The ultimate movie, TV and music subscription plan price guide
PHOTO: Unsplash
PUBLISHED ONOctober 01, 2022 1:00 PMBy Fiona Ling
Streaming services in Singapore are a hit with the locals.
60 per cent of respondents in a 2022 Blackbox survey are currently paying for a streaming service, clearly indicating that Singaporeans take our cultural binges seriously.
If you're looking for the next streaming service to subscribe to, here's a list of the various streaming services and subscription plans in Singapore for you.
Shows and movie streaming
Netflix
The platform
On top of popular shows and movies, Netflix also features binge-worthy Netflix Originals TV shows, Netflix Original movies, Netflix exclusive anime, documentaries and more.
Netflix studios is always looking for unique content, deriving shows from lesser known (but cult favourite) comics, games and foreign language books.
There's hardly anything you cannot find on the user-friendly platform compatible with various devices.
Notable shows and movies
Stranger Things, Money Heist, Squid Game, the Witcher, the Sandman, the Gray Man, Friends, the Big Bang Theory, Incantation, the Power of the Dog.
Disney+
The platform
Disney+ arrived in Singapore with a bang, with a magical lights and a firework show with local singers crooning to world-famous Disney music.
Disney+ combines Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic and Star into one convenient and affordable platform.
Notable shows and movies
Encanto, Turning Red, Frozen, Cars, Up, Toy Story Series, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Mandalorian, How I Met Your Father, American Horror Story.
Apple TV+
The platform
Apple TV+ Original shows and movies are unlike any other – the filmography of these shows is simply breathtaking. Apple Originals mostly feature dramas, comedies and documentaries.
Apple TV+ also has the option to rent newly released shows and movies as an add-on option for subscribers.
Notable shows and movies
Severance, Ted Lasso, Little America, Bad Sisters, Mythic Quest, Defending Jacob, the Morning Show.
Amazon Prime Video
The platform
Together with free and fast shipping from Amazon's e-commerce marketplace, Amazon Prime includes Amazon Prime Video and the gamer streaming subscription Twitch.
Even though Amazon Prime Video doesn't release hit shows often, the very affordable package and excellent programming are worth the subscription.
Notable shows and movies
The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power, the Grand Tour, the Man in the High Castle, the Office, Wheel of Time, Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, 007 Series.
HBO Go
The platform
HBO Go hosts an excellent selection of TV shows and movies available in Singapore. Shows featured on HBO Go are mostly of alternate universes with great story lines.
Enjoy an epic journey through Westeros with the seven houses, battle through the prairie in Westworld, fight crime in the DC Universe and tame magical creatures in the Harry Potter series.
There will never be a dull moment on the HBO Go streaming platform.
Notable shows and movies
Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, Westworld, the Batman, Chernobyl, DC Universe, Rick and Morty, Dune, Euphoria, Harry Potter series.
YouTube Premium
The platform
Almost everyone has clicked on the big red play button once in our lives, so prevalent has it become in our modern lives. The platform features content from video content creators, and is also a video streaming and social media site.
YouTube Premium (previously known as YouTube Red) is a paid subscription service that enables ad-free video streaming, access to YouTube Originals and YouTube Music for online and offline video and music streaming.
Notable shows and movies
YouTube Originals, creator content, live news, music videos and everything else related to video streaming.
Viu Premium
The platform
Viu's speciality is Asian entertainment, featuring shows and movies from all over the Asian region.
Bring on the romance and drama with K-drama, Hong Kong drama, Chinese movies, Thai shows and Japanese variety shows on Viu.
Viu is free with ads, but with Viu premium, you can enable ad-free and offline watching.
Notable shows and movies
Viu Originals, Running Man, My Roommate is a Gumiho, Poong, the Joseon Psychiatrist, It's Beautiful Now, the Age of Blood, Keys to the Heart.
meWATCH
The platform
meWATCH is a homegrown platform owned by MediaCorp. It has limited shows without ads, but you can opt for a prime plan to watch unlimited local shows ad-free.
meWATCH also has add-ons like Animax + GEM for anime and Japanese shows, ShemarooMe for Hindi shows and Simply South for Tamil shows.
meWATCH's subscription is very affordable, and they currently offer additional credit card discounts for DBS and Maybank cardholders.
