Home entertainment: Streaming platforms available in Romania
As more streaming services are tapping into the local market, we look at the options currently available to viewers in the country, from both local and international providers.
Streaming services are increasingly popular in Romania. The market is projected to reach EUR 43 mln in 2022, with Romanian consumers retaining the pandemic-era habit of using such services.
Netflix, the global leader when it comes to subscription-based streaming services, also tops the charts in Romania. The country had the second-highest number of Netflix subscribers in Central and Eastern Europe in 2021, after Poland, according to estimates from Statista. The platform counted almost half a million Romanian subscribers, well below Poland's 1.8 mln, but ahead of all other countries in the region.
The national market itself is increasingly rich: if in 2020 Netflix had a market share of 40%, followed by Voyo’s 38%, and Amazon with 21%, this year has seen the launch of notable contenders HBO Max and Disney+. The following list features the streaming services available in Romania.
Netflix
Price: EUR 7.99 / month (Minim), EUR 9.99 / month (Standard), EUR 11.99 / month (Premium)
Subtitles: RO, EN, ESP, UA, FR
Still the leading streaming platform in Romania, Netflix offers three plans: Minim, Standard, and Premium, with prices ranging from EUR 7.99 per month to EUR 11.99 per month. The three plans are all ad-free but offer different benefits. The Minim package lets users stream and download their favorite shows and movies on only one device. The video quality for this plan is currently at a disappointing 480p but will be HD (1080p) starting with November 2022. The Standard package allows users to access Netflix on two devices. It also offers Full HD quality. Finally, those who choose the Premium package can stream videos on four different devices and enjoy the movies and shows of their choice in Ultra HD (4K). Netflix is poised to launch its Basic with Ads subscription, a lower-priced and ad-supported plan, before the end of the year. The plan, however, will not available in Romania.
TV Shows: Stranger Things, Dahmer, The Crown, Peaky Blinders, Squid Game
Movies: Blonde, The Devil All the Time, 365 Days, The Nun, Red Notice, The Croods
HBO Max
Price: EUR 4.99 / month or EUR 39.90 / year
Subtitles: RO, EN
HBO Max launched in Romania in March 2022, replacing WarnerMedia’s older streaming platform, HBO Go. Available at a competitive price, the platform allows for the creation of five distinct profiles, for adults or children, and three simultaneous streams. Those who want can also get access to HBO Max through certain internet and TV providers. Digi, for example, gives its clients access to the platform if they already pay for HBO or the MAXPAK offer alongside their basic channel package. Orange also offers HBO Max along with its internet, satellite or cable TV services, and so does Vodafone. HBO Max offers an Ultra HD 4K streaming quality for its TV shows and movies without added costs.
TV Shows: Friends, House of the Dragon, Rick & Morty, True Detective, The Sopranos
Movies: The Batman, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, Dune, Tenet, Dunkirk
Disney+
Price: RON 29.99 (EUR 6) / month or RON 299.90 (EUR 60) / year
Subtitles: RO, EN & numerous others
Disney+ is available in Romania, offering movies and shows from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic and others. The platform gives subscribers the possibility to create up to 7 distinct profiles and download its content on 10 different devices. Videos on the platform play at Ultra HD (4K) quality at no extra costs, and can be streamed on 4 different screens at the same time. Disney+ also offers users the possibility to watch movies together (up to 6 people) through the GroupWatch feature.
TV Shows: The Mandalorian, Loki, Moon Knight, The Walking Dead
Movies: Cruella, Encanto, Luca, Rogue One, Avengers: Endgame, Zootopia
Prime Video
Price: RON 13.99 (EUR 3) / month
Subtitles: RO, EN, others
Amazon’s streaming service is also available in Romania and comes at a very affordable price. Subscribers get Amazon’s original productions, several local films, and numerous other movies or shows included in the plan. Aside from that, subscribers can rent movies from Amazon’s library.
TV Shows: Rings of Power, The Boys, Mr. Robot, See, Fleabag, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan
Movies: The Tomorrow War; Without Remorse; Samaritan; Police, Adjective
VOYO
Price: EUR 4 / month or EUR 36 / year
Subtitles: RO
VOYO, ProTV’s streaming service, offers all of the channel's original TV shows, movies, and news reports at Full HD quality. The platform was launched in 2011. Popular Romanian TV shows and classic US shows can be found on the platform. VOYO also features Turkish or Spanish-language telenovelas, and major Hollywood action movies. It also offers sports competitions like UFC, boxing, or handball. Finally, well-known Romanian movies like Liceenii, alongside more recent national productions, can be found on the platform. VOYO can be accessed from two devices simultaneously and offers a seven-day free trial. It can also be used from anywhere in the EU, but requires proof of residency in Romania.
TV Shows: Las Fierbinti, The Voice RO, Romania’s Got Talent, Counting Cars, Survivor USA, Storage Wars
Movies: London Has Fallen, John Wick
AntenaPLAY
Price: EUR 7.99 / month
Subtitles: RO
For the same price as Netflix’s lower-end plan, AntenaPLAY offers comparatively less. The platform features live coverage of the Antena group’s various channels, like the news-focused Antena 3, the telenovela-heavy Happy channel, the celebrity gossip Stars channel, or the generalist Antena 1. The platform focuses on offering the group’s productions, alongside several Turkish and Korean telenovelas, to the viewers. AntenaPLAY also carries several older Romanian movies that were recently added. It also features sports and cooking shows.
TV Shows: Chefi la cutite, iUmor, Sinteza Zilei, Te Cunosc de Undeva
Movies: Buletin de Bucuresti, Restul e tacere, Ursul
TIFF Unlimited
Price: USD 5.62 / month or USD 61.60 / year
Subtitles: RO, EN
Presenting itself as the “alternative cinema from home,” TIFF Unlimited is the streaming platform of the Transylvania International Film Festival, and features indie European and Romanian movies. It offers a seven-day free trial and a list of movies that is renewed each month. Focusing on films, TIFF Unlimited has almost no TV shows. Romanian-language content on the platform has English subtitles, while foreign-language films feature Romanian subtitles.
TV Shows: TIFF Talks, Secvente, Six Empty Seats, Muntele Mortii (Death Mountain)
Movies: Another Round, Corpus Christi, Enfant Terrible, Conference
The first trimester of 2023 will also bring SkyShowtime, the streaming service jointly developed by Comcast and Paramount, to Romania. The streaming service will offer viewers exclusive productions from Paramount and Universal, two of the biggest Hollywood studios. The price for accessing the new platform will be EUR 6.99.
(Photo: Kamachi209 | Dreamstime.com)
