Australian television viewers who legally access international TV shows must pay FOUR times more than overseas viewers. New research shows that Australian consumers are being charged three to four times more when they legally watch television shows such as Orange is the New Black, Game of Thrones and Dr Who. The legal methods of watching the international television shows include pay television (Foxtel) as well as legally streaming or downloading international television shows using services such as Google Play, iTunes and Apple TV. Season 2 of the popular Netflix series Orange is the New Black currently costs Australians a minimum of $27.26 through Google Play, 219 per cent more than what US Netflix customers pay. Consumers will pay up to 431 per cent more to access the show through Foxtel. 'Australians wanting to watch the upcoming season of Walking Dead will be paying up to 376 per cent more than people watching the same show in the United Kingdom,” says CHOICE Chief Executive Alan Kirkland. 'Time and again we are seeing consumers hit with the ‘Australia Tax’ on digital content. It’s clear the business models forced on consumers by local intermediaries are subjecting Australians to artificially high prices for overseas content,' says Mr Kirkland. Australians will pay 219 per cent more than UK & US consumers to legally download Season Two of Orange is the New Black . 'Consumers are asking themselves why they have to pay a premium to Foxtel when they can access and pay a reasonable price for content through legitimate overseas services like Netflix. 'Despite what some local incumbents have said, accessing Netflix - which will spend $3bn this year paying for content from studios - is legal.' Up to 200,000 Australians are signed up to the US digital provider, Netflix, in an attempt to view the international television shows more affordably and quickly. According to a study by Gizmodo in July, Netflix is the second most popular paid-content media company in Australia, behind the market leaders Foxtel, with 27 per cent of Australians using it as their primary media rental service. Netflix's popularity comes although the service is not officially available in Australia. However, it is legal for Australians to access the on-demand streaming service, which consumers achieve with VPN proxy services that bypass geoblocking. Consumers watching the popular show through pay television service Foxtel pay 431 per cent more than those in the US. CHOICE Research claims the reason for steep prices  Australians is because consumers have very limited option to legally purchase episodes of their favourite international TV shows. The consumer advocacy group asserts that local digital providers are able to charge a premium price as there is little competition. ‘The heart of this issue is about local middlemen wanting to clip the ticket on popular overseas content rather than respond to changing technology and deliver affordable content online,' said Mr Kirkland. The exorbitant prices for legal television downloads is pertinent as the Abbott government prepares a crackdown on Internet piracy. Minister for Communications Malcolm Turnbull declared that the best way to curb online piracy was to make programs available in Australia in an affordable, easy and efficient manner . The consumer advocacy group questions how the government can address piracy issues, while Australians are being charged exorbitant prices to legally access international material. “Piracy is a problem in Australia but we expect the Government to look to the market first for a solution. 'Australians struggle to pay a fair price to watch what they want at the same time as the rest of the world. The internet has made affordable content possible but Australian providers are not delivering,’ said Mr Kirkland. The Government has outlined a number of proposals to deter consumers from illegally downloading overseas television programs, introducing an industry-run internet filter. The proposal would see internet service providers made responsible for policing online downloads. Mr Turnbull questioned why international television programs are not made available quickly and cheaply through a Spotify-style service . In July, the Minister for Communications Malcolm Turnbull declared that the best way to curb online piracy was to make programs available in Australia in an affordable, easy and efficient manner. Mr Turnbull questioned why international television programs are not made available quickly and cheaply through a Spotify-style service. '(The content owners) have to play their part to make their content available universally and affordability,” said Turnbull, according toThe Guardian. 'Anyone is entitled to sell their products for whatever price they like, that is their right, but if you want to discourage piracy the best thing you can do is to make your content available globally, universally and affordably.' Mr Turnbull has called on Australian digital  providers to consider successful music sharing services in Australia, such as Spotify, to create similar ways of streaming television online at a low price. 'If you look at what the music industry has done making songs available at low cost on Spotify and Pandora … you reduce the incentive for people to do the wrong thing. 'So everyone has to play their part … the content owners … are the ones who have to justify why they are charging more in Australia, why they are not releasing content in Australia at the same time it is released elsewhere in the world.'
Aussies are  charged top price to legally watch international TV shows .
Australians pay up to 4 TIMES more than UK and US consumers .
Legal options include iTunes, Apple TV, Google Play and Foxtel .
Consumer advocacy group says the exorbitant prices are due to a lack of competition amongst Australian digital providers .
Research comes as Government is set to crackdown on illegal downloads .
Minister for Communications Malcolm Turnbull recommends TV providers look to success models like the music sharing service, Spotify .
