Topic Streaming Service

Topic is a fairly new streaming service which uses the tagline Borderless Entertainment. It promises to offer just that, although at the present time, their European offering is still fairly small.

The Topic app can be downloaded via Apple TV and Roku, and of course you can watch on your computer. Alternatively, you can add Topic to your Amazon account as a monthly subscription.

Using the Topic app costs $5.99/month if purchased as a month-to-month subscription, $4.99/month if you commit to an annual deal. If ordered via Amazon, you get the annual subscription rate even on a month-to-month basis.

Topic features some interesting programs from a wide variety of countries. (Check out Belgian Drama The Day Here.)

Get the App, or Use Your Amazon Account?

The advantage of the Topic app vs Topic on Amazon is that with the app, you can search by language or country of origin. On Amazon, you can only see listings by categories, such as documentary, drama, etc.

If you want to save the Dollar by ordering via Amazon, there’s a way around that. Go to the Topic.tv website and explore their library by language or country of origin there. Then watch the show you selected via your Amazon subscription.

Unlike some apps, Topic does not yet offer any language selections in Audio or Subtitles. The programs’ audio is the native language, and subtitles always English only. On the upside, some foreign movies listed on Amazon, unavailable due to region restrictions, are available to view on Topic.

Asides from European-language programming, Topic has an eclectic selection of movies series, documentaries and short films that make it worth at least a few months’ worth of subscription.

A Few Hiccups

Topic’s listings aren’t perfect yet. We recommend to search by both ‘language’ and ‘country of origin’. For example, there are three movies listed in the Finnish Language category. If searched by Country of Origin, you will find 4 Finnish shows.

The series Jarkko and Deaf America, about a deaf Finn who meets other deaf people in the U.S., is not listed as a Finnish Language show. (The show is narrated in Finnish and subtitled in English.)

At this time, the offering of European programming on Topic is also still somewhat limited. Only 8 Italian listings, 7 German, less in most other languages. Some, like Turkish, only show a single short film as of now.

Whether Topic is worth subscribing to on a long-term basis remains to be seen. The ‘Coming Soon’ section of their catalog shows there are new titles coming. At this time, signing up for a few months to pick a few favorites is definitely worth the monthly fee.

Check out their programming Here.

For more subscription services or free European entertainment apps, check out our listings Here.