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What's on TV vs. What's on Netflix: The Rise of Streaming Services


Television has always been around us–– well at least for us, millennials. We've watched it grow as a medium for entertainment to a box to look at for movies. Let me reword that, we've watched it grow immensely. I mean do you still watch live television? Meaning do you turn it on just to watch HBO, Starz, TLC or HGTV? If so, step it up a little. Live a little for less! What do I mean? I'm talking streaming services here. They're all the rage. Read on and see how you too can step up your game.

1.) Netflix. Netflix has been around for nearly two decades now. I remember getting advertisements from them in snail mail. Almost everyone knows what Netflix is. If not, it is a streaming service for only $10.  You usually get access to new movies a few weeks after they've been released on DVD. It also acts as a channel, meaning that they have TV shows/movies exclusively on Netflix, also known as Netflix Originals. What's neat about Netflix is that it is easily accessible to everywhere, as long as there's the internet.

Image taken from Wikimedia Commons

2.) Hulu. Hulu's reached its ten-year mark this year, and it's growing. This service is similar to Netflix, but it is aimed more to those who are TV show fanatics. Keep in mind that some TV shows release the day after an episode airs on TV for copyright season. So if you are the type that binge-watch but don't mind waiting a day or two, then Hulu's for you. Again, it's remarkably similar to Netflix, which means you can access any of their TV shows as long as there's service around you. The nifty thing about Hulu is, unlike Netflix, the ability to watch live TV. This means that you can watch live sports, news, and entertainment (only for an extended plan). Hulu starts their services with $7.99, with the option of adding more channels and/or removing commercials.

3.) Sling. Sling is another streaming service, but it is not as accessible as Netflix or Hulu. I'm not familiar with Sling, but all I know is that it only specializes in TV shows, meaning that there are no movies. What differentiates Sling from Hulu is that it releases episodes the same day as cable does. There are different plans, but on their website, their service starts at $20 per month. Sling offers what they call, "A La Carte TV," which means that the viewer only pays for the channels they want to watch. It's pretty nifty and cost-efficient if I do say so myself.


4.) YouTube TV. Ahh the big, red, play button. YouTube isn't just YouTube anymore (never thought I'd say that). YouTube is also a TV. It is also new to the streaming game. From their website, they promote live TV streaming, cloud DVR with no storage limits and six accounts per household included. YouTube TV is unfortunately only available in the main cities: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia and the Bay Area. Apparently on their website, "once you've signed up, YouTube TV works everywhere in the U.S." It seems pretty difficult to understand at first so to put it in perspective; it is unlike the other services I mentioned above. They explicitly base what you can or cannot watch in the location you're in. If you're not into all of that, then YouTube TV might not be a good idea for you. Check it out in a year or two and see how they've evolved because I sure will.

My cliche point here is that television will never be the same as how we used it back in the old days. One can use their mobile phones and laptops to catch up with their subscriptions. The four services I've mentioned above is only a part of the many services out there. There's Amazon Prime/Instant Video, iTunes, Vudu, Google Play and probably a few that's growing or fading. But as we know, there's always a catch with each one. One might not have movies while the other is just strictly movies. All in all, cable TV and your local cinemas are fading because of these.

What do you think? Are movies in the theater stronger than ever? Or tell me, how do you watch your TV/movies? Comment below and follow my social media for more!