Everyone knows and loves Netflix. It is our generation's tried and true source for streaming shows and movies with the touch of a button. We have watched it grow from a service that mails your choice of limited movies at any given time to an online service that allows you to access as many movies, TV shows, and Netflix Originals as you could possibly want at any given time.
One of the perks of using Netflix to stream is that they don't play ads and offer the ability to use parental controls to only allow children to access the kids' selection of movies and shows. Netflix offers three different packages: Basic, Standard, and Premium.
Basic costs $8.99/month allows you to stream on one device at a time.
Standard costs $12.99/month and allows you to stream on two devices at a time and offers HD.
Premium costs $15.99/month and allows you to stream on four devices at a time; offers HD and Ultra HD.
Another popular streaming service is Hulu. They have shows that are currently streaming on TV and upload current episodes as they air, unlike Netflix who only uploads shows a season or series at a time. They also stream Hulu Originals.
One perk of streaming Hulu is that they offer a student bundle with Spotify, where you pay $4.99/month for Spotify and you get the basic Hulu package for free. They offer four basic plans:
Hulu costs $5.99/month.
Hulu (no ads) costs $11.99/month.
Hulu + Live TV costs $44.99/month.
Hulu (no ads) + Live TV costs $50.99/month.
They also offer additional add-ons of popular TV channels, which include HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, and Starz. The prices vary from an additional $8.99 to $14.99/month.
New to the streaming world is Disney+, which was released on November 12, 2019. It offers all of Disney's family-friendly content and much of its mass-audience fare (pretty much any and all of their content that is PG-13 and under), Marvel, Lucasfilm (so, "Star Wars"), Pixar, and National Geographic. Disney+ will allow all subscribers to stream to four devices and access 4K content at no extra cost, the features Netflix includes in its $16 premium tier. Initially, the streaming service will have one base price.
Disney+ will cost $7/month (or $70/year).
But, it is said that the cost may increase as time goes on. The company also said it'll offer a bundle of Disney+, Hulu (with ads), and ESPN Plus with a $5 discount for subscribing to all three options.
Overall, each streaming service has its own set of perks and offers that are appealing to people for different reasons. For me personally, I am subscribed to Netflix and have Hulu through Spotify. I don't find myself choosing Hulu very often because I don't find any interest in the shows that they have to offer, besides a small handful of TV shows that I watch (which I can easily catch up on with OnDemand, so Hulu serves no real purpose for me).
I am so excited to start using Disney+ and to see where they go with all of the new original content they are planning to come out with, along with the Disney classics that they will be adding as time goes on.
