As Christmas rolls around again, many of us find it’s a great excuse to upgrade the phone or purchase a new TV or computer. Here are some alternative gift ideas to enjoy throughout the year.
WITH the year we’ve had, it’s not surprising we’re ready to get out of the house for some retail therapy to signify the end of a difficult year, but have you considered a subscription?
Many of my clients have begun dipping their toe into the ocean of content available online and have found that once they start getting the hang of it, they don’t look back.
Here are a few options to consider going into 2021. Streaming TV subscriptions (in no particular order)
- STAN, the only home-grown Australian streaming service offers some fantastic classic and recent television series and movies starting from about $10 a month.
- AMAZON PRIME VIDEO starts at about $6.99 a month and is one of the cheapest online subscriptions. It has a great range of movies and television series.
- APPLE TV+ is the relatively new kid on the block. It is $7.99 a month and is developing content. There is a vast range of pay per view titles and a humble amount of new subscription content.
- DISNEY+ is also new to the market but has a vast back catalogue and is great value at about $8.99 a month. It’s not just for kids!
- NETFLIX is the staple for many households and although it is in the upper price bracket starting at $11 a month, it has an enormous catalogue.
- KAYO offers live and on-demand sport and its price reflects this, starting at $25 a month.
- Honourable mentions include Foxtel Now & YouTube Premium.
- KANOPY is a free service available through the Sunshine Coast Council Library website.
MUSIC STREAMING: The lion’s share of music streaming is with Spotify, with more than 50 million songs. For the music buff, $11.99 is worth the starting price. If you’re looking for an alternative, iTunes has an enormous library to purchase an online copy, otherwise YouTube music is a great free option.
BOOKS: There are many and varied online book subscriptions. Many choose Amazon Books for online purchases read on a smart pad. Those with impaired vision subscribe to Audible to listen to their favourite books. It starts at $16.95 a month.
The Sunshine Coast Council Library offers various eBook and audio book services. All you need is library membership.
For me the value in these services is that they give access to so much more content than is available if you purchase a copy of one artist on CD or DVD. The cost of one CD or DVD equates to up to two months of an online streaming service. You do need the appropriate equipment to take advantage of these, but even if you don’t have a Smart TV, a small smart pad is all you need to get going.
Many of these subscriptions offer a free trial period to explore content. If you’re a classical music buff you have hundreds of thousands of compositions to choose from, or if you love comedy romance movies, there are thousands to choose from.
The days of buying a CD or DVD are slowly coming to a close but a world of much more varied and richer content is available at a relatively cost effective price and at the touch of a finger. As always, if you are not sure how to go about purchasing a subscription or need some help you can always contact us.