In what seems to be a more and more common occurrence, Binge is the latest of the best streaming services in Australia to once again increase its prices. Starting on November 1, the Aussie streaming company’s standard tier will increase in cost by AU$1, going from AU$18 to AU$19 per month.
This comes almost exactly 12 months after Binge increased the price of the standard tier from AU$16 to AU$18 in 2023 – alongside a AU$4 hike to the Premium tier – as it brought 4K streaming to the platform. Thankfully, this time both the basic and premium tiers will be left untouched at their AU$10 and AU$22 prices, but there's no additional content coming.
Binge's Standard tier offers 4K streaming on two concurrent devices, while the Basic tier provides only 1080p resolution on one stream with ads, and shelling out the extra cash for Premium only gets you two more concurrent streams (four in total). None of these inclusions will change in November.
• Basic AU$10p/m – Ads / 1080p resolution / 1 stream
• Standard (was AU$18) AU$19p/m – No ads / 4K / 2 stream
• Premium AU$22p/m – No ads / 4K / 4 streams
Binge’s price increase comes less than a month after it was confirmed by Warner Bros. Discovery that HBO Max would be making its way to Australia in 2025. Whether the two are connected, it's certainly an interesting time to be hiking prices – especially seeing it wouldn't be surprising if prices were to increase again if Max is folded into the Foxtel-owned streamer in the first half of next year.
As for now, Binge has provided no reason for this price increase, saying nothing other than that subscribers should receive an email making them aware of the upcoming change.
What about some price decreases, for once?
Just in 2024, we've seen Netflix, Stan, Disney Plus and Britbox raise their prices in Australia, and it's not just direct price increases that add to this worrying trend. Amazon’s Prime Video added ads in July, with an ad-free payment option, Apple TV is heavily rumoured to be considering a similar function and it wasn't too long ago that Netflix had everyone up-in-arms when it cracked down on password-sharing.
Streaming services started as a cheaper alternative to cable TV, letting you watch the content you want on demand without having to sit through ads, or being forced to pay for extraneous channels that you’d never watch. That's no longer the case. While 6 years ago you could have subscribed to three services for less than AU$50 a month, paying for multiple services in 2024 – especially if you want 4K streaming – can add up to AU$80+ very quickly. While we always recommend cancelling and subscribing to different services each month to keep your costs under control, we do recognise that many people don't have the time or inclination to do so.
That's not to imply that Binge isn't worth the price. The best TV shows on Binge are some of the top series on offer by Australian streaming services, headlined currently by HBOs The Penguin. There's certainly plenty of value to be had on Binge, and a AU$1 price hike is as small as we’re ever likely to see.
I know I personally won't be giving up The Penguin just for AU$1 more and my principles, and I assume most other Binge subscribers won't either. And thus, I guess we can expect the gradual price hikes to continue…
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