As it becomes increasingly obvious that streaming is the next big bloody battleground for the future of entertainment, the arms races for both technology and sheer volume of content have only intensified. Massive corporations are muscling into profitable territory that Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon previously had exclusively to themselves.
Some of these services, like HBO Max and NBC Peacock, have yet to launch. So we don’t know yet how appealing they’ll actually be. However, other new streaming giants have already emerged, with mixed results. As expensive and glossy as it is, the actual original content on Apple TV+ just can’t compete quite yet. However, the sheer nostalgic power of Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and more on Disney+ is in a whole scary league of its own, and you can get it in an affordable $13 per month bundle with Hulu and ESPN+.
And that’s not even counting the dozens of smaller and more niche platforms, from horror movies on Shudder to comedy on CollegeHumor Dropout. Plus, in the face of this new pressure, established streaming platforms are only getting bolder. From Bone to The Witcher to Nickelodeon, Netflix’s content is growing more infinite. So consider this guide to streaming TV services just an introduction to a space that’s constantly growing and changing until we finally loop back around to cable but for your laptop.
Who doesn’t love television? For decades this wonderful invention, this beautiful electronic box, has been a surrogate parent to millions (billions?) of people. And while lots of viewers elect to turn their brains into mush watching reality garbage and cartoons they can’t even remember properly, TV has also proven itself to be a reliable source of smart, challenging, artistic, contemporary work. Peak TV. Golden Age.
1.
So many streaming TV services to choose from. Where do you start?
3.
Although it no longer has a free option, Hulu is a great streaming TV service that is worth paying for.
4.
From buying to renting to subscribing to individual channels, Amazon offers a bevy of streaming TV options.
5.
YouTube Red subscribers can watch original shows from streaming stars, but YouTube TV lets you watch actual live TV.
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You have to buy channels in bulk and still deal with commercials, but with DirecTV Now you get the real live TV experience delivered through streaming.
10.
If you want to stream shows and documentaries that actually teach you something, go with CuriosityStream.
11.
AMC Premiere just focuses on current AMC shows, but for Walking Dead super fans that might be enough.
12.
With Boomerang, tons of retro cartoons, from Looney Tunes to Scooby-Doo, can all come back to you
13.
FuboTV may be the escape from cable that sports fans are looking for. It’s pricey, but being able to easily stream live sports and more from dozens of channels with only one subscription might very well be worth it.
14.
Brown Sugar has all of the classic Blaxploitation movies you could want and then some. It’s niche, but it’s one of the most impressive niche libraries we’ve seen.
15.
For the true cinephile, FilmStruck has a large collection of classic films from all eras and countries, including movies from the Criterion Collection.
19.
Along with presenting streaming services like Netflix and Sling through one box, Dish AirTV also lets you watch local over-the-air channels with an additional installation.
20.
Get a streaming media device to enjoy these services on your TV. Our favorite is the Amazon Fire Stick.
22.
As expensive and glossy as it is, the actual original content on AppleTV+ just can't compete quite yet.
However, nothing is immune from the march of technological progress, and the future of TV is streaming TV services. When you subscribe to these services, you gain the freedom to watch whatever you want whenever and wherever (phone, tablet, laptop, game console) you want as long as you can get online. Whether it’s watching old favorites like Game of Thrones in more convenient ways or discovering promising new, internet-exclusive shows like Doom Patrol, soon we won’t remember a time before our lives were improved by streaming.
But since the only thing the internet hasn’t disrupted is capitalism, there are a bunch of streaming TV services out there competing to get cable customers to cut the cord. Each of these services have their own libraries and strengths and weaknesses, so which do you subscribe to? Geek.com is here to help. We’ve been testing streaming TV services big and small, watching Twin Peaks on our computer screens and calling it work, and these are the ones we think you should choose.
