All the major streaming services (content, pricing, etc.)

Covid-19 has kept us apart from our families, friends, relatives, but one of the few sources of comfort to ‘cure’ our loneliness are the seemingly-countless streaming services. As more and more people cut cable, more streaming services seem to be popping up. Netflix started out as a DVD rental company in 1997, with streaming only being introduced a decade later. Now, they are primarily known as a streaming service provider and have inspired dozens of companies to provide their own services as well. With HBO Max and NBC-Universal’s Peacock launching very soon, I think it’s a perfect time to list all the major streaming services that are/will be available for our consumption.

1. Netflix – Easily the most popular streaming service out there, Netflix currently boasts of 180+ million subscribers, with a recent surge in subscribers thanks to the quarantine measures. The service has 3 pricing plans – $8.99/month, $12.99/month, $15.99/month. In terms of what content Netflix has, the real question is “what don’t they have?” They’ve borrowed a lot of money to fund their original programming, which includes heavyweights like Stranger Things, The Witcher, House of Cards, etc. More importantly, Netflix is arguably the only service that has something for everyone, which has worked wonders for them.
2. Amazon Prime Video – Prime Video is one of the many perks of having an Amazon Prime membership, which costs $12.99/month and $6.99/month for students. And, Prime Video has some of the best streaming content available, including original series like the acclaimed The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Jack Ryan, and original movies like The Report, Late Night, etc. Fun fact – many college students get 6-months of free Amazon Prime using their .edu email ID’s!
3. Hulu – Hulu is one of the most affordable AND one of the better streaming services available. The service costs $5.99/month with ads and $11.99/month without ads. In terms of content, Hulu has popular shows like ‘Rick and Morty’, ‘Killing Eve’, ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ etc. In addition, Disney (currently a 2/3rds owner) is offering a $12.99/month bundle for Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+, which is a terrific deal!
4. Apple TV+ – After realizing that the streaming service model can be profitable, Apple decided to jump in the game, with the launch of Apple TV+. Even though Apple+ doesn’t have a lot of IP-driven content, it costs a measly $4.99/month and has critically-acclaimed shows like ‘The Morning Show’, ‘Defending Jacob’ and original movies like Samuel Jackson-Anthony Mackie’s ‘The Banker’, etc. PS – you can get one year of free Apple+ if you’ve purchased an Apple product after September 2019!
5. Disney+ – The major appeal of Disney+ is the family-friendly content. On top of that, Disney owns some of the biggest Hollywood franchises (Marvel Studios, Star Wars, Pixar) and recently acquired 20th Century Fox’s assets (X-Men, Avatar, Simpsons) to boost their D+ content. This service currently costs $6.99/month and has most (not all because of existing deals) of the Marvel movies, the Star Wars films and 100’s of Disney toons. Fun fact, current Verizon Unlimited customers can get one year of free Disney+, so win-win! In terms of content, one criticism levied against D+ is the lack of high-profile new content, which Disney will soon rectify with the launch of Falcon & Winter Soldier, Mandalorian season 2, and WandaVision this year! And, they have more Marvel shows (Loki, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, etc.) and Star Wars shows (Obi-Wan, Rogue One’s Cassian Andor) in production!
6. CBS All Access – CBS All Access is arguably the least-buzzy of the big streaming services, as there isn’t a whole lot of appealing content. Aside from the Star Trek shows (Picard, Discovery), The Twilight Zone, CBS All Access simply doesn’t have the content that justifies paying for this service. However, the service has 2 pricing plans – $5.99/month (with limited ads) and $9.99/month (no ads).
7. HBO Max – HBO Max is essentially a derivative of the existing HBO Now (streaming service) and HBO Go (cable service for DirecTV & Spectrum customers) and will launch on May 27. Max will cost $15/month and will feature the usual HBO content (Game of Thrones, Westworld). However, it is an upgrade from Now & Go in that there will original content (Justice League Dark, The Shining’s Overlook series) and licensed content like Friends, Southpark, The Big Bang Theory, etc., which the existing versions won’t have. I also suspect that WB will merge the DC streaming service into HBO Max. At least, that makes more sense…
8. Peacock – Lastly, NBCUniversal’s Peacock has already launched for some Comcast customers but will launch for everyone else on July 15. Now, Peacock has 3 different price tiers –  $0 (limited content + ads), $4.99/month (with ads) and $9.99/month (no ads). In terms of content, Peacock will have all the Universal movies (Jurassic World, Fast & Furious), original content (a new Battlestar Galactica series) and more importantly, The Office and Parks & Recreation. As you may or may not know, Parks & Rec, and The Office will depart Netflix in October 2020 and January 2021 respectively!

PS – If you subscribe to every aforementioned service at the cheapest price, you’ll still be paying at least $50/month!!

Unless another major studio decides to launch their own streaming service, it looks like the majority of the competition will be among those 8 services. Of course, we have also have other lesser-known services like Quibi (will soon allow for TV viewing), Tubi (free, ad-supported), Shudder ($4.75/month for horror/supernatural content), Crackle (free, ad-supported), Showtime ($10.99/month), Starz ($8.99/month), YouTube TV ($49.99/month), AND more!! So don’t worry, you have plenty of content to keep you entertained!