How to stream your festive favourites this Christmas

[CharlotteH]

TV is a big part of family time over the festive period, and now there are more ways than ever to stream your favourite box sets and films. From platforms and apps to gadgets, there are so many ways you can view and download, so don’t miss out this Christmas!

Apps are one of the most popular ways to stream TV on devices. You can find these Apps on the Apple app store or google play. Some are free like BBC iPlayer, ITV and channel 5, but do check you have a TV license. Other Apps have a monthly subscription fee like Amazon Prime.

If American TV (especially reality TV) and boxsets are your thing, check out the Hayu App.

Netflix is one of the most popular streaming platforms, this monthly subscription gives you access to tonnes of box sets and movies, with lots of different genres to ensure there is something for everyone. It’s also worth noting that you can pay extra to access Netflix across a number of devices, so you can entertain the whole family! You can easily add Netflix to your TalkTalk package with just a few clicks of your remote:

Make sure you have your email address and Payment PIN handy, then follow the steps below on your TalkTalk TV Box to subscribe:

1. Open the Netflix Player - Press the YouView button on your TalkTalk remote, then Players & Apps and choose the Netflix player. 
2. Create an account - Select Start your free monththen create an account by entering your email address and setting a password. If you've already had a free trial you won't be eligible for another when signing up again.
3. Choose a Netflix plan - Take your pick from one of the available plans to suit your household depending on how many devices you would like to watch Netflix on.
4. Select your payment method - Choose TalkTalk Bill as your method to add your subscription to your TalkTalk Bill.
5. Enter your Payment PIN - Confirm your TalkTalk payment method by entering your Payment PIN.
6. Accept the Netflix terms and conditions and you're ready to go! You'll be taken into the Netflix Player so you can start enjoying your favourite shows straight away.
   

 Amazon Prime gives you both free and chargeable content as part of a subscription, this includes box sets and films (just keep an eye out for the prime label on the corner of the thumbnail picture) – those not included require an additional subscription.

If you’re looking for the very latest developments in smart TV, Apple TV lets you watch films and TV in 4K HDR, you can live stream channels as well as apps including Netflix, Amazon Prime and BBC iPlayer, this can even be voice controlled by Siri.

If you don’t want to splash out on the latest technology to enjoy streaming, you don’t need to; Amazon fire sticks and Roku’s allow you to effectively have a smart TV to view your content – there are hundreds to choose from so you can easily watch your content directly on your TV, without the need for any cables or other devices.

You can even put content from your smaller devices onto your TV with the help of a device like a Chromecast. This lets you broadcast your chosen film or series to your TV or laptop from a tablet/phone. This means you can watch from the small screen to your large screen by simply using your WiFi network.

If you have TalkTalk TV, our very own TV box allows you to stream on demand content from BBC iPlayer, ITV hub, Netflix and more; this means you don’t even have to switch to another device to enjoy your favourite TV.  You can even watch some of your boost, rented and owned content using the TalkTalkTV app on your mobile phone.

Most on demand players such as iPlayer, Netflix, Amazon etc. will allow you to download content to watch later. So if you’re travelling this Christmas, you can download content before you leave home and watch on your journey, saving your data!