There’s finally an official date for Binge’s ad-supported tier which was originally announced back in October of 2022. From March 30, Binge’s Basic subscription will have up to four minutes of ads per hour. This will still set you back AU$10 p/m but, as an added bonus, you’ll also now be able to stream in HD on this tier as well.
The Foxtel-owned streaming service is known as Australia’s home for HBO content. Offering up popular HBO originals such as last year’s highly successful Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon, Binge has kept its success rolling in 2023. Currently, you can watch each new episode of the already highly acclaimed series The Last of Us at the same time as it drops in the US. The show is set to air its finale on March 13, a few weeks before these new changes take place.
It’s worth noting that Binge isn’t the first streaming platform in Australia to offer an ad-supported subscription – Netflix dropped its own ad-supported tier for AU$6.99 per month back in November of 2022. While Netflix's cheap plan is an additional option to the older existing tiers, Binge is repurposing its Basic plan to become its cheapest, ad-supported tier instead of introducing a new one – it still has three subscription tiers. The HD-quality stream on this base tier feels like a decent compromise for anyone who won't be too bothered by interruptions.
- See how Binge stacks up to Netflix, Disney Plus and more: we’ve compared all the best streaming services available in Australia
How will ads on Binge work?
Ahead of this launch, Binge has outlined the changes you can expect to see in its Basic plan. Fundamentally, if you’re already on the Basic subscription, you won’t have to do a thing unless you want to upgrade to one of the premium tiers to avoid ads altogether. Binge's other two tiers will remain ad-free – the Standard priced at AU$16 p/m for two HD streams and the Premium subscription giving you four HD streams for AU$18 p/m. All three tiers offer a 14-day free trial period.
It appears that ads will work on a one-hour rotation. That means you won’t be hit with the same ad more than once within one hour and additionally only see that ad a max of three times that day. These ads will also be heavily moderated by the platform, with no wagering/gambling ads set to be shown on Binge.
You might also get specific ads based on your IP geolocation, but beyond that Binge states that no other customer data will be used to generate targeted ads. There’ll be no ads on movies, so you can still enjoy a Friday night film without disruption. Kid’s content will also remain ad-free.
There’s a lot to watch on Binge, with a full swing of HBO shows including The White Lotus and Euphoria as well as House of the Dragon and The Last of Us mentioned prior. Binge is also starting to offer locally produced content, with shows Colin from Accounts and Love Me both being successful Australian-produced series from the platform.