Australian television viewers who legally access international TV shows must pay FOUR times more than overseas viewers. New research shows that Australian consumers are being charged three to four times more when they legally watch television shows such as Orange is the New Black, Game of Thrones and Dr Who. The legal methods of watching the international television shows include pay television (Foxtel) as well as legally streaming or downloading international television shows using services such as Google Play, iTunes and Apple TV. Season 2 of the popular Netflix series Orange is the New Black currently costs Australians a minimum of $27.26 through Google Play, 219 per cent more than what US Netflix customers pay. Consumers will pay up to 431 per cent more to access the show through Foxtel. 'Australians wanting to watch the upcoming season of Walking Dead will be paying up to 376 per cent more than people watching the same show in the United Kingdom,” says CHOICE Chief Executive Alan Kirkland. 'Time and again we are seeing consumers hit with the ‘Australia Tax’ on digital content. It’s clear the business models forced on consumers by local intermediaries are subjecting Australians to artificially high prices for overseas content,' says Mr Kirkland. Australians will pay 219 per cent more than UK & US consumers to legally download Season Two of Orange is the New Black . 'Consumers are asking themselves why they have to pay a premium to Foxtel when they can access and pay a reasonable price for content through legitimate overseas services like Netflix. 'Despite what some local incumbents have said, accessing Netflix - which will spend $3bn this year paying for content from studios - is legal.' Up to 200,000 Australians are signed up to the US digital provider, Netflix, in an attempt to view the international television shows more affordably and quickly. According to a study by Gizmodo in July, Netflix is the second most popular paid-content media company in Australia, behind the market leaders Foxtel, with 27 per cent of Australians using it as their primary media rental service. Netflix's popularity comes although the service is not officially available in Australia. However, it is legal for Australians to access the on-demand streaming service, which consumers achieve with VPN proxy services that bypass geoblocking. Consumers watching the popular show through pay television service Foxtel pay 431 per cent more than those in the US. CHOICE Research claims the reason for steep prices  Australians is because consumers have very limited option to legally purchase episodes of their favourite international TV shows. The consumer advocacy group asserts that local digital providers are able to charge a premium price as there is little competition. ‘The heart of this issue is about local middlemen wanting to clip the ticket on popular overseas content rather than respond to changing technology and deliver affordable content online,' said Mr Kirkland. The exorbitant prices for legal television downloads is pertinent as the Abbott government prepares a crackdown on Internet piracy. Minister for Communications Malcolm Turnbull declared that the best way to curb online piracy was to make programs available in Australia in an affordable, easy and efficient manner . The consumer advocacy group questions how the government can address piracy issues, while Australians are being charged exorbitant prices to legally access international material. “Piracy is a problem in Australia but we expect the Government to look to the market first for a solution. 'Australians struggle to pay a fair price to watch what they want at the same time as the rest of the world. The internet has made affordable content possible but Australian providers are not delivering,’ said Mr Kirkland. The Government has outlined a number of proposals to deter consumers from illegally downloading overseas television programs, introducing an industry-run internet filter. The proposal would see internet service providers made responsible for policing online downloads. Mr Turnbull questioned why international television programs are not made available quickly and cheaply through a Spotify-style service . In July, the Minister for Communications Malcolm Turnbull declared that the best way to curb online piracy was to make programs available in Australia in an affordable, easy and efficient manner. Mr Turnbull questioned why international television programs are not made available quickly and cheaply through a Spotify-style service. '(The content owners) have to play their part to make their content available universally and affordability,” said Turnbull, according toThe Guardian. 'Anyone is entitled to sell their products for whatever price they like, that is their right, but if you want to discourage piracy the best thing you can do is to make your content available globally, universally and affordably.' Mr Turnbull has called on Australian digital  providers to consider successful music sharing services in Australia, such as Spotify, to create similar ways of streaming television online at a low price. 'If you look at what the music industry has done making songs available at low cost on Spotify and Pandora … you reduce the incentive for people to do the wrong thing. 'So everyone has to play their part … the content owners … are the ones who have to justify why they are charging more in Australia, why they are not releasing content in Australia at the same time it is released elsewhere in the world.'
include pay television (Foxtel) as well as Play, iTunes and Apple TV. Season 2 of the 219 per cent more than UK & US consumers to legal.' Up to 200,000 Australians are signed up international TV shows. The consumer advocacy prices for legal television downloads is crackdown on Internet piracy. Minister for Communications Malcolm Turnbull declared that the charged exorbitant prices to legally access Australia but we expect the Government to look to struggle to pay a fair price to watch what they called on Australian digital  providers to consider successful music sharing services in