The Big Guys
Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Video, the new Big 3, form the bedrock of streaming TV services. For comparable starting monthly prices (Netflix at $9, Hulu at $6 with ads, and Amazon at, you guessed it, $9 for non-Prime members) you gain access to hours upon hours of content. Because the libraries of old TV shows and movies change over time, especially Netflix’s, it’s tough to compare which is truly superior. It really depends on your taste. In the past I might have said Netflix had better movies while Hulu had more TV shows, until Hulu added The Criterion Collection and its vast reserves of cinematic classics. But then Criterion left Hulu and formed its own FilmStruck streaming service. It’s tough to keep up! If you haven’t noticed, there’s a whole online blogging cottage industry just tracking Netflix arrivals and departures.
Meanwhile, Amazon has plenty of shows and movies available to subscribers. But it also lets anyone rent or buy individual episodes and films. You can even add extra subscriptions to HBO, PBS, and other themed collections (like anime) with Amazon Channels. On average, these subscriptions cost as much as Amazon Video itself, so keep that in mind when building your theoretically cheaper streaming TV replacement.
The biggest way, Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon differentiate themselves now is through their original shows. However, again they’re pretty much on par, so it’s up to you and your preferences. Netflix probably has the most, and most popular, shows but for every success like Orange is the New Black, Stranger Things, and Dear White People, there’s garbage like Iron Fist and Fuller House. Shows like The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu and Transparent and The Man In the High Castle on Amazon prove that those services are just as good if not better at crafting timely, moving, intelligent stories.
What many of those services lack, however, is an easily accessible library of classic films. For that, you’ll need the Criterion Channel, the successor to the unfortunately defunct FilmStruck. Whether it’s an early example of artistic silent films or the best Iranian documentary of the new millennium, this is the streaming service for the true cinephile.
We also shouldn’t forget YouTube. While the site is rightfully best known for its endless amounts of free videos, from cute cats to racists children streaming video games, it does offer some streaming TV-esque services to those willing to pay. For $10 a month, YouTube Red turns off ads, gives you expanded music options, and lets you watch YouTube Red Originals. These shows skew a little younger (despite the cursing) but some, like College Humor’s Bad Internet, are legitimately entertaining. For $35, you can also just straight up watch live TV channels like ABC, FOX, Disney, and others with YouTube TV. Other companies sell similar plans, as we’ll discuss later, but none have the online credibility and ubiquity of YouTube.
Anime and Other Alternatives
The big streaming TV services we just mentioned try their best to serve all potential audiences with content covering all bases. You can find kid’s show, progressive dramas, and even the dreaded anime. But a general site will never be able to cover a niche as well as a site dedicated to that niche.
Unsurprisingly, one of the most robust streaming niches is anime. No longer do you have trade VHS tapes near the Blockbuster to check up on the latest subtitled adventures of Goku and folks who might as well be Goku. For a monthly fee, you can easily and (legally) stream anime hours after it airs in Japan.
Your best bets for anime streaming right now are Crunchyroll and Funimation Now. The two services are actually partners that share shows with each other. However, since Funimation is also in the business of bringing anime over to America, it focuses more on English dubbed versions of the shows. For more authentic, unmolested Japanese anime with subtitles, Crunchyroll is the better choice.
If your animation tastes lean more western and retro, check out Boomerang. This streaming spin-off to the satellite TV channel lets you watch a ton of vintage cartoons from the Turner and Warner Bros. vault. You’ll find Scooby-Doo, The Flintstones, Looney Tunes, and even some more recent cult Cartoon Network hits like Courage the Cowardly Dog. It’s a rush of nostalgia and maybe even a good way to get kids interested in the history of animation as an art form.
On the flip side, if you want to enrich your mind instead of poisoning it with mindless entertainment, our Geek Pick is CuriosityStream. For just $3 per month you can stream what feels like an endless amount of educational shows and documentaries covering a wide variety of topics. So whether you want to learn more about nature, technology, culture, or something as specific as historical wax figures, you can find something new to watch
Continuing this trip down niche streaming rabbit holes, in just nine months Brown Sugar has already built up one of the more impressive niche libraries we’ve seen. The service focuses on African-American themed entertainment, particularly the cheap and lurid but nonetheless exciting, funky, and socially relevant 1970s films of the Blaxploitation era. Super Fly, Dolemite, Blacula, an entire Pam Grier section? We really dig it.
