Anyone who has hunted for a film across Netflix, Neon and TVNZ+ has probably ended up on JustWatch. The Berlin-based streaming guide now wants viewers to stay and watch.
The JustWatch Group launched JustWatch TV in October 2026 across 11 markets, including New Zealand and Australia. The service sits inside the JustWatch website and apps, which the company says 50 million people use to find films and series.
There are three ways to watch. JustWatch TV Free is a free, ad-supported selection of titles, JustWatch TV Store rents recent and popular movies, and JustWatch TV Plus gives ad-free access to titles from the catalogue plus extra app features.
The service launched with 30 content partners, including Paramount, New Regency, Fremantle and Bleecker Street. Founder and chief executive David Croyé said the company has always aimed to point fans to all their entertainment options in one place, and that “JustWatch TV will help fill in the gaps”, hard-to-find titles included. The release doesn’t give New Zealand prices for the paid tiers.
Kiwis are choosing which subscriptions to keep
The launch lands in a market that’s leaning towards free viewing. NZ On Air’s Where Are The Audiences 2026 survey, carried out by Verian in April and May, found overall subscription streaming use had fallen 6% since 2024.
Linear TV reached 51% of New Zealanders each day, just ahead of subscription streaming at 50%. It’s the first time in five years linear TV has come out in front.
Netflix still leads the paid services, but its daily reach has eased from 42% in 2023 to 36%. TVNZ+ held at 26% and ThreeNow at 10%. Verian’s report says New Zealanders aren’t abandoning paid services entirely and appear to be prioritising the ones they value most.
NZ On Air chief executive Cameron Harland said the fall in viewing on Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+ may show audiences realising they can get great content for free on local platforms.
Free channels and one front door
Local broadcasters have been widening their free offer too. TVNZ added free ad-supported channels from Bloomberg and FIFA+ to TVNZ+ in December 2024, placing them in the Live TV menu next to TVNZ 1, 2 and DUKE. Samsung’s TV Plus service streams free, ad-supported channels on supported Samsung smart TVs.
Sky bought Three and ThreeNow for $1 in 2025, and the business now runs as Sky Free. In its FY26 result, Sky reported advertising revenue had more than doubled to $131.7 million, with digital making up 22% of it. Chief executive Sophie Moloney said Sky now reaches more New Zealanders across paid and free-to-air, and that advertisers can reach bigger, more varied audiences through one combined offering.
What it means for advertisers and local makers
JustWatch’s own release spells out the commercial side. It says JustWatch TV will give the group deeper audience data for JustWatch Media, its arm that plans and buys film marketing campaigns on YouTube, Meta and TikTok for studios, distributors, streamers and media agencies.
The partners named so far are international, and the release lists no New Zealand content partner. NZ On Air’s survey suggests local content still has pull. Some 81% of New Zealanders said they like seeing NZ faces and places on TV, and 65% said NZ shows are easy to find.
TV promos, social media and friends and family were the most common ways people heard about local shows. JustWatch TV is available now on the JustWatch website and its mobile and TV apps.
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