Best 6 Streaming Services in Malaysia: Shows, Plans & Pricing
Posted byIt’s finally the end of a long work day, and you’re looking forward to unwinding by watching some of your favourite shows. Luckily, the emergence and rise of online streaming services has made it easier than ever for us to enjoy a wide variety of shows in the comfort of our own homes.
But with the huge array of streaming services in Malaysia, which one should you go with? Let’s discover what streaming services are available in Malaysia, and find the one with attractive shows, features and subscription plans that best suits your preference!
Table Of Contents
1. iflix
Enjoy watching Asian romance and comedy shows? iflix is the leading streaming service in Malaysia that offers a huge selection of trending C-dramas, K-dramas, as well as local, regional and international TV shows, movies and anime. The best thing is, you get free access to thousands of hours of interesting shows without the need to create an account. For an ad-free watching experience and exclusive access, iflix VIP account’s pricing is only from RM8.90 per month when you subscribe through their mobile app.
Shows Highlight:
If you are one of the fans who jumped on the recent C-drama bandwagon — rejoice! iflix features a wide selection of popular C-romance dramas like Miss Crow With Mr. Lizard, Miss The Dragon, My Girlfriend is an Alien, Hello Mr. Gu and more, with English, Malay and Chinese subtitles available for many popular titles.
Furthermore, for local content lovers looking for the best Malay movie streaming platform, iflix is a also great choice for you to enjoy all-time favourite local movies like Bangkit Berkuasa and KL Gangster 2, and also highly rated local romance drama including Tak Sempurna Mencintaimu and Masih Ada Rindu.
Subscription Fee:
While you can enjoy free content on iflix as a visitor, you may also opt for their affordable VIP subscription plan. For subscription through the iflix mobile app, iflix subscription fee in Malaysia is only from RM8.90 per month, RM21.90 per quarter, or RM74.90 per year, with a 30-day VIP Trial available. VIP users also get to enjoy ad-free early show access and VIP-exclusive titles on two devices at the same time!
2. Amazon Prime Video
If you are always on the lookout for the latest critically-acclaimed western TV series and movies, Amazon Prime Video is the streaming service for you. Also known as Prime Video in Malaysia, Amazon Prime Video features original TV series and movies that you can’t find on any other streaming platforms. While free content is not available, you can enjoy shows on Amazon Prime in Malaysia with a free trial and renew at only USD 5.99 per month.
Shows Highlight:
Quality over quantity, this is the case for shows on Amazon Prime Video if you were to compare the extensiveness of its selections with other western shows streaming services — but hey, if high quality original series are what you’re looking for, Amazon Prime Video won’t disappoint!
With genres ranging from action, fantasy, mystery, thriller, science fiction to kids, romance, documentary and more, Amazon Prime Video features exclusive TV series and movies mainly from the United States. Some highly rated and even award-winning titles you can look forward to include The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Fleabag, Homecoming, and Bosch.
Subscription Fee:
Wondering how much is Amazon Prime Video monthly in Malaysia? With a subscription fee of only USD 5.99 per month, you get to enjoy exclusive Amazon Originals and a wide variety of popular movies and TV shows. For new users, a free trial is available, and you have the flexibility to cancel your subscription anytime. Also, you can enjoy your favourite shows on up to 3 devices at the same time, including your phone, tablet and smart TV.
3. DimSum
For Asian drama lovers looking for a great value streaming platform in Malaysia with content that the whole family can enjoy, you might want to check out DimSum! DimSum Entertainment features unlimited Asian shows including dramas, live news streams, movies, kid’s animation, documentaries, shorts, alog with e-learning videos for preschool, primary and secondary school students. Free streaming is available on DimSum with ads. Meanwhile, the VIP account comes at an affordable rate from only RM8.00 per month.
Shows Highlight:
What’s unique about the shows on DimSum is definitely its plethora of e-learning content for students in preschool and primary school, and even more advanced learning content for secondary school students up to Form 5. Featuring e-learning videos in Chinese, Bahasa Malaysia and English, DimSum makes learning easy and entertaining with educational videos on Mathematics, Mandarin, Science, Biology, History, just to name a few.
On top of well-loved Asian dramas and movies from countries like Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, China and Thailand, you can also discover a wide variety of documentaries, local shorts, and news content on DimSum to always stay up to date with what’s happening around the world.
Subscription Fee:
You can sign up for a free account on DimSum to watch the variety of shows they have to offer. To enjoy ad-free premium content and educational content with your family, you can subscribe to their VIP package at RM8.00 monthly and stream from 2 devices, or their VIP Family package at RM13.90 monthly and stream from 5 devices.
4. Netflix
When it comes to popular streaming platforms to watch movie and dramas online in Malaysia, Netflix needs no introduction. Netflix provides a wide variety of the latest and trending TV shows, movies, anime, documentaries, and more, with new titles added every week! To get unlimited access to all the binge-worthy shows that Netflix has to offer, subscription plans range from RM17 to RM55 per month with no contracts or extra costs.
