Streaming is your one-stop entertainment shop. It’s how many Kiwis enjoy their favourite TV shows, live sports, games, music and other video content, any time they want. Thanks to a wide variety of streaming services, there’s never been more options to play, watch or listen.
We’ve all been there, halfway through the finale of a great TV series online when... the video stops and the spinning buffering icon appears on your screen. If your broadband connection isn’t up to scratch, it can take several minutes for the episode to continue – if at all – leaving you sitting in front of the TV or computer twiddling your thumbs.
The cause of this problem is usually a slow or volatile internet connection and the easiest solution is to upgrade to a fibre broadband plan, which offers speeds of up to 1,000 megabits per second (Mbps).
While fibre is the simplest way to ensure a seamless streaming experience, there are some Kiwis who may not be able to access the new ultra-fast fibre broadband network yet. To see if
If you’re still on the fibre waitlist, all hope is not lost. You can still upgrade to VDSL, your modem, devices, WiFi, or software to give yourself a better experience.
Fibre is the best broadband connection type for a great viewing experience - here’s why:
We're proud of our congestion free network. The core benefit is that fibre broadband provides dedicated capacity for multiple devices to watch, listen, play, post and chat all at the same time, without any loss of quality. That means everyone in a home can do whatever they want online.
Once you’ve got a broadband connection that can handle your streaming needs, the next choice you need to make is what content service (or services) to subscribe to.
If you’re new to streaming content, the choices can be a bit overwhelming. Some of the major players are:
All of these platforms have the rights to a different selection of material, so make sure you do your homework and check that your preferred service has your favourite titles.
No matter what streaming services you choose, you’ll also need to decide how you want to access or view your online content. The options range from small casting sticks (USB-like devices that are plugged directly into your TV
For the best possible viewing experience, smart TVs plugged directly into the modem are the way to go, as they combine everything you need to enjoy great content with minimised disruption.
It’s not always easy to work out how much data you’ll really be using; that’s where our Data Calculator can come in handy. Simply enter information like how many screens or smart devices you have, and what you use them for, and our calculator will give you a rough idea of how many gigabytes (GBs) of data you’ll need a month.
Chorus predicts the average monthly data usage per broadband connection in New Zealand will increase to 463GB by 2020, based on historical growth rates.
To give you a better idea of how streaming content factors into your overall data usage, Netflix uses roughly 1GB of data for an hour of standard video, or up to 3GBs if you’re watching in high definition (HD). Chorus data shows that the average monthly broadband use in New Zealand per connection is 215GB (September 2018).
Unsurprisingly, the best data plan is unlimited as it allows you to stream away without any additional charges. More data is being consumed in NZ households month on month, so you need a plan that provides enough data for today and for tomorrow. There’s nothing worse than running out of data in the first two weeks of your plan.
There’s no doubting that streaming opens up a whole new world of things to watch, listen to and play.
To take full advantage of the viewing options at your fingertips, the right broadband connection is critical. Remember fibre, unlimited data and a smart TV plugged
For more information on all things broadband and streaming, subscribe to the Chorus
