So, this is life after Netflix!
6 weeks on, after Netflix cracked down on Australian password sharers, we are doing OK. I think. We haven’t rushed to sign-up with a rival streaming service but have instead spent more time on Disney Plus (which we already had), and now we’re exploring all the Free-to-Air TV companion apps out there! And here are our thoughts…….
Content
There’s enough content out there, you will never be left wanting for more. With four apps (7Plus, 9Now, ABC iview, and SBS On Demand), you’ll be spoiled for choice and almost left paralyzed with indecision when you start scrolling through the lists of shows.
Cost
It is entirely monetarily free! The only cost to you is the need to leave behind more of your digital trail, with the need to sign-up and share your email address when joining. And you will also have to give up some of your time, as each platform has adverts, which can rival the length of ads you’d normally sit through on live Free-to-Air TV.
Scheduling
And since Netflix has been in our lives, we’ve been accustomed to ‘on demand’, consuming entire series in one sitting on the day it was released. But with companion apps from the Free-to-Air channels, you’ll have to re-learn patients and learn again how to consume content around someone else’s scheduling. But hey, that allows you to watch other shows on other nights. Variety is always good! And some shows will eventually be removed off the platforms so be prepared for that as well.
Throw-back
But what has surprised me the most, is the sense of nostalgia and reminiscence I’ve been experiencing lately. Watching content on these Free-to-Air TV companion apps reminds me of the eighties when my parents would schedule a timer on the VCR player and record a show while they weren’t at home. And days later, as a family we’d watch the recording, adverts, and all! The catch-up apps have this same ‘air’ about them, and it has given me an odd sense of joy. Which has helped me to further embrace the idea of living with Free-to-Air TV companion apps.
So, could we completely ween ourselves off all forms of paid streaming services? Probably not, as sometimes you do want the latest on demand, when you want it! But for now, we’re in no rush to go out and subscribe to another streaming service to fill the void which Netflix has left behind. As the free options, they’re viable enough! If you haven’t already, download the companion apps for all the Aussie Free-to-Air channels, there’s surprisingly a lot to consume! Who said there’s no such thing as a ‘Free lunch’?
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