Notable shows and movies
Healing Heroes, Dark Angel, Homerun, King of Culinary, Viruman, Sunny Side Up, Adulting Page, Innocents.
Hayu
The platform
Are you a fan of therapeutic, trashy reality TV? Get Hayu, where you can watch all the scandalous reality TV shows straight from the US.
Hayu also features a true crime series focusing on real cases for those who are drawn to the darker side of life.
Notable shows and movies
The Real Housewives series, Keeping Up with the Kardashians series, True Crime, Below Deck, Married to Medicine, Rich Kids series.
iQiyi
The platform
iQiyi is another platform specialising in Asian entertainment. Watch the latest C-drama, K-drama, manhwa, donghua anime, Malay drama and variety shows on one platform.
iQiyi is initially free (but with ads), although with the premium subscription, you can watch your favourite dramas ad-free offline.
Notable shows and movies
Love Between Fairy and Devil, See You Again, Make a Wish, Sweet Teeth, Love Under The Full Moon, Descendants of the Sun, What's Up?
Music streaming
A wise man once said that music changes and moves the world.
Recorded music has come a long way, from records to cassettes, various discs and now streaming onto your device directly, thanks to the revolutionary power of the Internet.
Here are some of the best music streaming platforms available in Singapore.
Spotify
Made in Sweden, Spotify is possibly the most popular and biggest music streaming platform in the world.
Spotify offers free copyrighted music streaming with ads and shuffle on mobile. Spotify premium is the paid, ad-free plans for students, individuals, duos (two users) and family (six users).
With music streaming across various genres (even more you've never heard of), audiobooks, self-help material, meditation, poetry and podcasts available on Spotify, there's something for everyone.
YouTube Premium Music
YouTube Music is inclusive with the YouTube Premium platform, where you can watch both creator content and music videos.
Probably the coolest thing about YouTube Premium is that, with a music video playlist, you can opt to watch the music videos in video mode or listen to album versions of the selected piece in song mode.
YouTube is still the best platform to support up-and-coming creators or music covers not available anywhere else.
Tidal
Tidal is famously co-owned by music artists such as Jay-Z, Beyonce, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Daft Punk, Jack White and Madonna. Tidal strives to give more ownership, control and (allegedly) three times the monetary compensation than Spotify to artists.
For listeners, Tidal HiFi is known to have the best lossless music quality amongst all streaming platforms. If you want to support your favourite artists and enjoy excellent lossless music quality, Tidal HiFi is the music platform for you.
KKBox
KKBox platform is great for Asian songs and podcasts as it hails from Taiwan and is owned by a Japanese company.
KKBox is Singapore's answer to a great selection of lossless music, and it features a wide selection of Mandopop, K-Pop, J-Pop and J-Rock.
Apple Music
Apple Music is a music, video and audio streaming service created and owned by Apple Inc.
You might hear of this service when you purchase an Apple product as Apple offers a complimentary trial for all device purchases. One of Apple Music's most famous worldwide radio stations is the Apple Music 1.
Apple has sealed deals with famous music companies such as Universal Music Group, Sony Music and Warner Music Group to bring you the best in current music.
