders in the Building and FX's Shōgun and The Bear.
Its bread and butter is still the franchises owned by Disney like Marvel and Star Wars. If you're a fan of either, Disney Plus is all-but a must-have. From the original trilogy, prequels and sequels to spin-offs like The Mandalorian, Ashoka and The Acolyte, there is no better streaming service for Star Wars fans. Same goes for fans of Marvel, with every film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as series like WandaVision, Loki and X-Men '97, and classics like the Toby McGuire Spider-Man films, 1994's Spider-Man cartoon and the 2015's beloved Fantastic Four.
Then there's the abundance of kids content from those franchises that make it easy to introduce the little ones to your favourites. Disney is the home of kid's content, after all. From Walt Disney Animation Studios classics like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Little Mermaid and The Lion King to newer favourites like Frozen, Moana and Inside Out 2 (which will arrive soon) – there is no better home for kid’s entertainment.
And family-friendly doesn't have to mean watching Aladdin five times a week. With National Geographic, Disney Plus offers a near neverending amount of documentaries to choose from, with animals and nature, exploration, space, history and mysteries all on the menu, with titles like Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted, Running Wild with Bear Grylls, Free Solo and Limitless with Chris Hemsworth.
Disney Plus now offers two different streaming tiers in New Zealand, both of which offer a discount if you get the yearly subscription. Disney Plus's standard tier will set you back NZ$14.99 p/m or NZ$149.99 p/a, and gives you two concurrent HD streams, while Disney Plus Premium costs NZ$18.99 p/m or NZ$189.99 p/a and comes with four streams, 4K video and Dolby Atmos sound.
Verdict: 4/5
Coming to Disney Plus this month
- December 3
- Skeleton Crew - Series Premiere / Jung Kook: I Am Still - The Original
- 4 December
- Los Montaner: Season 2 / Light Shop+ Mickey and Minnie's Christmas Carols
- 10 December
- Sugarcane
- 11 December
- Dream Productions - Series Premiere / Vow of Silence: The Assassination of Annie Mae
- 13 December
- Elton John: Never Too Late / Invisible
- 17 December
- The Simpsons: O C'mon All Ye Faithful / Blink
- 20 December
- Ilana Glazer: Human Magic
- 22 December
- What If...?: Season 3
- 27 December
- John Williams in Tokyo
Apple TV Plus's library might not stand up to the streaming services above, but boy oh boy does it make up for it with the quality of the content it does have. And, in 2024, its library isn't too small, either. While its library holds it back from consistently going head-to-head with Netflix as a main streaming service, if you haven't watched certain shows, Apple TV Plus is a must-have – as you can see by it winning our monthly award.
While an ad-based tier might be coming soon, Apple TV Plus is considerably cheaper than other services at just NZ$12.99 p/m, which undercuts the cheapest tiers of most other services. That low cost is counteracted by the fact that it isn't compatible with Android devices (yet) but you'll find it on most streaming devices, Xbox and PlayStation consoles, Smart TVs and even Android TV.
Apple has more money than any other streaming service by a significant margin – even Amazon and Disney – and it’s been putting that money to good use with original and exclusive content that no other streaming service can compete with. Series like Ted Lasso, Slow Horses, Masters of the Air, Silo, Presumed Innocent, Black Bird, Severance and Shrinking are at a quality that other streaming services, with rare exception, just haven't matched.
Apple TV Plus also offers a 7-day free trial to test the service out, which is getting more rare, but with the purchase of new Apple products and even a PlayStation 5 can see you extend that free trial to at least three months, allowing you plenty of time to catch up on the best of Apple TV Plus without spending a cent.
Verdict: 4/5
Coming to Apple TV Plus this month:
- December 6
- Fly Me to the Moon
- December 13
- Eva the Owlet: Eva’s Moon Wish Holiday Special
- Wonder Pets: In The City
- November 18
- The Secret Lives of Animals
You’ve likely heard of HBO Max, the US streaming platform home to all the latest HBO shows including the 2022 hit House of the Dragon and the adaptation of the PlayStation exclusive video game franchise The Last of Us. Unfortunately, HBO Max isn't available here in New Zealand, but thankfully the platform Neon is here to give Kiwis access to all the latest and greatest from HBO, and more.
While Neon might be lacking 4K streams, it does come with a 14-day free trial so you can test the service out before fully committing, with pricing for the service starting at NZ$12.99 p/m for the Basic plan. From January, the Standard plan's price jumped to NZ$19.99 p/m or NZ$199.99 p/a. The Basic plan unfortunately does come with ads these days, and you can only download content on the Standard plan, but both tiers offer five profiles across two screens and HD video.
There’s a pretty decent compatibility list for this service, though Xbox consoles are the most noticeable omission. Still, between PlayStation, Smart TVs, computers, Android smartphones and more, it's more than likely going to have a device that you can access this service on. Depending on the plan you go for, you can connect up to five different devices and there’s selected content that you can download so you can view it offline too.
However, the user experience is lacking, especially when compared with even the worst of its competitors in this guide, with regular customer feedback of bugs like being stuck with one second left in an episode, being logged out of accounts randomly and just generally sluggish performance.
