Streaming Services in Portugal
Streaming services differ greatly from country to country. When you move to Portugal, you may wonder where you can now watch your favorite TV shows and movies. On that account, we have assembled a comprehensive guide to all the streaming services in Portugal.
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What are the streaming services in Portugal?
Streaming platforms have been growing and growing for years – both in themselves and in numbers. It seems that each show is streaming on its own different service these days. In Portugal, this phenomenon is becoming truer and truer by the day.
It started out with just Netflix, then came HBO (now renovated HBO Max), Prime Video, Apple TV+, Disney+, SkyShowtime and the plethora of TV channel-specific platforms. There are also services focused on films – Filmin and Mubi. So it can get a little hard to navigate all these options.
What’s the best streaming platform in Portugal?
We should start off by saying that there’s no “best” streaming service, as this depends partly on personal preferences. But we have made a rundown so that you can get an idea of what would make the most sense for you.
Netflix
It was first, but arguably no longer the best. As you probably know, Netflix has been getting into controversy after controversy – just recently there was the semi-scandal concerning users on the same account no longer being able to login from different places. That was dismissed by the company, but only for a few days, since it was proven to be true when it came to Portugal, Spain and Canada. Consequently, as of 2023, you need to pay an extra 3,99€/month per profile to share your account with people you don’t live with.
Netflix is home to a number of the most popular TV shows nowadays, such as Stranger Things, Wednesday, Squid Game and Money Heist. In Portugal, it also holds most AMC series, like Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul and The Walking Dead. When it comes to movies, the supply is scarcer but with some serious highlights nonetheless, like the entire Studio Ghibli catalogue.
The company has become a true powerhouse when it comes to television and movie making, with many original productions coming out every year, like the recent Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. However, what’s good about it, is bad about it. Many people critique the breadth of original movies for being cheap and unoriginal. Another big criticism is the often cancelling of fan favorites – like Sense8 and The OA.
Subscription cost/month: 7,99€ (Basic), 11,99€ (Standard), 15,99€ (Premium) + 3,99€ per profile to share an account with non-household members
Pros: Good catalogue when it comes to classics; Best user interface
Cons: Extra fee to share account with people you don’t live with; Expensive; Loss of quality in original productions; Constant uncertainty for clients; No trial period
HBO Max
As stated before, the quality of the streaming platforms depends partly on your personal taste. Yet, objectively speaking, HBO Max is the best streaming service in Portugal when it comes to quality-cost.
Besides holding some all-time classics, like Game of Thrones and The Sopranos, its most recent original productions are some of the highest regarded on TV right now. See: Succession, Euphoria, House of the Dragon, The Rehearsal, The White Lotus and the currently airing The Last of Us. The platform also has strong licensing of Warner Bros content, which warrants access to many DC movies, Harry Potter and The Matrix, for example.
When you set up communications after moving to Portugal, Vodafone has various packages which include an HBO Max subscription, so make sure to look into that if it’s in your interest.
Subscription: 5,99€/month with a trial period of 14 days
Pros: Fantastic catalogue; Highly regarded original productions; Best quality-cost factor
Cons: Poorly designed interface, especially on mobile
Disney+
When the platform was launched, the premise was already very strong, since Disney owns a large variety of content all over many different genres. But it was only when Disney+ started putting out new original series that the platform grew immensely. TV shows like The Mandalorian and the Marvel originals WandaVision and Loki definitely settled the service as one of the big fish in Portugal.
Apart from the obvious Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars catalogues, the owning of FX Productions and ABC plays a big part in this role as well. Trendy TV shows like The Bear and Atlanta can also be found on the streaming service.
Subscription cost: 8,99€/month
Pros: Access to all content Disney, Pixar, FOX, Star Wars and Marvel; Great for kids
Cons: Lack of variety in new original content; No trial period
Prime Video
The variety of content on Prime Video is definitely less than on the other streaming platforms already mentioned. However, the serious moves Prime Video has been making when it comes to original series make up for the fact. TV shows like The Boys and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power have become serious hits and fan favorites, making way for many more people to join the service. Universally loved shows like Fleabag, The Office, Mr. Robot and The Handmaid’s Tale also find their home on Prime Video in Portugal.
Subscription cost: 4,99€/month with a trial period of 30 days
Pros: Quality original content and fan favorites; Can be a part of Amazon Prime subscription; Good trial period
Cons: Bad interface
Apple TV+
Definitely the lesser known service of the range. Since there’s not much content on there, Apple TV+ really started going in on original productions – and the fruits of their labor have started showing. TV shows like Severance, Barry and Ted Lasso topped many TV year-end lists in 2022, making more and more people join the platform. A definite big pro here is the trial period – when you buy an Apple product, you get 12 months (yes, a whole year) of free trial! While this may have been overlooked in the past, as of 2023 Apple TV+ is definitely worth checking out.
Subscription cost: 4,99€ with a 12-month trial period for Apple users
Pros: Quality new productions; Hand-picked content overall; Extensive trial period for Apple clients
Cons: Can’t be downloaded on non-Apple products; Lack of fan favorites
SkyShowtime
This newcomer platform made some waves in October of 2022 because of the low price, but the buzz has now heavily died down. SkyShowtime is a conglomerate of various production companies and other platforms – Universal, Sky, DreamWorks, Peacock, Nickelodeon, Showtime, Paramount+ and Paramount. When it comes to TV shows, there are basically no exciting exclusive picks, except for Halo, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and the new iCarly, whose respective popularity and quality are debatable.
The catch with SkyShowtime is definitely the selection of films, due to the inclusion of Universal Studios. However, many of them can be found on other streaming platforms.
Subscription cost: 4,99€ with a 7 day trial period
Pros: Price; Range of movies
Cons: Lack of exclusive picks; Rushed interface
MUBI and Filmin
Both MUBI and Filmin are targeted towards people interested in independent and less-commercial cinema. These platforms are home to various cult classics and indie films, holding a lot of exclusive and recent content. This last factor is especially true with MUBI, that’s a little more alternative than Filmin, making it the best option if you’re looking for the deep, deep cuts.
Subscription costs: MUBI 11,99€/month with a 7 day trial / Filmin 6,95€ (Basic), 14,99€ (Premium)
Pros: Amazing variety of films
Cons: Price
Other options
Consuming content in the language you’re trying to learn is definitely a big help in the process. In Portugal, there’s a totally free platform called RTP Play, that holds many Portuguese movies and TV shows that can not only help you with learning the language, but also give you glimpses and a better understanding of Portuguese culture. You can download the app on your phone and smartTV or watch on the computer, completely for free.
Subscription cost: None
Pros: Great selection of Portuguese content
Cons: Unskippable ads
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