Cable television is out, streaming services are in; But with so many streaming services out there, how can a subscriber choose the best one?
The gag is that there is no best streaming service of all time. Not every streaming service has everything a subscriber is looking for but some come close, especially Netflix, which has its own documentaries, series and movies and the Criterion Channel, which has oldies and goodies.
I turned to streaming services when they became popular in the mid-2000s and I haven’t been interested in watching cable TV since then. My apartment doesn’t even have a cable box, I have a computer and that’s all I need.
The Criterion Channel is one of the new streaming services that recently caught my eye. The channel is described as “a movie lover’s dream” on its website. It has classics and movies from around the world that have been waiting to be praised.
Criterion Channel is a streaming service from the Criterion collection. The collection was founded in 1984 and it distributes the titles that are considered important classics and contemporary films.
Criterion serves the film community, cinephiles and public and academic libraries and focuses on licensing and restoring older films, according to the Criterion Collection website.
No matter the medium - from laserdisc to 4K Ultra HD streaming - Criterion pushes for each of these films to receive an upgrade so filmmakers can see every detail.
The Criterion Channel is every cinephile's dream and I’m obsessed with it. Its layout is so fun, there’s even a section where it tells the subscriber what two movies would make for a double feature.
For $10.99 a month, the price is a little steep but its message has me sold. I love exploring new films, especially ones made outside of the U.S. including the 1962 Italian film “I Knew Her Well” about a gorgeous, seemingly liberated girl who chases her dreams to Rome which has a “Valley of the Dolls” feel.
Or the streaming service could take me out of this world like in the 1973 French film “Fantastic Planet,” an animated, politically minded work of science where humans are enslaved.
Netflix is for the newbie film fanatic. For $9.99 a month, a subscriber can watch goofy original movies and critically-acclaimed shows.
There are original shows including “Bridgerton,” which follows eight close siblings of the Regency era in England narrated by Julie Andrews, and others including “Stranger Things,” “The Witcher” and “Squid Game” on Netflix.
But Netflix lost 200,000 subscribers as of April 19 and expects to lose a further two million over the next three months. The company blames these losses on competition, the economy, the Russia-Ukraine war and people sharing passwords, according to an April 19 article by the Guardian.
The company blames nearly everything going on in the world for its issues, except itself. Netflix should just admit that its content has been mediocre in the last two quarters.
Then there’s Hulu, which I don’t tend to use because its content is hit or miss. The company charges $6.99 for content with ads and $12.99 without ads.
I recently watched “Fresh” on Hulu and it was one of the few movies I’ve actually enjoyed from the streaming service since I’ve had my membership.
The good thing about Hulu is that there are bundles and add-ons. If it wasn’t for the student bundle with Showtime, Spotify and Hulu for $4.99 a month, I wouldn’t even consider subscribing to Hulu or Showtime.
However, there are too many bundles to choose from that include Hulu, which can include Showtime, Starz, and Cinemax. It’s almost as if Hulu can’t stand on its own two legs.
Hulu is fishing for allies in this streaming competition but the competition comes down to many factors, from better content quality to the website layout.
HBO Max has the best user interface. I know where to find the “recently added” and “coming soon” tabs, and an audience browse-by-genre option which makes the platform easy to navigate.
The content on HBO Max includes premium blockbusters like “The Batman,” “Death on the Nile” and “Dune” with a mix of old Hollywood films including “The Wizard of Oz,” “Gone with the Wind” and “The 400 Blows.”
HBO Max is the top contender because it has the widest variety of movies for any kind of movie lover.
It also features critically-acclaimed media including “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” “Euphoria” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”
But there aren’t a lot of options for younger kids or easy watches on HBO Max. If an easy viewing, or a show made for everyone, is what an audience wants then Disney Plus is the desirable option.
Disney Plus is only good for viewing Disney classics and if the audiences are true nerds, new Marvel and Star Wars shows at midnight.
I’m not saying it’s at the bottom of the barrel; it’s really fun when it comes to participating in huge fandoms or if the subscriber is a newbie just getting into film, nerd or not interested in finding anything original and new.
AppleTV Plus has been getting more creative, making it near the top of my list. It has original and unique stories including Academy Award Best Picture winner “CODA” (Child of Deaf Adults) which follows a 17-year-old girl who is the only hearing person in her family. When the family’s business is threatened, she finds herself torn between the past and the future.
It also produces shows including “The Morning Show” that follows the MeToo movement and stars Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon.
“The Morning Show” explores the challenges women face in the broadcast television industry.
AppleTV Plus costs $4.99 a month with a free seven-day trial to see if a subscriber might want to take that commitment.
What I love about AppleTV Plus is that it’s not afraid to get weird. It creates a lot of its own content so if a movie lover wants quality media, AppleTV Plus is where to find it.
Overall, every streaming service has something for everyone. It's a matter of what a user wants to watch.
Netflix is a huge competitor but there are so many other sites that have been competing for the spotlight.
If you really want to impress your cinephile friends, get the Criterion Channel and explore options. If you want to be in the know with every silly show, keep watching Netflix. If you’re a geek, continue watching Disney Plus. Just find your niche because there’s a streaming platform for everyone.
