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Not only are television screens getting larger, but the number of must-watch shows is increasing across a growing assortment of on-demand streaming video services intent on persuading you to cut your cable TV cord.
Streaming platforms were initially seen as a means of saving money by cutting cable in favor of their lower prices. This strategy is now a bit more challenging due to recent price hikes among major players such as Apple+, Disney, ESPN, Hulu, Netflix, Paramount+, Peacock and Starz.
Though everyone is familiar with streaming pioneers Netflix, the first in 2007, and Amazon Prime and Hulu, with so many evolving streaming options, choosing the right budget-friendly platform can be challenging. See our breakdown to help you determine the best streaming platform for your needs.
What is a streaming service?
Unlike cable television, streaming services don’t charge fees for installation or for starting or canceling service. That’s because streaming platforms offer on-demand movies and TV shows over the internet. The only requirement is a reliable internet connection and a compatible device such as a smartphone, TV, tablet, computer or gaming console.
So you can subscribe for just a month — as long as you remember to cancel before the next billing cycle — and resubscribe later when the platform repopulates with new viewing choices.
Another option is bundling, which allows you to pay one price for two or three streaming platforms. This could lower your costs, but only if you like enough shows on every service in the bundle.
Or you can try downloading free ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) services, ads such as The Roku Channel, Tubi and Pluto TV, which offer all their programming for free with ads. Though they might not provide the newest movies and TV shows, they do offer many timeless classics.
Ways to keep costs in check
For consumers, more options can mean more temptation, kind of like the by-the-pound buffet at the grocery store. To keep your budget in line, ask yourself:
- How many hours of TV do I want to watch in a month?
- Does a new service have enough shows I like to be worthwhile?
- What are a service’s terms of cancellation?
Some companies offer a free trial period, which can help you assess their programming, but they require a credit card to sign up. Keep in mind that you will be charged automatically if you don’t cancel your subscription before the free trial ends.
Amazon Prime Video vs. Netflix
Netflix reigns over Amazon Prime Video as the streaming service with the most subscribers, based on estimates through June 2023, according to Statista Consumer Insights. Disney+ and Hulu are third and fourth, respectively. Disney has been the majority owner of Hulu since 2019.
Both Amazon and Netflix provide original shows and films, some of which have won top awards. Each platform carries additional movie and television options never broadcast on the big or small screens, but the services differ in a few ways.
- Amazon Prime Video is available for $8.99 a month. However, when signing up from the Prime Video page, you must change the default plan to standard delivery service. Users can rent or buy newly released television shows and movies individually without an Amazon subscription. Additionally, those whose incomes are verified and receive SNAP, Medicaid or other qualifying government assistance programs may receive full access to Amazon Prime for $6.99 a month.
- Netflix has a membership option with ads at $6.99 a month. Some of its movies and shows are not available to subscribers on this plan because of licensing restrictions. The platform’s standard plan runs $15.49 a month. But video quality is not full high-definition unless you join its premium plan, which recently increased to $22.99 a month.
The company has cracked down on password sharing and allows only two people in the same household to stream Netflix at once on its standard plans and four on its premium option. Additional people who live outside the primary household may be added to the account for $7.99 a month.
AARP Members Only Access
What is it? AARP Members Only Access offers exclusive and premium content for members, including a rotating selection of on-demand, full-length films and documentaries, as part of your AARP membership. Other content includes celebrity interviews, Spotify playlists from legendary musicians, popular books and AARP Smart Guides.
How to access: Log in and create an account with aarp.org using your AARP membership number. You can view the material on your PC or Mac or cast it to a bigger screen, such as your TV.
Price: Access comes with joining AARP: $16 a year, $12 a year for automatic renewal.
Apple TV+
Allison Janney in "Palm Royale."
Apple+
What is it? Apple TV+’s award-winning and viral successes include Severance, a show about office workers whose memories are divided between their personal and work lives, and Ted Lasso, a comedy about a football coach leading a British soccer team. New movies and series are added every Wednesday and Friday, including Masters of the Air, Palm Royale and Sugar.
How to access: The Apple TV app, which is available on most Apple products and most smart TVs, PS5, PS4, Roku and Xbox One.
Price: One-week free trial, then $9.99 a month. Additionally, three months of the service come free with the purchase of a new Apple device.
BET+
What is it? BET+ provides a collection of dramas, movies and sitcoms featuring Black culture with more than 2,000 hours of ad-free viewing. This includes exclusive programming such as documentaries, originals from Tyler Perry and specials from BET Networks.
How to access: Subscribe to BET+ through its website or add it to your Amazon Prime Video account. View it on Android and Apple devices, some smart TVs and the web.
Price: With ads, one-week free trial, then $5.99 a month, or $54.99 a year; without ads, seven-day free trial, then $9.99 a month, or $94.99 a year.
Discovery+
What is it? Discovery+ gives users access to over 70,000 current and former episodes of new and classic shows from Animal Planet, CNN, Discovery Channel, Food Network, HGTV, Investigation Discovery (ID) and TLC. Exclusives and Discovery+ originals feature personalities such as the Irwin family, Jonathan and Drew Scott, Bobby Flay and more.
How to access: Amazon and Apple devices, Android TV, Chromecast, Roku, Samsung TVs, the web and Xbox. A full list is available here.
Price: With ads at $4.99 a month, Discovery+ provides the cheapest streaming option; without ads, it’s $8.99 a month after a seven-day free trial.
Disney+
Lin-Manuel Miranda stars as Alexander Hamilton in the biographical musical, "Hamilton," on Disney+.
Disney
What is it? Disney+ — which oversees Marvel, National Geographic, Pixar and the Star Wars franchise — provides thousands of movies, such as the Broadway production of Hamilton, Taylor Swift the Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version) and shows to stream.
Programming includes documentaries, films and series for subscribers of all ages. Popular original programs include Star Wars: Andor, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, X-Men ’97 and the nature docu-series A Real Bug’s Life.
How to access: Android and Apple devices, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, most smart TVs, PS5, PS4, the web and Xbox One.
Price: No free trial. The service starts at $7.99 a month with ads or $13.99 a month ad-free. Disney programming may be bundled with ESPN+ and Hulu with ads for $14.99 a month or $24.99 a month without ads or only with Hulu for $9.99 a month with ads or $19.99 a month ad-free.
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