Stan is one of the best-rated streaming platforms in Australia, owned by Nine Entertainment. It provides its users unlimited access to some of the world’s most-watched TV shows, such as those air on ABC, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, MTV, and the BBC. Stan is one of Netflix’s major competitors in Australia, with its vast collection of TV shows and movies and its massive budget for local productions.
Despite facing tough competition from leading streaming services like Amazon Prime, Disney+, and Netflix, Stan has established itself and gained momentum. In Australia, it has become the largest streaming service, boasting original productions like Logie award-winning series Bloom, Romper Stomper, No Activity, The Other Guy, and Wolf Creek, among others.
If you’re an Australian living abroad or traveling, you may be dismayed to discover Stan is a geo-restricted channel. Fortunately, VPN and Smart DNS technology can help you overcome this barrier, regardless of your location, including Germany, France, Italy, Japan, the United States, and even the UK. So bypass the restriction and regain access to your favorite Stan shows.
History
StreamCo Media, a joint venture between Nine Entertainment Co. and Fairfax Media, launched Stan on January 26, 2015. Both companies invested A$50 million in it. In December 2014, the company was renamed Stan Entertainment before its official launch in January 2015.
In 2016, Stan made a historic breakthrough by becoming the initial streaming platform to receive a nomination for the Logie Awards. “No Activity” earned three nominations, including Most Outstanding Supporting Actor for Dan Wylie and Tim Minchin’s Most Outstanding Comedy Program. Additionally, Stan has made headway into the sports content arena.
In August 2020, Stan crossed over 2.3 million subscribers and was the third-largest streaming service in Australia, behind Disney+ and Netflix. Stan offers a diverse collection of films and television shows from local and international productions, particularly from the United States and the United Kingdom. Additionally, it features a growing library of its original content.
Stan is facing several difficulties after the launch of Paramount Plus, a streaming service owned by ViacomCBS. First, negotiations with Viacom, CBS, and Showtime have become questionable, resulting in the withdrawal of Showtime content to the new streaming platform. Moreover, Disney Plus now offers a substantial amount of premium content.
Design
As someone who values user interface, the web interface is crucial when browsing content. The interface for Stan is intuitive and easy to use. Signing up takes only a minute, and the overall design is visually pleasing.
We appreciate the user-interface of Stan. It is intuitive and easy to navigate. The design is pleasing to the eye, and browsing and choosing content is easy with well-defined categories such as Movies, TV, and Kids, further enhanced by simple drop-down menus that allow you to navigate through sub-genres, images, and titles.
In addition, the process of registering for Stan is quick and easy. After selecting a show to watch, you will receive a summary of each episode and information about the cast and genre. If you have yet to decide, you can easily browse through the page by scrolling up and down.
Key Features
Original Content
Offers its viewers exclusive and original content like No Activity, the 2nd season of Plonk, Wolf Creek, and Enemies of the State. To achieve this, the company has enlisted the help of its parent company, the Nine Network, to produce Australian drama series exclusively for the platform.
Best Movies
It is the ultimate source of top-rated movies to enjoy. Whether it’s a heart-wrenching drama or an action-packed superhero film, there’s no better way to relax than to watch movies with your loved ones.
Drama Shows
Offers a variety of TV shows, from the youthful and emotional Skins to the famous American series Yellowstone, with new content regularly being added, including exclusive productions by Stan.
Kids Shows
Children must have access to a variety of content when subscribing to a streaming service. Thankfully, Stan offers a wide range of options for kids, including both educational shows like “Dora and Friends” and musical entertainment like “The Wiggles.”
Comedy Show
Over the past two years, stand-up comedy has played a significant role in the content offered by Stan. Many well-known comedians in the Australian scene have had specials featured on the platform. Therefore, if you’re searching for a good laugh, Stan is the perfect destination.
4K Video Quality
Video quality provided by streaming services is generally good these days; 4 K Ultra HD is the standard. With a 32Mbps connection. You need at least 4Mbps for SD playback and 8 to 16Mbps for HD and 4K Ultra HD quality.
