How to save money on streaming subscriptions & TV bundles through your telco service

(Information correct at time of writing).

Having subscriptions to multiple streaming services can get quite costly but the good news is, there may be a way you can save some money with deals offered by companies such as Telstra and Optus.

Some of the big telco providers have teamed up with streaming services to exclusively offer discounted or free subscriptions through their plans. Currently, Optus is the only provider offering free Netflix subscriptions and Telstra is the only provider offering discounts on Binge subscriptions.

In addition, iiNet and Internode are offering NBN and Fetch TV bundles, which can save you money if you’re interested in Fetch TV.

These partnerships between telco providers and streaming services are beneficial for both parties. For streaming services such as Binge, they offer the chance to gain new subscribers who may not have considered their service.

For the telco providers, a free or discounted streaming subscription or Fetch TV bundle can make their service seem much more appealing to potential customers.

It can also be hard to keep track of all of your streaming subscriptions. If this is something that you struggle with, you may want to try a streaming consolidation platform like Telstra TV, Optus SubHub or Fetch TV, all services that pull your subscriptions into one place. (Telstra TV and Fetch TV are not free services, however Optus SubHub is free for Optus customers).

So, what current deals are available through telco providers?

Optus: 

Popular telco provider Optus has its own subscription bundling service - SubHub. This platform is available for free to all eligible Optus customers and is a way for customers to keep track of all of their subscriptions.

With SubHub, you can also save money depending on how many services you link. If you link two subscriptions, you save 5% per month on both subscriptions, and when you link three or more, you save 10% on all subscriptions. SubHub customers are also given a discount on Optus Sport ($6.99 per month, down from $24.99).

SubHub not only lets you save money on your streaming subscriptions, it also means that you pay for all your streaming services as part of your Optus bill. Consolidating these individual costs through SubHub makes it easier for you to keep track of how much you’re spending.

If you’re an Optus customer who is not currently using SubHub, it may be worth having a look to see if you could be saving money.

Optus is also currently offering a free standard Netflix subscription with selected Optus Family NBN plans. If you have a large family that uses a lot of internet and you’re also paying for a Netflix subscription on top of that, it may be worth looking into an Optus Family NBN plan to see if you could be saving money.

Telstra:

Telstra has an entertainment hub - Telstra TV, which is similar to Apple TV and Foxtel. To access Telstra TV, you need to buy the streaming device that plugs into your smart TV. You can buy it outright for $216 or add it to your Telstra account. A lot of Telstra phone and internet plans allow you to add Telstra TV for just $9 per month for the first 24 months.

With Telstra TV, you can also pause and rewind live TV and rent movies directly through the Telstra TV Box Office.

Unlike Optus SubHub, you can’t get discounts on your subscriptions but Telstra TV is a handy way to access all of your subscriptions in one place: it allows you to easily keep track of what you are paying for!

With Telstra, new customers are also eligible for a 14 day free trial of Binge. Gold and Silver Telstra members can also get a reduced price on a standard Binge subscription. Gold Telstra Plus members can get a 12 month standard subscription for only $5 a month, and Silver Telstra Plus members can get it for $10 a month for the first 12 months. Without this discount, a standard Binge subscription costs $16 per month.

Fetch TV:

Fetch TV is a subscription television service, similar to Foxtel. With Fetch TV, you have access to all the free to air TV channels and are also able to view multiple additional paid TV channels, depending on your subscription. The additional channels include Discovery Channel, BBC Earth, National Geographic and ESPN. You can also buy or rent movies through Fetch TV.

Similar to Optus SubHub and Telstra TV, you can access all of your streaming services through FetchTV, making it easy to keep track of your current subscriptions.

To access Fetch TV, you need the physical set-up box which provides access to standard free to air TV channels. There are two options for the set up box: customers can choose between the smaller Fetch TV Mini or the bigger Fetch TV Mighty (these boxes cost between $169 and $449 depending on which one you choose). If you want to record TV programs to watch later, you can only do this with the more expensive Fetch TV Mighty box. Once you have the box, you can pick which plan you want. You can either choose a themed channel pack, which costs $6 per month, or you can pay $20 per month for premium access to all channels.

Fetch TV is not owned by any of the telco providers but some internet providers offer it as an option extra with select internet plans. With these plans, you still have to pay for the set-up box but you get free access to a Fetch TV plan. (The time period for your free Fetch TV subscription depends on the individual internet provider and plan).

The internet providers currently offering free Fetch TV are iiNet and Internode.

If you are wanting access to paid TV channels or if you are already paying for Foxtel and wanting a change, it may be worth looking at the internet plans that offer free Fetch TV to see if you could be saving money.

If you’re still looking for a competitive internet plan, check out our Broadband Home Page for a list of current internet deals.

Or, if you want to learn more about the various streaming services, their costs and what content is on offer, check out our guide which breaks down all the information for you.