JustWatch TV will let you watch titles inside the apps and website that already tell you where to stream them. Launching Tuesday, the service draws on 30 content partners and offers free and paid tiers, as well as a movie rental store.
The service will be available within JustWatch’s existing apps and website across 12 markets: the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Australia, and New Zealand. Rentals will have a smaller initial rollout.
JustWatch’s search engine and streaming guide have 50 million users. Over its 12 years, the company has become a streaming-era “TV Guide,” helping people find movies and shows as titles move between services and become harder to track.
Viewers choosing the free tier will get a selection of titles with ads, putting JustWatch TV in competition with free streamers such as Tubi and Plex. JustWatch TV Plus will offer more than 300 ad-free titles in the U.S. Subscribers also get advanced filters and can hide titles they’ve already seen or disliked in the guide.
A Plus subscription costs $3.99 per month, with a lifetime subscription priced at $49.99. Its low-cost rivals include Roku’s ad-free Howdy service, which charges $2.99 a month. As with most services at this end of the market, the JustWatch catalog leans toward older movies and shows, alongside more indie content.
TechCrunch’s launch report questions the lifetime pricing approach given that content costs can change. JustWatch, for its part, believes the data collected will have additional value.
The guide already gives the company a substantial data business. Across 140 markets, it lists where to stream more than 500,000 movies and shows from more than 1,500 providers worldwide. Its availability information and streaming chart data also power some 1,400 partner websites and apps.
That data helps studios, distributors, streamers, and agencies target campaigns on Meta, YouTube, TikTok, and other social platforms. JustWatch believes operating a streaming service of its own presents an even bigger opportunity to build its audience data and insights.
The media and entertainment company behind the guide, JustWatch Group, announced the streaming plans last month. It said Paramount, New Regency, Fremantle, Bleecker Street, and Vortex Media were already on board. Partners announced since then include Cineverse in the U.S., LEONINE Studios in Germany, SND in France, and Altitude in the U.K.
Movie rentals through the JustWatch TV Store will start in the U.S., U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, with more markets expected to follow in time and no timing given yet. According to the company, paid subscribers can take 10% off hundreds of rentals.
Users will also have some influence over the catalog: JustWatch says they’ll be able to request movies and shows, helping shape which titles come to the service.
