Every Free Streaming Service in Australia: The Complete Guide (2026)

Here’s something most Australians don’t realise: you can access a genuinely impressive amount of quality television without spending a single cent. Between our public broadcasters and the free ad-supported platforms, there are hundreds of shows and movies available right now — no credit card required. Some of it is brilliant. Some of it is rubbish. Here’s the honest rundown of every free streaming service available in Australia.

SBS On Demand

What It Is

SBS On Demand is, without exaggeration, one of the best free streaming services in the world. SBS has always punched above its weight as a broadcaster, and their on-demand platform carries that same commitment to quality international and Australian content.

What You’ll Find

SBS On Demand is the undisputed king of international drama. Entire boxsets of Nordic noir, French thrillers, German crime series, Korean dramas, and Japanese cinema — all subtitled and free. Their Australian content is excellent too, with documentaries and series that tackle Indigenous stories, immigration, and multicultural Australia with genuine care.

Best Shows to Watch

• The Bridge (Swedish/Danish crime thriller — the original, not the US remake)
• The Bureau (French espionage drama, arguably better than Homeland)
• New Gold Mountain (Australian drama about the Victorian goldfields)
• Alone Australia (the local version of the survival series)
• Struggle Street and Filthy Rich & Homeless (confronting Australian documentaries)
• Cycling coverage — SBS has the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia

Honest Quality Assessment

The content quality is genuinely outstanding, particularly if you’re open to subtitled international drama. The app itself is serviceable — not beautiful, but reliable. Ad breaks are shorter and less frequent than commercial rivals. The biggest weakness is discoverability: SBS has so much international content that finding the gems requires some digging. Their curation could be much better.

Rating: 9/10 — The best free streaming in Australia, full stop.

ABC iview

What It Is

The ABC’s streaming platform is a cornerstone of Australian media. It carries the full ABC catalogue — drama, comedy, news, documentaries, kids’ content — plus a growing library of ABC originals and international acquisitions.

What You’ll Find

Strong Australian drama and comedy, excellent children’s programming (Bluey lives here), investigative journalism through Four Corners and Australian Story, and a surprisingly deep documentary library. ABC iview also gets international BBC content through their long-standing partnership.

Best Shows to Watch

• Bluey (yes, it’s for kids, but also secretly for adults having a cry)
• Mystery Road (outstanding Australian outback crime drama)
• Fisk (Kitty Flanagan’s legal comedy is pure gold)
• Gruen (Wil Anderson dissecting advertising — endlessly entertaining)
• Old People’s Home for Teenagers (unexpectedly heartwarming reality)
• Four Corners (investigative journalism at its finest)

Honest Quality Assessment

The content is reliably good, especially for Australian stories. The app has improved enormously over the past few years — it’s now clean, fast, and genuinely pleasant to use. No ads at all, which is a beautiful thing. The weakness is the library depth: shows rotate off the platform, and the international catalogue is limited compared to SBS.

Rating: 8/10 — Essential for Australian content and the best kids’ platform in the country.

7plus

What It Is

Channel Seven’s free streaming platform, carrying Seven’s broadcast content plus a growing library of originals and acquired content. It rebranded and invested significantly in the platform over recent years.

What You’ll Find

Seven’s bread and butter is reality TV, sport, and light entertainment. Home and Away, My Kitchen Rules, SAS Australia, Big Brother, and a deep catalogue of lifestyle programming. They’ve also invested in some decent drama and acquired international content.

Best Shows to Watch

• Home and Away (look, it is what it is, and millions of Aussies love it)
• SAS Australia (celebrities getting absolutely destroyed — great television)
• The 1% Club (entertaining quiz show format)
• AFL coverage (if you’re a footy fan, this is essential)
• Heartbreak Island and various reality formats

Honest Quality Assessment

Let’s be direct: 7plus is a reality TV and sport platform. If that’s your thing, it’s genuinely solid. If you’re after prestige drama or quality scripted content, look elsewhere. The app is functional but ad-heavy — you’ll sit through a significant number of ads, and they’re often repetitive. The streaming quality is acceptable without being impressive.

Rating: 5/10 — Good for sport and reality, forgettable for everything else.