Unfortunately, it is the only place to (legally) watch HBO content in New Zealand, which makes it a must-have if you want to watch the best of the best. This does align perfectly with our message of choosiness, and we recommend you jump into Neon for a month or two, watch everything you have interest in, and opt out. If you need a few recommendations, here's more than a few incredible HBO series to get your started on Neon: Fantasmas, Ren Faire, The Sopranos, Love Has Won: The Cult Mother of God, House of the Dragon, Fargo, Mr Robot, Succession, The Last of Us and, for Masters of the Air fans, The Pacific and Band of Brothers.
Two awesome HBO additions wasn't quite enough for NEON to win our best streaming service of the month award, but it came darn close. Wise Guy: David Chase and the Sopranos is a two-part documentary series in which the head writer and creator of The Sopranos discusses the creative process that brought the show to life. Most excitedly, though, and what bought NEON so close to being our monthly is the premier of HBO's The Penguin. This spin-off series follows Oswald Cobblepot (Colin Farrell) shortly after the events of The Batman as he tries to take advantage of mobster Carmine Falcone’s death.
Verdict: 3.5/5
Coming to Neon this month
- December 1
- Arcadian / Daliland / The Holiday / The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland / Silent Witness: Seasons 23-25
- December 2
- Close / Scrapper / My Name is Alfred Hitchcock / Romantic Comedy / Wahl Street: Seasons 1-2
- December 3
- 20 Days in MariupolIt Lives Inside / Space Oddity / The Trouble with Jessica
- December 4
- The Big Brunch
- December 5
- Paddington / Paddington 2
- December 8
- The Climb: Season 1 / Creed III
- December 9
- The Accidental Tourist / The Capture: Seasons 1-2
- December 10
- Before Sunrise / Before Sunset
- December 11
- Feasting with the Stars: Season 1
- December 12
- Dune: Part Two
- December 13
- Bookie: Season 2 / Darkness of ManFred Claus
- December 15
- Se7en / Treadstone: Season 1
- December 16
- Bronco Billy
- December 17
- Bloods: Seasons 1-2
- December 18
- Murder is Easy: Season 1
- December 19
- Fracture / Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
- December 20
- Nancy Drew / Ready Player One
- December 21
- The Last Samurai / Rose Matafeo: On and On and On
- December 22
- Black Widow: Season 1 / Goodfellas
- December 24
- Jack the Giant Slayer
- December 26
- Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire
- December 27
- Bondi Vet: Season 12 / Clash of the Titans
- December 28
- The Blind
- December 29
- Dating with my Mates: Season 1 / Platoon
- December 30
- The Rewrite
- December 31
- Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny
Specialty streaming services
After something a little more specific? From sports content to horror and thrills, these streaming platforms offer you a curated collection of streams, shows and movies so you can find exactly what you’re after without shuffling through waves of content you’re not interested in.
Sky is known for its all-encompassing approach to sports coverage, however, signing up for a cable subscription or set-top box can be a bridge too far to cross for many people. It's with this in mind that Sky has introduced a dedicated streaming option in Sky Sport Now.
A subscription to Sky Sport Now will let you stream 12 Sky Sport and ESPN channels, with access to live and on-demand coverage, including the ability to rewind up to 24 hours if you miss an event. Additionally, you also get highlights, stats and the ability to access pay-per-view events (for an extra fee, of course).
In terms of sports, Sky Sport Now is a great place to stream all the action out of the Olympic Games, and it also provides coverage for cricket, rugby, netball, Rugby League, motorsport, basketball, football, tennis, golf and more. Furthermore, you also get access to beIN Sports Connect as part of your subscription, which gives you even more sports to sink your teeth into.
While Sky Sport Now's coverage is certainly impressive, it does come at a significant cost. A monthly subscription to Sky Sport Now will set you back NZ$49.99 per month, while a yearly subscription will cost you a somewhat staggering NZ$499.99. At these prices, you'll want to be a truly devoted sports aficionado.
That said, Sky Sport Now also offers a NZ$29.99 weekly pass that does not automatically renew, which is ideal for the occasional major sporting event like The Olympics. Sky Sport doesn't offer a free trial, but there is a selection of free content so you can still trial the service.
Given how expensive it is, it's truly perplexing that Sky Sport Now still only offers one concurrent stream at high definition, though we suppose its delivery of content at 60fps is worth appreciating.
A streaming service that's strictly for horror fans, Shudder offers a vast selection of fright flicks – old and new – along with a growing library of original films, TV shows, documentaries, podcasts and live-streams.
Shudder Originals include Greg Nicotero's classic series Creepshow, the blood-drenched cult flick Revenge, the indigenous zombie film Blood Quantum, and the critically adored movie Host, which sees a demonic presence infiltrate an online séance, as well as newer hits like Late Night With The Devil – though In a Violent Nature is still yet to come to Shudder.
Admittedly, Shudder has some work to do when it comes to competing with the big streaming players. For one, its maximum streaming resolution is 720p (with many older movies available in standard definition only), which just doesn't cut it compared to other services. And, while we give it props for improving its device compatibility offering since launch, it's still not on a range of important devices like the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4, as well as many TV brands also lacking native support.
That said, Shudder still offers incredible value. Priced at a very reasonable NZ$7.99 per month, it's even cheaper if you lock yourself into a year's-worth of scares with Shudders NZ$79.99 annual subscription, which basically gives you more than two free months.
Coming to Shudder this month
- December 3
- The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula
- December 13
- Just Joe Bob
- December 15
- Joe Bob Christmas Carnage
- December 31
- Horror’s Greatest
