The Best Alternatives to Cable: Video Streaming Services
Streaming services started as an add-on to DVD and digital download offerings with a trickle of second-run movies and TV shows. They were supplements to the programs you watched on their first (and second) runs on cable TV. But speedier internet connections and an abundance of video streaming devices have accelerated the decline of traditional cable. More and more viewers are cutting the cord entirely in favor of dedicated streaming alternatives.
Entertainment and tech giants are not blind to the threat, however, and the media landscape is rapidly changing. Consolidation and curation (that is, owning the most media properties and serving the best content) seem to be the overarching goals of the players involved.
Netflix
Netflix is the standard-bearer of streaming. It hosts an impressive selection of content at all times, with new titles exchanged for older ones monthly. And then there's Netflix constantly growing library of premier original programming, which currently outclasses every other streaming service. Netflix's impressive catalog includes shows such as Altered Carbon, Black Mirror, Bojack Horseman, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, The Crown, Lost in Space, Mindhunters, Narcos, Orange is the New Black, and Stranger Things. Netflix is expected to spend somewhere in the range of $15 billion on original content this year, so it will likely retain its advantage for the foreseeable future. Netflix also currently offers the most high-quality movies of any streaming service, eclipsing competitors such as Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and HBO.
Netflix recently raised the price of each of its subscription plans. For $8.99 per month (up from $7.99), you can stream unlimited standard-definition content on a single device. The Standard tier, which now costs $12.99 per month (up from $10.99), unlocks HD content and supports streaming on two devices simultaneously. The top-of-the-line Premium plan costs $15.99 per month (up from $13.99). This tier gives you four concurrent streams and access to 4K content where available. You can download Netflix on a variety of devices, from your PC and tablet to the Chromecast and game consoles.
Alongside Amazon Prime Video, Netflix is one of the few streaming services that supports both offline downloads and 4K streaming. And yes, Netflix's DVD mailing service still exists if you want newer releases, though streaming is clearly its primary focus going forward.
Youtube TV
YouTube TV offers an excellent selection of live sports and news channels, as well as many popular entertainment options. A few of the top networks available include ABC, AMC, CBS, CNN, ESPN, Fox, FX, and NBC. It recently added content from the Discovery network too, with channels such as Animal Planet, Food Network, HGTV, and Travel Channel. If YouTube TV's library of over 70 channels still doesn't meet your needs, you can also add other packages, such as NBA League Pass, Showtime, and Starz to your subscription. The service also now claims to cover over 98 percent of households in the US.
Hulu
Hulu impresses as one of the best all-in-one options for cord cutters, given its diverse set of streaming options. In addition to a strong library of classic shows, and a good selection of movies, Hulu offers a robust live TV option (more than 60 channels of news, sports, and entertainment programming). Still, Hulu trails some top competitors, given its lackluster original content and limited selection of 4K content.
Hulu's basic on-demand streaming plan only costs $5.99 per month, but the ad-free version will run you $11.99 per month. The Hulu + Live TV plan costs $44.99 per month and combines Hulu's live TV service with the ad-supported streaming plan. For $50.99, you get the ad-free version of Hulu's on-demand service along with the Live TV functionality. For the next few months, you can get Hulu's ad-supported plan for $2.99 per month as part of a deal the service struck with actress Chrissy Teigen. The discounted price is only available for new subscribers and anyone who has not signed up for Hulu in the past year.
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon offers access to its video content in one of two ways: a standalone Amazon Video subscription or an Amazon Prime subscription. An Amazon Video subscription costs $8.99 per month and only includes access to Amazon's streaming video library. An Amazon Prime account, which includes Prime Video content and a ton of other shipping and shopping perks, costs $12.99 per month (or $119 per year). Amazon refers to its video streaming service as Amazon Prime Video in most of its support documentation.
In recent years, Amazon has focused on curating a wide range of original shows, such as Bosch, Catastrophe, Fleabag, The Man in the High Castle, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, One Mississippi, Patriot, Red Oaks, The Boys, The Grand Tour, and Undone. Many of these shows are excellent and on par with Netflix's offerings, though the latter has a much deeper content library. Prime Video also hosts top shows from other networks, including HBO, at no additional cost, though you can add a Prime Channel subscription to your account for full access to the libraries of HBO, Starz, Showtime, CBS All Access, and Cinemax.
Amazon's video library also includes tons of popular movies available for streaming at no additional cost. Users have the option to purchase or rent movies and TV shows as well, similar to Apple's iTunes, Google's Play Movies and TV Shows, and Microsoft Store's Movies and TV section.
Disney+
Disney+ packages a ton of Disney's media properties, including from Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic, in to a full-featured streaming service. In addition to classic Disney content, you can also watch originals such as Encore!, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, Marvel's Hero Project, The Mandalorian, and The World According to Jeff Goldblum. Upcoming original productions include Loki (and several other Marvel titles), Monsters at Work, and Timmy Failure. Note that some entries from Disney franchises as well as most content it acquired from its 21st Century Fox takeover are currently missing from the service, likely due to existing licensing agreements. However, expect Disney+'s library to grow over time as it reclaims titles.
Early technical issues defined out first impressions of Disney+, but we haven't encountered any since launch day. The sleek and well-organized mobile and web apps performed fine in our follow-up testing and we streamed shows and movies without problems. Disney+ supports top cabapilities such as 4K streaming, offline downloads (on mobile), plus it doesn't show any ads. The service's support for four simultaneous streams and seven customizable profiles features makes it a compelling options for families, though we wish its parental control options allowed for more flexibility.
Disney+ is available on the web; Android and iOS devices; media streaming platforms such as the Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, and Roku; as well as gaming consoles such as Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
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