Binge is a popular Australian streaming service that you can watch through your Smart TV, phone or computer. But have you ever wondered who owns Binge? You may have noticed that Binge has the same programs as Foxtel and that’s because they own Binge.
Who Owns Binge?
Binge is owned by Foxtel. The ownership structure is a little complicated but Binge is owned by Streamotion and Streamotion is part of Foxtel. Programs that are available on Foxtel are also available for streaming on Binge.
What is Streamotion?
Streamotion is a company that is wholly owned by the Foxtel Group. Streamotion are responsible for developing the streaming apps Binge, Kayo Sports and Flash. Streamotion provide technical support and customer service for these apps. You may notice that when you login to Binge or Kayo, you are logging into your Streamotion account. This account can be used across all the Streamotion streaming apps.
Is Binge Owned By News Corp and Rupert Murdoch
Binge is part of the News Corp family of products. News Corp owns the majority of Foxtel (Telstra owns the rest) and Foxtel owns Binge. So yes, Binge is a News Corp product.
The Murdoch family owns a controlling stake in News Corp which is a publicly listed company. So yes, Rupert Murdoch does in turn own part of Binge. The entire corporate structure and ownership structure is very complex but Rupert Murdoch does have a stake in Binge and will profit from its success.
Why Did Foxtel Create Binge?
While the exact reasons are unknown we can speculate that Binge was created in order for Foxtel to remain relevant. Personally, I don’t think Foxtel is worth subscribing to anymore. Especially as you can get the same content for much cheaper through Binge and Kayo Sports. Foxtel knows that their traditional TV product is becoming less and less popular so they’ve created a series of streaming apps (Binge, Kayo Sports, Flash News) to compete against products like Netflix and Stan.
More and more people are also switching away from expensive boxes like the Foxtel IQ and instead just using their smart TV or streaming device like an Apple TV or Chromecast. Foxtel has made their streaming apps available through these devices.
What’s a little bit confusing is that Foxtel still operates the Foxtel Now streaming app. Which is much more expensive than Binge but has the same content. I expect over the coming years Foxtel will sunset their Foxtel Now app and instead push people towards Binge and their other streaming apps.
What Content is Available on Binge
You can watch the same TV shows and movies on Binge that you can also find on Foxtel. Unlike Stan or Netflix, Binge doesn’t have any “original Binge” shows. But Foxtel does produce a lot of Original content and this is available through Binge. Popular HBO series like Game of Thrones is also available for streaming through Binge.
None of Foxtel’s sport content is available on Binge. Instead you’ll need to subscribe to a seperate streaming app called Kayo. News content is also not available through Binge and can be streamed through the Flash News app.
Binge has both on demand content and live tv channels. If you want to watch live channels like Lifestyle or Fox you can do this through the Binge app.