Shows Highlight:
The extensive list of currently trending TV series, movies, anime, documentaries and award-winning originals on Netflix will easily keep you entertained for hours. In particular, you’ll find a great variety of the most popular and the latest K-drama, anime, movies, and variety show on Netflix, such as Vicenzo, Jujutsu Kaisen, F.R.I.E.N.D.S, Girl From Nowhere, Money Heist, The Queen’s Gambit and more.
Moreover, Netflix’s membership also thoughtfully comes with a kid’s profile feature with PIN-protected parental controls that allows parents to block specific titles that are not suitable for kids.
Subscription Fee:
So, is Netflix free in Malaysia? Unfortunately, free trial and free content is not available on Netflix. However, you’ll be happy to know that their subscription plan is affordable from only RM17.00 per month for 2 devices, up to RM55.00 per month for 4 devices.
Image source: Netflix Malaysia
5. VIU
Asian drama and movie enthusiasts, we know there’s no such thing as too many choices when it comes to discovering new titles to watch, so here’s another streaming platform in Malaysia, VIU, for the best of K-drama, C-drama, anime, Malay drama, and more popular TV series from Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines! VIU Premium plan starts from only RM12.90 per month, with a 30-day free trial available.
Shows Highlight:
VIU is currently most well-known for its frequently updated Korean dramas, including Doom at Your Service, The Penthouse, Sell Your Haunted House and many more trending series.
On the other hand, Japanese anime fans will be able to watch popular series like Demon Slayer, My Hero Academia, Attack on Titan, Hunter X Hunter, Cells at Work! in high resolution on VIU. Also, VIU features plenty of local shows along with TV series and movies from Thailand, Singapore and India.
Subscription Fee:
NVIU Premium plan is only RM12.90 per month, offering premium users the latest shows and VIU Originals with an ad-free and HD Streaming experience. VIU Premium plan also comes with more attractive features such as allowing users to watch on TV, unlimited downloads, and Malay subtitles.
Image source: VIU
6. Disney+ Hotstar
Finally, a streaming platform where Malaysians can watch popular Disney animations and movies on demand! What’s even better, Disney movies aren't all that you can find on this latest streaming service in Malaysia, get ready to be immersed in the captivating storylines of iconic movies from Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, along with documentaries from National Geographic and more local series! Direct subscribers can access Disney+ Hotstar for RM54.90 for a three month period.
Shows Highlight:
The long list of intriguing shows on Disney+ Hotstar include Disney Princesses animation and movies like Raya and The Last Dragon, Mulan, Frozen II, Aladdin, followed by well-received Pixar animations like Soul, Onward, Inside Out and Incredibles 2. In the upcoming months, the platform will include more latest Disney movies, including Cruella and Monsters At Work.
For Marvel franchise fans, on top of the currently trending Loki movie, you can revisit the adventure of The Avengers with the wide variety of Marvel Super Hero blockbusters available. Not to mention all nine Star Wars films are also available on the streaming platform.
Subscription Fee:
Free content or free trial are not available on Disney+ Hotstar Malaysia at the moment. You can access to Disney+ Hotstar in Malaysia at RM54.90 for a three month period. For Astro TV subscribers, you can add on a Disney+ Hotstar package to your existing Movies Pack subscription for only RM5 per month. Disney+ Hotstar Malaysia allows streaming on selected TV and mobile devices, supporting up to 2 concurrent streams at the same time.
Image source: Disney+ Hotstar Malaysia
Overall Comparison
To your ease of comparison, here’s a summary of all streaming platforms mentioned above:
Streaming Platform | Free Content | Free Trial | Monthly Subscription Fee | Show Highlight |
iflix | Available with ads | Available | RM8.90 | Wide selection of C-dramas, K-dramas, Malay movies & TV series |
Amazon Prime Video | Not available | Available | USD 5.99 | Critically-acclaimed Amazon Originals |
DimSum | Available with ads | Not available | RM8.00 | Variety of Asian dramas, e-learning content |
Netflix | Not available | Not available | RM17.00 | Trending K-drama, anime, movies, Netflix Originals |
VIU | Available with ads | Available | RM12.90 | Frequently updated Korean dramas, popular anime series |
Disney+ Hotstar | Not Available | Not Available | RM54.90 for three months | Animation & movies by Disney, Marvel, Pixar |
At the end of the day, there’s no one best streaming platform as it all depends on you and your family’s show preference.
One tip here on finding the platform that suits you best is to decide based on the shows that are available on the platform, instead of solely deciding based on the subscription fee or the account feature.
After all, a subscription plan with attractive rates or account features would be of little use if you can’t find what you love watching on the platform. For example, if Asian movies are your go-to choice for a relaxing movie night at home, you probably want to choose a streaming platform that offers a wide selection of that — while taking into consideration your entertainment budget of course.
In the meantime, don’t worry about it too much if you end up not liking what you subscribed to! All of these platforms offer flexible plans with hassle-free unsubscription.
Wrapping Things Up
We hope you find this guide useful in helping you decide which streaming platform in Malaysia to go for. In the meantime, if you are looking for more ways to spend your free time at home, we recommend reading e-books as another great way to keep yourself entertained while getting some self-improvement done!