What is Streaming Service NEON?

NEON is NZ’s homegrown streaming service. Run by SKY. NEON is very much like a streamlined version of what’s available across the satellite SKY service, offering the best hit TV shows, miniseries and blockbuster movies all in one place.

In this article, we cover:

• What is NEON?
• Which devices can stream NEON?
• What can I watch on NEON?
• How much does NEON cost?
• Is NEON worth the money?

What is NEON?

NEON first launched back in 2015, offering a mix of TV and movies from SKY’s satellite service. A couple of years later, NEON spun-off a cheaper TV-only package. However, since merging with Spark’s own streaming service Lightbox last year, it’s offered just the single subscription service, covering TV shows and movies.

Which devices can stream NEON?

You can watch it on a wide range of devices:

TV and smart TVs

You can watch it on selected smart TVs from

You can also watch it on any TV with an HDMI port using Chromecast or Apple TV.

Other devices

You can watch on PlayStation 4 & 5 | Vodafone TV | new Freeview Recorders | SmartVU X

Laptop and desktop

These browsers support NEON:

Mobile devices

It’s available via the Apple Store (for iPhone and iPad) and Android Play Store (for Android mobiles and tablets).

NB: NEON is not available on Windows tablets or phones.

You can also download content and watch offline. This is perfect for when you’re not within range of wi-fi, or don’t want to use up all your mobile data when watching on the move!

What can I watch on NEON?

TV shows

Thanks to its deals with HBO, Showtime and FX in the US and Sky in Europe, NEON boasts some of the biggest TV shows and miniseries on the planet. Currently, some of the hottest shows and miniseries include: New Amsterdam, The Drowning, The Good Doctor, The Handmaid’s Tale, Your Honor and ZeroZeroZero.

NEON also has a huge library of classic TV shows, from dramas such as: Big Little Lies, Chernobyl, Game of Thrones, Homeland, The Walking Dead, Westworld and Vikings, to comedy series including Curb Your Enthusiasm, Sex and the City, Seinfeld and Veep.

It also has a good choice of reality shows and docos, including Tiger and Allen v. Farrow.

Movies

One of the streaming service’s strengths is its choice of new movies. Latest releases drop every month.

Apart from the three movies in the photo (left), recent releases include Bad Boys for Life, Jumanji the Next Level, The Legend of Baron To’A, Hustlers, Bloodshot and Bellbird.

There really are too many to mention, and they cover everything from action to comedy and kids. And thanks to SKY’s RIALTO channel, there’s also always a good selection of art-house movies, to go alongside the big-name blockbusters.

On top of a huge library of movies included in the monthly subscription price, NEON also offers a massive selection of movies to rent, including most big Disney films, and collections including: the Star Wars and Harry Potter movies, plus all the DC Universe and Marvel Universe collections.

How much does NEON cost?

It costs $13.95/month (at the time of writing). There’s a free two-week trial, no contract, and you can cancel at any time.

Compared to the other main players, it’s the most expensive streaming service:

• Amazon Prime Video: $8/month
• AppleTV: $8.99/month
• Netflix: from $11.99/month

However, if you have selected Spark mobile or broadband plans, you can bundle it for only $9.95/month.

Is NEON worth the money?

In a nutshell: YES! Thanks to its deals with big overseas TV companies, there is always a stream of high-quality TV shows and miniseries you’ll want to watch or binge.

And then there are the movies, and these are what sets NEON apart from its competitors. Each month a new batch of big-name movies drops. So even if you watch just a couple each month, you’ll justify your subscription

While Netflix might have more choice, NEON has more quality. But saying that, there’s still a huge choice of things to watch on NEON, from new shows to whole seasons of classics and plenty of kids content, too.

If you subscribe to SKY purely for its movie channels and quality TV channel SoHo, it’s cheaper to cancel your subscription and sign up for NEON instead.

And if you have a valid phone or broadband plan with Spark and can bundle NEON onto it for just $9.95/month, then, really, signing up is a no-brainer.

The best broadband

Of course, if you’re watching a lot of NEON, you’re going to need a zippy broadband connection with unlimited data. And if you’re wondering if there’s a better deal out there, perhaps there is. And this is where Canstar Blue can help.

To help you get a clearer picture of broadband providers in NZ, Canstar Blue rates all the big providers in the market annually. We survey thousands of broadband customers and ask them to score their providers across categories including Value for Money, Network Performance and Customer Service.

Canstar Blue’s 2020 review of NZ internet providers compares NOW, 2degrees, Bigpipe, Contact, MyRepublic, Orcon, Skinny, Slingshot, Spark, Stuff Fibre, Trustpower, Vodafone and Voyager, and awards the best our 5 Star rating:

See Our Ratings Methodology

The table above is an abridged version of our full research, so to find out more about NZ’s best broadband providers, just click on the big button at the bottom of this story.

Compare broadband providers for free with Canstar!