Catch-up TV, YouTube and streaming apps
Your mobile device is a portable entertainment centre, with apps for music, reading, radio shows, TV and movies.
Learn how your mobile device can be an entertainment hub and act like a TV or radio. There are some other forms of entertainment to explore too.
Before you begin
There are many apps that stream data from the internet to your phone or tablet. To use these apps, you’ll need a home Wi-Fi internet connection or a mobile data plan, with available data.
Remember, you should only get entertainment apps from your device’s official app store. Some services, such as catch-up TV, have official apps, while services like podcasts or internet radio have lots of apps to choose from. Do your own research and check reviews from other users to help decide which app is best for you.
Catch-up TV apps
These apps let you watch major network television on your device, and they include:
- ABC iView
- SBS On Demand
- 10Play
- 9Now
- 7plus
These apps let you choose programs from a home screen, and after you use them for a while, will suggest content that you may like. You will need to sign up for a free account, and if you have a compatible smart TV you can get a version of the app for your TV too.
Video and music streaming apps
These apps let you enjoy a range of entertainment, from mainstream movies, to independent documentaries, TV shows from overseas, and more. Some examples include:
- Netflix
- Disney+
- Prime Video
- Stan
- Apple TV+
- Binge
Like catch-up TV, these apps also let you choose movies and programs from a home screen and will learn your preferences and suggest content. You will need to sign up for a paid subscription account and provide credit card details to use the service via the official app for your device. Content is split between services, so you may need to subscribe to more than one service to get all the shows and films you want.
Finding a show or film you know you want to watch can be tricky if you are subscribed to multiple services and use more than one app. You can use the JustWatch app to find content, and it will tell you which app to use to watch it.
There are also music streaming apps which are organised by artist, album, and song. They require a paid subscription, or you can listen with advertising included every few songs. Some examples include:
- YouTube Music
- Spotify
- Apple Music
Internet radio and podcast apps
Internet radio and podcasts are audio-only apps:
- Internet radio lets you listen to radio stations from around the world.
- As a service, internet radio is free.
- Some examples of apps include Listnr, iHeart Radio, and TuneIn.
- Podcasts are episodic audio programs from around the world and are also free.
- You can subscribe for free to a podcast to be notified when the next episode is available.
- Some examples of apps include Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Pocket Casts, and Podcast Addict.
- Some apps combine internet radio and podcasts, such as the ABC Listen app.
- There are also apps that combine podcasts and audiobooks, including Audible, Kobo Books, and Audiobooks.com. ABC Listen has some audiobooks too.
- Internet radio and podcast apps are usually free, but some have a pro option that costs $5-10 and has more features.
All about YouTube
YouTube is unique service, website, and app from Google that lets users upload videos and music for others to watch:
- The service also hosts professional short films, movie trailers, documentaries, classic episodes of old TV shows, clips from old movies, and much more.
- It is a family-friendly service but may include clips from violent movies.
- Find content to watch using the Search bar and sign in with your Google Account to get recommendations.
- The official YouTube app for your device makes it easier to navigate and watch clips and longer content.
- YouTube plays an ad at the beginning of each clip, and ads in the middle of videos longer than 10 minutes.
- You can subscribe to YouTube Premium to remove ads and receive access to YouTube Music as a bonus.