Where HBO Max, Hulu & Other U.S. Streaming Content Airs In Australia

Where HBO Max, Hulu & Other U.S. Streaming Content Airs In Australia
At Gizmodo, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.

Licensing restrictions play havoc on streaming services, particularly in Australia. It means we occasionally miss out on content, or experience extended airing delays. It means content hitting Netflix U.S. doesn’t hit Netflix Australia. It also means content that airs on Hulu, like 2020’s best movie Palm Springs, may end up on Amazon Prime Video here.

Luckily, with the launch of the Disney+ Star catalogue, we’re getting closer to having parity with U.S. streaming services. While we still miss out on some original shows, most U.S. streaming services do have a local equivalent.

If you’re looking for content from these services in Australia, here’s where you’ll find it.

Where to find HBO Max content in Australia

A screenshot from the show Barry where a hitman who does murders but not on the Dark Web
Image: HBO

HBO Max is packed with award-winning dramas and underrated hits like The Leftovers, Watchmen, Barry and DC’s Doom Patrol. In March, it’ll also be home to the highly-anticipated Snyder Cut of Justice League.

In Australia, the local equivalent of HBO Max is Binge or Foxtel Now/GO.

Binge houses the vast majority of HBO’s streaming content, and is a $10-a-month service separate to a cable subscription. This should cover most of your HBO Max needs including older shows like Game of Thrones and newer hits like The Flight Attendant but there is some HBO Max content available on Foxtel Now that isn’t on Binge.

The difference lies in the price — Foxtel Now is significantly more expensive than Binge. You can find out more about the differences between them here and discover which one you’ll need to access your favourite shows.

You can also find some HBO Max shows over on Stan, including killer hit Search Party and It’s A Sin.

Where to find Hulu content in Australia

palm springs oscars
Just another day in Palm Springs. (Photo: Hulu)

For a good long while, Hulu content like Palm Springs and Solar Opposites had no local equivalent. It mean anything that did get brought over was scattered across the streaming seas.

Thankfully, Disney (which owns Hulu) is launching Star on Disney+ from February 23, which will feature Hulu content going forward. That means if you’ve ever wanted to check out Hulu Originals like Solar Opposites or Helstrom in Australia, you’re in luck.

It’s likely all Hulu content will end up here locally from now on, but note some legacy Hulu content will still stream on other platforms. Palm Springs, for example, is still at home on Amazon Prime Video locally. Stan also has a bunch of Hulu shows streaming like Catch 22, 11.22.63, Veronica Mars and The Handmaid’s Tale.

Where to find NBC Peacock content in Australia

heroes streaming nbc australia
Image: NBC

NBC has produced a bunch of hit shows across the last few decades, including absolute classics like Charmed, 30 Rock, Heroes, Law and Order: SVU, Saturday Night Live and Psych. The good news is you can watch all of these shows in Australia. The bad news is you’ll have to sign up to a few different streaming services to do it.

Unlike other U.S. streaming services, Australia doesn’t have a direct equivalent to NBC’s Peacock.

Heroes is on Foxtel GO, as is Saturday Night Live and SVU. But Charmed and 30 Rock are on Stan. Psych is on Amazon Prime Video. It’s a veritable smorgasbord of streaming services. You’ll need to sign up for them all to access Peacock content.

The good news is a lot of the Originals have actually wound up on free-to-air streaming in Australia.

Here’s where the most popular NBC Peacock Original shows have ended up locally:

  • Brave New World streams on Stan
  • Cleopatra in Space streams on ABC iview
  • Intelligence streams on 7plus

Given Stan recently signed a multi-year deal with NBCUniversal, we can also expect to see more Peacock Originals, DreamWorks TV shows and other NBC content coming to the platform in future. This includes the upcoming Battlestar Galactica reboot, Tina Fey’s new comedy Girls5eva and the TV adaptation of One of Us is Lying.

Where to find CBS All Access content in Australia

cbs all access content australia
Image: CBS

CBS All Access is primarily known for its Star Trek content, but it’s also home to dramas like The Good Wife, Bull and The Stand.

The sad news for people wanting to access this content in Australia is that, like Peacock, the CBS All Access catalogue has been savaged by local streaming services, with each carrying a piece of it.

Here’s the basic rundown of the biggest hits on the streaming service and where you can find them in Australia:

The general rule of thumb is CBS content will end up on Amazon Prime Video or 10 All Access locally, but at the moment it’s a piecemeal approach and you’ll need to look up each show as it airs.


Most other U.S. streaming properties on services like AMC+, Showtime, Sling TV and Syfy will be distributed amongst Australia’s local streaming services on a case-by-case basis. If you’re looking for one particular show, Google can be pretty handy at directing you to the right local source, otherwise websites like Flicks and JustWatch can help.

Your other option is to fork out for a VPN service like ExpressVPN or NordVPN that lets you access U.S. streaming services natively from Australia. You will need to pay extra to subscribe to these platforms (and there can be issues with signing up) but if you’re after the rare show or film that doesn’t make it to Australia, it could be worth the investment.

This article will be updated as new streaming services and deals pop up locally and in the U.S.