Good morning sports fans! It wasn’t long ago that Foxtel was your only option to watch live sports, or best-of replays, but with sports streaming services becoming more prevalent you’ve got cheaper, and more convenient ways to get your fix.
Of course with options comes choice, which streaming service is going to be the best for you entirely depends on the sports you watch, how you prefer to consume them, and of course your budget.
Kayo, Optus Sport, and Stan Sport are the three most popular sports streaming platforms, and below we are comparing the three so you can figure out which one is the best for you.
Optus Sport vs. Kayo vs. Stan Sport: What sports are streaming?
Optus Sport
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Soccer or Football (don’t @ me), is the name of the game on Optus Sport. The platform is home to Australia’s largest collection of matches from;
- Premier League
- UEFA Champions League
- UEFA Nations League
- UEFA Euro
- UEFA Europa
- Euro2020
The platform also has the right to stream select matches of:
- European Qualifiers
- J.League
- Barclay Women’s Super League
Not every match is available on demand in perpetuity, some, like Premier League matches will only be ready to stream until the next round starts.
As well as live and on-demand matches, Optus Sport also has access to exclusive interviews and content surrounding international football.
Kayo
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Undoubtedly, Kayo has the widest selection of sports live and on demand out of the sports streaming platforms. At the time of writing Kayo houses the following sports;
- American football
- AFL
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Boxing
- Cricket
- Cycling
- Darts
- Esports
- Extreme sports
- Field hockey
- Football
- Formula One
- Golf
- Gymnastics
- Horse racing
- Ice hockey
- MMA
- Motorsports
- Rowing
- Rugby League
- Rugby Union
- Sailing
- Squash
- Supercars
- Surfing
- Table tennis
- Tennis
- Watersports
- Weight lifting
Furthermore you’ll also gain access to a range of sports commentary, press conference footage, archival games, and popular sports television programmes such as The Late Show, and Sunday Night with Matty Johns.
Kayo is the closest you’ll get to having all the sports channels available on Foxtel, but there are a few exceptions such as Sky Racing, and the English Premier League which is exclusively available through Optus Sport.
Stan Sport
Although Stan Sport will only launch of February 19, we do know that it has been dubbed “The new home of Rugby.”
Stan has confirmed that the platform will house Super Rugby, Super W, Wallaroos games, Shute Shield, Hospital Cup, Mitre 10 & Curie Cup and SANZAAR Union home games.
While information is limited before launch, Nine is in the process of securing additional exclusive sporting rights and has confirmed that it will be home to Wimbledon and the French Open.
Optus Sport vs. Kayo vs. Stan Sport: How much does it cost?
Each subscription service operates differently. Kayo Sports has tiered subscription levels, while Optus Sport and Stan Sport have just the one option. Kayo and Optus Sport are stand-alone products, while Stan Sport needs to be bundled with OG Stan. Optus Sport allows a discount when you sign up with an annual subscription while Kayo and Stan Sport are billed on a monthly basis.
Although there isn’t much information out there about Stan Sport just yet, we are making assumptions based on what Stan offers in terms of streaming resolution and the number of simultaneous screens available. These are subject to change and we will update the below content as more information comes to light.
Here are how the three stack up against each other.
| Monthly Cost | Annual Cost | Minimum monthly spend | Screens available | Streaming Resolution | Free Trial | |
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| Kayo | $25 | $300 | $25 | 2 | 1080p | 14-days |
| Kayo Premium | $35 | $420 | $35 | 3 | 1080p | 14-days |
| Optus Sport | $14.99 | $139 | $11.58 | Unlimited | 720p | No |
| Stan Sport | $10 | $120 | $20 Including Basic Stan subscription |
1 On Basic Stan subscription |
1080p 4K available with Premium Stan subscription |
30-days |
It is important to note that Optus Sport comes as a free add-on with a range of mobile and internet plans from the provider, or can be purchased for $5 per 28-days with any active Optus Prepaid Recharge.
None of the three services we are comparing require a lock-in contract. With the exception of the annual Optus Sport membership, they all operate on a month-to-month basis so you can switch it on and off as you see fit.
Optus Sport vs. Kayo vs. Stan Sport: How can I watch?
Optus Sport
You can watch Optus sport at a maximum 720p resolution through your browser, the official apps and a range of entertainment devices. At the time of writing, this is an exhaustive list of every compatible device.
- Any internet browser
- iOS and Android mobile and tablet apps
- Fetch TV
- Apple TV
- Chromecast
- XBOX One/S/X
- Amazon Fire TV Stick
- Android TV
- LG Smart TV
- Samsung TV
You can watch Optus Sport in higher resolution, however you’ll need to go through an Optus Satellite set top box. In order to get access you’ll need a professional to instal the satellite antenna and cabling through your home, and only then will you be able to watch select matches in 1080p.
Kayo
Kayo is currently available to watch on;
- Mobile and tablet through the iOS and Android apps (Note that apps are only compatible with iOS version 11+ and Android version 6+)
- Your internet browser
- Samsung TV
- Android TV
- Apple TV
- Telstra TV
- Chromecast
Playstation and Xbox apps are still not available for the service.
Stan Sport
Anywhere you can watch Stan you’ll be able to watch Stan Sport as well. At the time of writing, Stan Sport is advertised as compatible with:
- LG, Samsung, Sony, Hisense, and TCL Smart TVs
- iOS and Android phones and tablets
- Desktop
- Apple TV
- Xbox Series X, Series S, and One
- PS5 and PS4
- Chromecast
- Telstra TV
- Fetch
Optus Sport vs. Kayo vs. Stan Sport: Extras
As far as extras go, Stan and Optus Sport are both relatively bare-bones at the moment providing your sporting moments and not much else.
Kayo on the other hand has a range of special features available for all subscribers to the platform.
Splitview - With splitview you can watch up to four matches simultaneously, or two on your phone. Split these in a range of different templates, giving more screen real estate to your main game, or simply dividing the screen into quarters to see all the action at once.
Key moments - See the exciting plays marked on the video player timeline, allowing you to skip straight to the best bits of the action.
Pop out player - If you’re watching on your desktop, keep a small screen popped out in the corner of your monitor to keep an eye on the game as you go about the rest of your daily computing.
Multiple cameras - Add on extra camera angles to the same event, for example see the courtview and the regular stream in multiple displays. Note that this feature is only available on selected streams.
Personalised menu - Similar to the Netflix algorithm, Kayo will take note of your favourite sports and customise your home screen to show you what is most interesting to you.
Notifications - Keep up to date on your favourite teams by setting up notifications through the Kayo app. By selecting your sports and teams, the app will send push notifications when new content pops up that may be of interest to you.
No spoilers - selected by default, "no spoilers" will make sure scores don't appear while you're navigating the Kayo interface. This function also blocks "key moments", so bear that in mind when using.
Match Centre - Get suggested content based on the match you’re watching. It may be documentaries, game highlights or commentary and interviews that are relevant.
Kayo minis - 20 minute highlight reels of the match, giving you all the fast-paced action in a bite sized chunk.
Interactive graphics - available for AFL, NRL, cricket, A-League and Super Rugby, Interactive Graphics displays in-game stats. If you're watching AFL, for example, you can see how many kicks, handballs, inside 50s, etc, there have been in the game so far, and who the top players are. This feature is only available on desktop, Apple TV and iPhone and iPad devices.
Choose your speed - Watch the whole match and your favourite moments in slow-mo, 1.5x or 2x speed.
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