Let’s Settle This: What’s The Best Streaming Service? - Opinion
From Shane Conto
Why did streaming come into prevalence in the first place? Cable. A monthly subscription to cable services or dish services were becoming ridiculously expensive. You have no control over what is being offered and it could take you forever to find something you actually want to watch. It is also all on their say. When it played. Where it played. But Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu came around and changed things forever. There is so much more flexibility with streaming when it comes to timing and price. But there is a rising issue…so many services? It costs a lot of money to have Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Disney+, MAX, Apple TV-, Paramount+, Peacock, AMC+, Mubi, Criterion Channel, and all of the premium channels like Starz and Showtime. How can you resolve these issues? Focus on the best services and the ones that meet your needs and expectations.
Netflix. This is the big originator of this whole system. At this point, it is quick and expensive but they have TONS of content. It is quite insane how much original content they get. They still drop licensed films and shows but that is certainly not the selling point as so many are promised to other sites. If you want sheer mass of options and the freedom to binge anything and everything, Netflix is a strong option for you. You never know, you might even get an awesome awards season films like The Irishman and A Marriage Story.
Amazon Prime. This is the most passive of all the services. Prime video is secondary to everything else offered in Amazon Prime. A unique aspect is that it acts as a film rental hub like Vudu (and to an extent Apple TV+). That is a nice option if you want to stay current with film releases but you do have to pay on top of it. Price wise, you get SO much for the money you pay because you get shupping, music, photos, and plenty of other benefits. Amazon Originals are a mixed bag. The series have huge budgets like The Rings of Power but are not consistently good. At least you get Invincible and The Boys. But films generally have some solid quality. There are plenty of other licensed films and the whole of MGM’s catalog available as well. They even have Thursday Night Football for all your sports fans. You can even get all of the other services as channels on your Amazon account to centralize them.
Hulu. If you love television, this is the one for you. The price is middle of the road but you also have the option to pay even more to Hulu Live TV (which I do to watch my sports). Hulu offers plenty of flexibility as you can get other streaming services as well. Hulu has some solid original content (not the best) but they have FX which brings in some impressive quality shows like What We Do in the Shadows and Reservation Dogs. But luckily, Hulu is not just limited to television. They are a great centralized hub for independent cinema. If there are indie films you want to check out, they are most likely going to end up on Hulu. This service is a swiss army tool of a service.
Disney+. Do you love the Disney back catalog? Do you love Marvel? Do you love Star Wars? Well… here you go! The pricing is modest but this is a specific service that gives you everything you want from Disney. The original content outside of their big properties are lackluster and they do not put out a ton of new content. But they are great for rewatching classics and things for the whole family like Bluey (special plug due to my wife’s endless love for this show). A special little addition is National Geographic as well.
Max. Why the name change? It is so dumb. To be frank, HBO is the best aspect of this service as they produce the best fictional content on television. There are so many great shows available that you will never run out. With the addition of Discovery, there are so many other reality and nonfiction options that you just have an endless supply of HGTV, Food Network, and so much more. Are you a cinephile? You get TCM, Criterion, and so many other classics that you just cannot find elsewhere. Cartoon Network, Studio Ghibli, and DC. You even get early access to new Warner Bros and formerly Fox content. You just have SO many options. The price is higher but it just might be the best bang for your buck.
Apple TV+. This is surprisingly cheap for all the great content and original properties you get. There are plenty of weekly release original content that makes for a great influx of quality series releasing on Wednesdays and Fridays. Even their original films can be quite impressive as they work with both A24 and the likes of Martin Scorsese. They have a great balance of drama series and comedy series and even nice family content areas. They are the most consistent with new original content next to Netflix. They even offer up baseball on Fridays and plenty of Soccer/Football options which is a unique aspect for them.
Peacock. The worst name of them all. But their content is turning around. They have some solid original content like Girls5Eva but it is the Universal films, NBC content, and all things Universal properties that make this a nice snag. Not the most expensive but it does offer you The Office and Parks and Recreations which so many people love to watch over and over again. Early access to Universal film releases are so satisfying. You even get WWE Network and all of their Premium Live Events included in the service as well. They even dabble in other sports as well.
Paramount+. The home of early Paramount film content releases. That is one of their bigger brags. You now also have access to all of Showtime. But here is the current state of the service…it is all about Star Trek, Taylor Sheridan, and Nickelodeon. If any of those three are huge sells for you, then this service is the one for you. Sure, there are other originals that you can check out but those three are the big pillars of the product.
Then there are the few others that have some interest around them. AMC+ is all about Shudder, IFC, and AMC network products. Those are some solid selling points but the actual platform is downright awful. You should just get the Amazon channel instead. Are you a cinephile? Then the Criterion Channel is a wondrous playground for your cinematic curiosity. Mubi is a strong second which gives you more variety and the interesting daily film feature which will help you figure out what you want to watch.
Wow…there are a lot of services, aren’t they? There are even more to add to what I included. But these are certainly most of the big platforms with the most attention. I will also admit, this is from a perspective for consumers in the United States (which I am). But with that all in mind, what do you go with? Even with all the changes and uncertainty, MAX is still the best balance of price, amount of content, variety of content, and quality. I pay for all of these services (because I am insane) but if I had to pick one, MAX is the way to go. The best television, HBO. Access to the cinephile libraries of Criterion. They have access to Warner Bros content first and even 20th Century Studios (for now). All of the Discovery content is such a unique addition. All of the special brands included are just the cherry on top. But you need to know yourself. Pick the services that make the most sense to you. That is the most important thing.