The ultimate subscription price list
TV streaming (All prices exclude GST)
| TV streaming service | Tiered plan | Total price (in SGD) per month | Total price per device per month | Total price per year | Total price per device per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netflix (1 user) | Basic | $12.98 | $12.98 | $155.76 | $155.76 |
| Netflix (2 users) | Standard | $17.48 | $8.74 | $209.76 | $104.88 |
| Netflix (4 users) | Premium | $21.98 | $5.50 | $263.74 | $65.94 |
| Disney+ (4 devices) | One tier only | $11.98 | $3.00 |
$122.20 (15 per cent off) |
$30.55 (15 per cent off) |
| Apple TV+ (5 devices) | One tier only | $6.98 | $1.40 | $83.76 | $16.75 |
| Amazon Prime (3 devices) | One tier only | $2.99 | $1.00 | $35.88 | $11.96 |
| HBO GO (5 devices, 2 streams) | One month subscription | $13.98 | $2.80 | $167.76 | $33.55 |
| HBO GO (5 devices, 2 streams) | Three month subscription | $29.98 | $2.00 | $119.92 | $23.98 |
| YouTube Premium (1 device) | Individual plan | $11.98 | $11.98 | $143.76 | $143.76 |
| YouTube Premium (6 devices) | Family plan | $17.98 | $3.00 | $215.76 | $35.96 |
| Viu | Free plan, with ads | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Viu Premium (3 devces) | Premium plan, ad-free | $7.98 | $2.66 | $76.60 (20 per cent off) | $25.53 (20 per cent off) |
| meWATCH (Free plan) | Free plan with ads, limited shows | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| meWATCH (5 devices) | Prime plan, ad-free, unlimited downloads & shows | $9.90 | $1.98 | $118.80 | $23.76 |
| meWATCH (5 devices) | Animax + GEM (Anime & Japanese) | $1.99 | $0.40 | $13.99 (40 per cent off) | $2.80 (40 per cent off) |
| meWATCH (5 devices) | ShemarooMe (Hindi) | $5.99 | $1.20 | $42.99 (40 per cent off) | $8.60 (40 per cent off) |
| meWATCH (5 devices) | Simply South (Tamil) | $4.90 | $0.98 | $39.90 (30 per cent off) | $7.98 (30 per cent off) |
| Hayu (6 devices) | One tier only | $4.99 | $0.83 | $43.98 (25 per cent off) | $7.33 (25 per cent off) |
| iQiyi (2 devices) | Standard | $6.98 | $3.49 | $69.98 (15 per cent off) | $34.99 (15 per cent off) |
| iQiyi (4 devices) | Premium | $10.98 | $2.74 | $109.98 (15 per cent off) | $27.49 (15 per cent off) |
Music streaming (All prices exclude GST)
| Music streaming service | Tiered plan | Total price (in SGD) per month | Total price per device per month | Total price per year | Total price per device per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spotify (1 device) | Student plan, annual verification needed | $4.99 | $4.99 | $59.88 | $59.88 |
| Spotify (1 device) | Individual plan | $9.90 | $9.90 | $118.80 |
$118.80 |
| Spotify (2 devices) | Duo plan | $12.98 | $6.49 | $155.76 | $77.88 |
| Spotify (6 devices) | Family plan | $16.98 | $2.83 |
$203.76 |
$33.96 |
| YouTube Premium Music (1 device) | Student plan, annual verification needed | $6.98 | $6.98 | $83.76 | $83.76 |
| YouTube Premium Music (1 device) | Individual plan | $11.98 | $11.98 | $143.76 | $143.76 |
| YouTube Premium Music (6 devices) | Family plan | $17.98 | $3.00 | $215.76 | $35.96 |
| Tidal (6 total devices, 1 online, 5 offline) | HiFi plan | $9.90 | $1.65 | $118.80 | $19.80 |
| Tidal (6 total devices, 1 online, 5 offline) | HiFi Plus plan | $19.80 | $3.30 | $237.60 | $39.60 |
| KKBox (1 device) | Monthly subscription | $9.90 | $9.90 | $118.80 | $118.80 |
| KKBox (1 device) | Single payment, 90 days | $9.90 | $9.90 | $118.80 | $118.80 |
| KKBox (1 device) | Single payment, 365 + one month free | $9.0 | $9.90 | $118.80 | $118.80 |
| Apple Music (1 device) | Student plan, annual verification needed | $5.98 | $5.98 | $71.76 | $71.76 |
| Apple Music (1 device) | Individual plan | $9.98 | $9.98 | $119.76 | $119.76 |
| Apple Music (6 devices) | Family plan | $14.98 | $2.50 | $179.76 | $29.96 |
Conclusion
With this cost breakdown of the ultimate list of TV and music streaming, you can make an informed decision in choosing the subscription plans that best suit your needs.
Be sure to maximise your subscription rewards with the best cashback credit cards and miles credit cards!
ALSO READ: Cheap gyms in Singapore: 10 gym memberships under $100/month (Sept 2022)
This article was first published in ValueChampion.