Subscription streaming service Stan will launch on Australia Day, going head-to-head with Presto Movies/Presto TV and getting two months’ head start on Netflix’s Australian debut.
Among the exclusive offerings at launch will be two Amazon Studios productions, Transparent, a comedy-drama about a Los Angeles family whose father (Jeffrey Tambor) reveals he is transgender; and Mozart in the Jungle, the tale of a young oboist in New York and her relationship with the orchestra’s volatile conductor, starring Gone Girl’s Lola Kirke and Gael Garcia Bernal.
Another exclusive, the Breaking Bad prequel Better Call Saul starring Bob Odenkirk as a sleazy lawyer, Jonathan Banks and Michael McKean, will premiere on February 9, fast-tracked from the US.
A joint venture between Nine Entertainment Co and Fairfax Media, Stan will use the network to cross-promote Transparent. The first two episodes will screen on Nine at 10 pm on Tuesday January 27.
All the shows listed in the launch media release had been revealed previously so no surprises, but more announcements are coming.
Stan will charge $10 per month for unlimited access to its TV and film library which includes exclusive SVoD rights to the James Bond franchise, with a 30-day free trial.
CEO Mike Sneesby said: “We know there’s been some speculation around Stan’s launch date, and while we’ve had to keep it under wraps we’re really proud to be able to announce that Australia’s new streaming service will launch on Australia Day.”
Sneesby will unveil another major content deal, also a Stan exclusive, next week, and shortly after the platform’s first development deal with an Australian production company. He had flagged that original Australian production will be a point of differentiation with other SVoD services.
He is confident the 30-day free trial will spur big sampling, telling IF, “We have worked hard to pick some of the best programming and we are offering great value. I can’t see why a lot of people won’t give it a go.”
Stan will be available in HD on multiple platforms including TVs (via Google Chromecast and Apple TV, but no other smart TVs as yet), tablets, computers and mobile phones. Three people per household can stream content from the one account.