The Best Australian Social TV Services

In Australia, there are plenty of ways to watch TV — you can sit back in front of the TV with free-to-air, you can stream catch-up online, or watch Foxtel through your set-top box, tablet or PC. However you consume your TV, you can talk about it with friends or strangers — here are some of the best social and catch-up apps to enjoy TV with.

[related title=”Gizmodo Streaming Week ” desc=”Entertainment in a digital world…” tag=”streaming-week-2014″ items=”3″]Whether you’re on an iPhone, an iPad or any kind of Android tablet or smartphone, you’re able to use any of a huge range of streaming TV and social TV services on the go.

You don’t need a subscription for any of these services apart from Foxtel, so if you watch a lot of TV, you might actually find it a lot of fun to jump on one of these social TV apps and discuss your favourite shows.

Here are all the TV apps you need to stay on top of your favourite shows this year.

Social

Beamly

Previously known as Zeebox, and initially partnering with Network Ten, Beamly is now channel-agnostic; you can chat about Game of Thrones alongside Agents of SHIELD and Masterchef.

Beamly is a social TV app that lets you set reminders for some of your favourite shows, compare notes with friends, and share your thoughts with social networks. You can comment publicly about how you thought the last episode of Game of Thrones was awful or awfully good, keep track of shows to get a live stream of news, and build a TV guide that is tailored just to your needs.

You can download Beamly on both iOS and Android.

Fango: Channel Seven

Fango is Seven’s way of getting its viewers more socially active while they sit on the couch.

Available for iOS and Android, Fango lets viewers check-in to their favourite shows, socialise with other users, and compete to be the number one fan of a particular show.

Leaderboards give way to prizes, badges and points all round!

Jump-In: Channel Nine

Nine’s Jump-In app was launched late last year as a competitor to the other two networks’ social app offerings.

Jump-In relaunched recently for social interaction with Channel Nine, GO! and Gem shows, and viewers are invited into the app at specific intervals during a show to get exclusive content. With The Block for example, viewers are getting exclusive looks inside the homes that are being renovated.

Jump-In is available on iOS — there’s no Android app at the moment, unfortunately.

Catch-Up

TenPLAY

TenPLAY is Channel Ten’s catch-up app for Ten, Eleven and One — there’s a heap of streaming TV episodes available for all three channels. There’s real-time viewing as well, so you can use the app when a show is about to start as well.

You can also set reminders for when your favourite show is about to start, and there’s a full TV guide — for all free-to-air channels and Foxtel as well, not just Ten’s own broadcasts.

The TenPLAY app is available on both iOS and Android.

Foxtel Go

Go is a tremendous app from the folks over at Foxtel, for those who want both live programming as well as catch-up TV on the go.

There’s a Foxtel Go app for iOS — both iPhone and iPad, thankfully — and also for select Samsung smartphones and tablets and the Google Nexus 5 on Android, although more devices will be added in the future.

ABC iView

ABC iView was one of the first catch-up and streaming platforms to hit the web in Australia. It gives you access to all of the ABC’s programming, from news and current affairs right through to comedies and dramas. You’ll also be able to stream the live 24-hour news service, ABC News 24, via the iView app.

iView is available on both Android and iOS.


What’s your favourite TV app? Tell us in the comments.


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