Live Sports
Stan is also a streaming platform dedicated to all things sports, with rugby, tennis, football, and motorsport being its current primary offerings. Stan may add other sports in the future.
Pricing and Plans
Stan offers a three-tier pricing plan: the entry-level plan at $10/month for one device, the standard plan starting at $14/month for HD content on three devices, and the premium plan at $17/month for 4K Ultra HD content on four devices.
We want to clarify that Stan has less than 4K content available compared to Netflix. Therefore, if 4K quality is important to you, check the shows before subscribing to a plan. Additionally, ensure an unlimited or low-cost broadband plan, as streaming in 4K can consume a lot of data.
We suggest you try the 30-day trial to see if you like the content on Stan. If you find it worthwhile, start with the $10/month entry-level plan. Signing up is quick and easy, taking less than 30 seconds, and you can start streaming within 2 minutes.
Content
Stan has expanded its collection to include over 700 television shows and 2,500 films.
If you compare Stan with major streaming providers like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, Stan can hold its content. You can watch a wide range of content, from new US and UK dramas to blockbuster movies and major sporting events like The Rugby Championship and Grand Slam Tennis.
Stan has partnerships with several international studios like Paramount, Showtime, and Sony Pictures, allowing them exclusive rights to the studio’s content. As a result, you can watch popular TV shows and movies like Preacher, Get Shorty, Yellowstone, Doctor Who, Orphan Black, Dexter, and Californication on Stan.
Stan also offers popular ABC shows such as Janet King, Jack Irish, and Rake. If you look at its movie and TV library, you’ll find that it has something for everyone. You can find comedy classics like Frontline, F.r.i.e.n.d.s, and We Can Be Heroes, as well as newer US shows like iZombie, Billions, Younger, and All American.
If you are an avid sports enthusiast, Stan Sport presents several options of competitions and leagues for you to watch and enjoy, such as Wimbledon and Roland-Garros tennis tournaments, UEFA Champions League football, and Australian rugby matches.
Compatibility
Stan is compatible with a wide range of devices such as computers, mobile phones, Apple TV, Telstra TV, Fetch TV, Android TV, Chromecast, gaming consoles like Xbox One, PS3, and PS4, and smart TVs like Hisense, Sony, LG, and Samsung. So it is easy to see that Stan is available on a wide range of devices, almost any device you might have.
In April 2017, Stan introduced 4K streaming, but to take full advantage of this feature and watch content in UHD resolution, you will need a 4K compatible TV made by Sony, LG, Samsung, or Hisense.
Suppose your TV is not compatible with the Stan app. In that case, there are alternative streaming devices that you can use to access the service, such as Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, and Android TV devices, including the Foxtel Now box. Additionally, you can also download the Stan app to your gaming console.
Desktop/Mobile Experience
The interface is straightforward and user-friendly, making it easy to navigate. You can quickly find the show you want. You can connect to your TV using Google Chromecast without any problems. The movie played smoothly without interruption.
Stan’s app has an impressive feature that shows the recent episodes you have watched earlier. Additionally, the ability to automatically play consecutive episodes was another appealing aspect. Together, these features contributed to a seamless viewing experience.
Since the release of the Stan app, the process of connecting or casting has become much easier. You can now enjoy streaming services on PS3, PS4, and Apple TV without additional requirements, and you can easily browse the content library directly on your TV. Small details like this make a significant difference in terms of user-friendliness.
Suggestions that We Have for Stan
While Stan is currently a popular streaming service in Australia, it is important to stay relevant to remain at the top. Additionally, it would be beneficial to add more popular content to help expand Stan’s reach beyond Australia.
Stan’s pricing is a little high. They should make their service affordable to catch more subscribers. And finally, it will be great if Stan expands its library and content.
Conclusion
Stan is a streaming website that offers its customers a wide range of services. The website is user-friendly and easy to navigate, with detailed information about the services offered. It also provides customers a secure and convenient way to access their needed services.
In addition, the website is constantly working to improve its services and customer satisfaction. Stan is a valuable resource for anyone needing the services they offer.
