Tata Sky Binge Review: Clubs different streaming apps under one subscription

Tata Sky Binge is a VOD (Video on Demand) platform that offers premium OTT (Over-the-top media) content from across Hotstar, Eros Now, Hungama Play & Sun NXT for Rs. 249/- a month. So, if you don’t want to entirely give up on your regular TV, but also wish to consume content available online at your own terms, Tata Sky Binge tries to give you the best of both worlds. (Tata Sky Binge Review हिंदी में पढ़िए)

The pre-requisites are the Amazon Fire TV stick (Tata Sky edition) and a Tata Sky subscription.  You could sign in to your Amazon Prime account and use it without any additional charges. However, if you don’t have one, this bundle includes a 3-month free Prime subscription for new users.

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What exactly is Tata Sky Binge? Who is it for?

Tata Sky Binge is only for Tata Sky subscribers. If you are not a Tata Sky subscriber, you will first have to invest in a Tata Sky DTH connection which would incur additional installation and subscription cost.

If you have one Tata Sky connection, you can use Tata Sky Binge for secondary connections on other TVs in your home or as a replacement for Multi-TV services that Tata Sky recently discontinued.

If you already are a Tata Sky subscriber, you will be able to watch Live TV shows and additional content from Hotstar, Eros Now, Hungama Play & Sun NXT for Rs. 249 on any TV  at your home. The content will stream to your TV using your home Wi-Fi connection via Fire TV stick (free). So, a high-speed internet connection is necessary for proper stream quality.

Tata Sky Binge Review: Box Contents

• Amazon Fire TV stick
• Voice-enabled Remote with 2AA batteries
• Power cable
• USB power adapter
• HDMI extension cable

Tata Sky Binge Review: Setup Procedure

• Insert Amazon Fire TV stick using an HDMI extension cable to the HDMI port on your TV.
• You have to supply power to it using the power cable connected to the USB power adapter.
• Ensure you have a stable internet connection.
• Now power on the TV, and the initial setup process begins.
• Connect to the internet and once you’ve joined the WiFi network, you have to enter the Amazon Prime and Tata Sky account credentials.

Tata Sky Binge will appear as a separate app on your Fire Stick.

Tata Sky Binge Review: Performance and Content

Tata Sky Binge boasts over 5000 titles from the Tata Sky VOD library. There is an option to watch live TV and shows that aired in the past 7 days. This is coupled with the premium content from Hotstar, Eros Now, Hungama Play, and Sun Next. That is a huge barrage of shows to binge on.

You get free 3 months Amazon Prime subscription if you’re a new user. This brings the Amazon bouquet of services such as Photos, Music, videos, etc. You could connect any Bluetooth-based game controller and other devices. However, you’re bound to use the Fire TV stick-Tata Sky edition only.

The Fire TV stick which would otherwise cost you around Rs. 3999, is bundled for free until the subscription exists. Once, you cancel the account or wish to stop the subscription, a Tata Sky representative would come and collect the Fire TV Stick from you.

When it comes to Live TV, you will only be able to watch channels that you have subscribed for your Tata Sky DTH. And if any channel is restricted in your account under parental controls, the same won’t be accessible on the Tata Sky Binge either.

Tata Sky Binge supports Dolby Audio and Full HD video, but sorry no 4K compatibility. The video quality depends upon your network speed, and Tata Sky Binge doesn’t have a quality toggling option. Hotstar, fortunately, offers the option to set the video quality to Auto, HD, and Medium. And we found the display to be auto-cropped while watching certain channels.

We wish there was more freedom to customize the sorting, segregation, and categorization of content. The search and navigation feel irksome at times. Nonetheless, the Alexa enabled voice assistant could be handy to search for the content. Credit where credit’s due, Tata Sky Binge has categories based on genres such as Movies, Entertainment, Kids, Regional, News, Sports, and Knowledge.

Another small gripe is the lack of auto playback of episodes of our favorite show in order of their airing. Alternatively, you could queue episodes to the favorite list.

We could quickly install various apps in Amazon Fire TV such as Netflix, Gaana, JioCinema, and many more to access their content. But obviously, some of them need a premium subscription. At present, YouTube is not available and you could either use any third party app or access it via Amazon Silk or Firefox browsers. A native YouTube App is on its way

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Back to the Amazon Fire TV Stick, you get to tinker its settings and opt out of Interest-based Ads, install apps from unknown sources, avail ADB debugging support, set sleep timer and restart the Fire TV Stick. There is an option to sync Amazon content as well.

Tata Sky Binge Review: Verdict

Tata Sky and Amazon have partnered to come up with a hybrid that has a lot going for it. A one-stop source for a galore of content, that’d be any couch potato’s wish. The idea here is to club all OTT players under one monthly subscription, just so you don’t have to buy access to all apps separately.

The Rs. 249 per month that you pay is essentially for the premium access to Hotstar, Eros Now, Hungama Play, and Sun Next. If you don’t need to watch content from these apps, the subscription cost will feel expensive. Unfortunately many key OTT players like Amazon Prime, Zee 5 and Netflix are not yet covered.

Also, if you are a Tata Sky subscriber and don’t want to pay for an additional TV connection in your home, you can use Tata Sky Binge to extend your DTH connection to TV placed in other rooms at a nominal price.

The Fire TV Stick alone would otherwise cost you around Rs. 3999. If you are not sure whether an investment in a Fire Stick would be worth your while, you could first try Binge and know for sure. In fact, Tata Sky is currently offering a 30-day free Binge trial to its subscribers.