9Now

What It Is

Channel Nine’s free streaming platform. Like 7plus, it primarily serves Nine’s broadcast audience with catch-up content and some exclusives.

What You’ll Find

Nine’s biggest strength is its reality slate — Married at First Sight (a genuine cultural phenomenon in Australia), The Block, Lego Masters, and Australian Ninja Warrior. They also carry news programming, Today show content, and some drama.

Best Shows to Watch

• Married at First Sight (trashy, addictive, unmissable water-cooler television)
• The Block (renovation competition that Australians are inexplicably obsessed with)
• Lego Masters (Hamish Blake makes everything better)
• Underbelly (the original Australian crime drama series — if it’s available)
• Travel Guides (wholesome, funny travel reality)

Honest Quality Assessment

MAFS alone probably justifies 9Now’s existence for a significant chunk of the Australian population — love it or hate it, it dominates the national conversation for months every year. Beyond reality, the platform is thin on quality scripted content. The app is middling, and the ad load is heavy. You’ll spend a lot of time watching the same three ads on repeat.

Rating: 5/10 — Worth it for MAFS and The Block, otherwise unremarkable.

10 Play

What It Is

Network Ten’s free streaming platform, now backed by Paramount. This Paramount connection theoretically gives 10 Play access to a broader content library, though the execution has been inconsistent.

What You’ll Find

Survivor Australia, The Amazing Race Australia, MasterChef, The Bachelor/Bachelorette, and a smattering of international content. The Paramount connection brings some older US shows and movies into the library.

Best Shows to Watch

• MasterChef Australia (genuinely wholesome competition television)
• Survivor Australia (Jonathan LaPaglia keeps this franchise strong)
• The Amazing Race Australia (Beau Ryan brings infectious energy)
• The Project (panel show, polarising but popular)
• Neighbours (revived and continuing — an Australian institution)

Honest Quality Assessment

10 Play’s biggest asset is MasterChef Australia, which remains one of the most consistently enjoyable shows on Australian television. The broader library is underwhelming, the app is the weakest of the commercial platforms, and the ad experience is frustrating. Buffering issues are more common than they should be in 2026. The Paramount connection hasn’t translated into the content boost many expected.

Rating: 4/10 — MasterChef carries this platform on its shoulders.

Tubi

What It Is

The American ad-supported streaming service that’s made its way to Australia. Tubi is owned by Fox and offers a surprisingly large library of movies and TV shows — all completely free with ads.

What You’ll Find

A massive catalogue of older movies, B-movies, cult classics, and TV series that have left other platforms. Think of it as a digital video shop — the selection is enormous, the curation is minimal, and the quality varies wildly from hidden gems to absolute rubbish.

Best Shows to Watch

• Hell’s Kitchen (Gordon Ramsay screaming — timeless entertainment)
• Columbo (classic detective series, endlessly rewatchable)
• Unsolved Mysteries (true crime before true crime was trendy)
• A rotating selection of decent movies (check the “Recently Added” section regularly)

Honest Quality Assessment

Tubi is the streaming equivalent of rummaging through a bargain bin — you’ll wade through a lot of rubbish, but occasionally you’ll find something genuinely good for absolutely nothing. The app is clean and functional, the ad load is lighter than the Australian commercial platforms, and the movie library fills gaps that other services miss. Don’t expect prestige content, but do expect pleasant surprises.

Rating: 6/10 — Better than it has any right to be, especially for movie lovers on a budget.

The Bottom Line

If you’re on a tight budget, SBS On Demand and ABC iview together give you a genuinely excellent streaming experience for zero dollars. SBS covers international drama and documentaries while ABC handles Australian stories, kids’ content, and journalism. That combination is legitimately world-class free television.

Add Tubi for movie browsing and you’ve got a surprisingly comprehensive setup without touching your wallet. The commercial platforms — 7plus, 9Now, and 10 Play — are worth dipping into for specific shows (MAFS, MasterChef, AFL) but aren’t platforms you’ll browse for discovery.

The real power move? Use the free services as your base and rotate a single paid subscription — one month of Stan, then Binge, then Netflix — to fill the gaps. Your annual streaming cost drops dramatically, and you’ll never run out of quality content.