Australian SVOD service Stan has been going from strength to strength since it first emerged as ferocious competition for similar services like Netflix and the recently defunct Presto. Of course 2017 is shaping up to be an even bigger year for the platform as the team behind it dive even deeper into on-demand and carve out their own slice of the lucrative market, which they should do nicely with these forthcoming features and exclusives.
Announced at a special Sydney event earlier this week, the Stan team have revealed a number of exciting prospects for users across the country. Let’s take a look shall we.
Ultra High Definition 4K
Bob Odenkirk’s cheesy grin not sharp enough for you? Stan will be bringing themselves up to speed when they introduce UHD 4K to some of the biggest and best content this April. Users with 2015/2016 model Samsung and LG TVs as well as anyone with a PS4 Pro (more devices enabled throughout the year) will be able to choose 4K for a wide range of the service’s most popular titles, including Better Call Saul, the forthcoming second season of Wolf Creek, No Activity, Preacher, Mad Dogs, Transparent, Mozart in the Jungle, The Girlfriend Experience and Power.
Offline Viewing
Let’s be real, even in the age of hyper-connectivity there are times you’re going to go without access to Wi-Fi. SVOD services are beginning to make those times a bit more bearable by introducing offline viewing options, and Stan are the latest to go all-in for the feature that will allow users to download available content and stream offline at their leisure.
The vast majority of Stan’s lineup will be included in the Offline Viewing feature from March, making thousands of hours of TV series and films available including every season of Sherlock, Twin Peaks (including the forthcoming new season), new Jim Carrey comedy-drama I’m Dying Up Here, Billions, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul and more. Younger viewers will be happy to know content from Cartoon Network (now exclusively on Stan), Nickelodeon, ABC for Kids and Roadshow will also be available for download.
Cartoon Network comes to Stan
A new partnership with Turner means that beloved children’s channel Cartoon Network is now exclusively on Stan. This means that the network’s enormous range of content will bolster the all-ages offerings, including entire franchises like Adventure Time, Powerpuff Girls, Regular Show and Ben 10.
Premieres, Exclusives and Classics
There’s going to be no shortage of new additions to Stan’s catalogue over the next few months. The lineup they have announced is unbelievably good, and so far we’re only looking as far as June here. Perhaps the biggest will be the brand new reboot of David Lynch classic Twin Peaks (May 22), but there’s also going to be new seasons for Better Call Saul (April 11), Billions, Stan Original Wolf Creek, Sherlock, Transparent, The Girlfriend Experience, iZombie, Mozart in the Jungle, UnREAL, Younger, Ash vs Evil Dead, Power, The Last Ship, Underground, Good Behaviour and more.
Newbies will include Jim Carrey’s comedy-drama I’m Dying Up Here (about stand-ups in L.A) as part of the Showtime catalogue that Stan have managed to secure. That exciting series will be premiering on June 5th (the same day as the U.S), bringing to life the fictional book of the same name by William Knoedelseder.
Stan Originals
Perhaps the most exciting of the announcements is that Stan will be beefing up their Australian-focused Originals content this year. First, they’ll take another trip into the world of Mick Taylor with the second season of Wolf Creek the TV series (premiering late 2017).
Second, they’ll be shedding a huge spotlight on some of Australia’s best comedians with a special titled One Night Stan, which premieres on March 24 and takes a week-by-week look at the likes of Wil Anderson, Tom Ballad, Celia Pacquola, Tom Gleeson, Sam Simmons and Judith Lucy. Episodes will be feature-length and take place at Melbourne’s iconic Comedy Theatre.
For updates and more information head to the official Stan website HERE.
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