TV Traditionalists
For as great as streaming TV services can be, maybe not everyone is ready to join us in the glorious new future where streaming replaces traditional TV for good. Maybe there are too many shows and sports on cable and live TV that streaming doesn’t include. That okay. There are streaming TV services out there that provide the convenience of the internet while still letting users keep one foot comfortably in traditional TV.
For what amounts to traditional TV prices, DirecTV Now lets you skip the satellite and subscribe online to bundles of dozens of live TV channels. You’ll be able to watch TV online and on your mobile devices, but keep in mind it’s still live TV, commercials and all. Some channels offer videos on demand to pause and watch whenever but they’re an exception. Still, how can you pass up TV with more freedom?
FuboTV is similarly modeled after live TV pricing and limitations. The difference is FuboTV focuses on sports, a subject where watching live really matters and people are willing to pay. Sports are one of the biggest things keeping people tethered to traditional TV, so FuboTV could be the escape they are looking for. And features like watching anywhere on mobile devices and keeping tabs on upcoming games you care about genuinely make the viewing experience better.
Slingbox is an even easier way to convince TV users to cross over to streaming. If you already have a cable subscription, just hook up a Slingbox to your TV and home network to watch the shows you’re already paying for with Sling’s app. Sling TV also sells channels à la carte, but it doesn’t get much simpler than “buy this one box and get TV anywhere.”
If you still want to keep your local over-the-air channels, however, your best option is Dish AirTV. That functionality is an optional, extra installation, but it allows the streaming box to present local content right alongside streaming services through the same interface. It’s neat, if not necessarily useful for everyone.
Other cable providers are also offering bonus streaming incentives to keep subscribers on board. For an extra $5 per month, Comcast Xfinity subscribers can watch current AMC shows, movies, and extras online with mobile devices using AMC Premiere. But even with its focus on one channel, AMC Premiere’s lack of legacy shows like Mad Men and Breaking Bad makes it feel slight if you aren’t part of the inexplicable legion of Walking Dead superfans. Meanwhile, signing up with Comcast is a big hurdle if you haven’t already and are looking for streaming services to cut cords, not add them.
Stream Team
This is just a sample of the streaming TV services out there. As we keep reviewing them we’ll keep updating this story, so keep coming back. And you know what goes great with a streaming TV service? A streaming media device like Roku, Chromecast, and Amazon Fire Stick to beam that service to your actual television. So check out our recommendations for those, too. Happy viewing!
1.
So many streaming TV services to choose from. Where do you start?
3.
Although it no longer has a free option, Hulu is a great streaming TV service that is worth paying for.
4.
From buying to renting to subscribing to individual channels, Amazon offers a bevy of streaming TV options.
5.
YouTube Red subscribers can watch original shows from streaming stars, but YouTube TV lets you watch actual live TV.
7.
You have to buy channels in bulk and still deal with commercials, but with DirecTV Now you get the real live TV experience delivered through streaming.
10.
If you want to stream shows and documentaries that actually teach you something, go with CuriosityStream.
11.
AMC Premiere just focuses on current AMC shows, but for Walking Dead super fans that might be enough.
12.
With Boomerang, tons of retro cartoons, from Looney Tunes to Scooby-Doo, can all come back to you
13.
FuboTV may be the escape from cable that sports fans are looking for. It’s pricey, but being able to easily stream live sports and more from dozens of channels with only one subscription might very well be worth it.
14.
Brown Sugar has all of the classic Blaxploitation movies you could want and then some. It’s niche, but it’s one of the most impressive niche libraries we’ve seen.
15.
For the true cinephile, FilmStruck has a large collection of classic films from all eras and countries, including movies from the Criterion Collection.
19.
Along with presenting streaming services like Netflix and Sling through one box, Dish AirTV also lets you watch local over-the-air channels with an additional installation.
20.
Get a streaming media device to enjoy these services on your TV. Our favorite is the Amazon Fire Stick.
22.
As expensive and glossy as it is, the actual original content on AppleTV+ just can't compete quite yet.
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