It features some huge American shows unavailable on any other platform in Ireland.
Netflix. Prime Video. Disney+. NOW. Apple TV+.
Chances are you’ve got a subscription to one or all of these, and while we’re not exactly lacking in options, it does seem that they are even more spoiled for choice on the other side of the Atlantic where they also have Hulu, HBO Max, Paramount+, Peacock and more.
However, there actually is another streaming service option available to Irish customers, one that seems to have gone completely under the radar for most people.
StarzPlay has a very impressive line-up of TV shows in its library, some of which aren’t available on any other streaming service here.
The shows include but are not limited to Dr. Death, The Act, The Stand, Howard’s End, Pennyworth, Castle Rock, Black Sails, The Girlfriend Experience, Mr. Mercedes, The Boss, Party Down, The Great, Dublin Murders and loads more.
So, how do you access this secret streaming service?
Well, first of all, you need to set up an account on Rakuten TV. What is Rakuten TV, we hear you ask?
Rakuten TV is a PVOD (premium video on demand) service where you can rent and/or buy movies in the middle ground between when they arrived in cinemas and when they might arrive on streaming services. To give some examples, the most recent new additions to Rakuten TV at the time of writing include The Suicide Squad, A Quiet Place Part II, The Conjuring 3, Boys From County Hell and the Space Jam sequel.
Rakuten TV usually has its own designated button on the remote controls of recent Smart TVs, but the app can also be downloaded on your Smart TV if it is not already there, and is also available as a website via any mobile device.
Once you’ve signed up with your Rakuten TV account (which is entirely free, until you start renting/buying the movies), one of the categories on there is StarzPlay, available for €1.99/£1.99 per month for the first six months and €4.99/£4.99 per month after that.
Check out the service’s full line-up right here.
Clip via Peacock
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge
