Q. What the what! That’s my response to the streaming world right now. I really can no longer keep track. It was already annoying when it was just Amazon, Netflix, and Hulu. Now I’m overwhelmed and feel like I’m missing good TV by not subscribing to 10 different services.
STEAMING RE: STREAMING
A. Coupla things, Steaming. First of all, I hear you, and I understand. There are so many services competing for your monthly fee, it’s almost paralyzing. Netflix dominates the market by a wide margin; it was there first, and it has worked to create a ton of originals and to import notable international series (the company is expected to spend some $17 billion on content this year). But that hasn’t stopped Disney+, Apple TV+, HBO Max, Quibi, and Peacock from launching in the past year and waging a fierce battle for your eyes and money, alongside the more established Hulu, Amazon, and CBS All Access. Each of them has something desirable for most viewers, so the choice of which to pay for is not exactly easy.
Except for the ridiculous and disastrous Quibi, a short-content app created for mobile viewers, most of these streamers are surviving and growing. In part, that’s because more and more viewers are cutting the cable cord and relying solely on streaming. So if you wait for the best service to emerge from the crowd, and then subscribe to that, you may be waiting a long, long time. I do think there will be a shakeout at some point, or a bundling of forces; but in the meantime, you might as well figure it out so that you can watch the good stuff.
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Second of all, Google exists and it is your friend. Spend a little time – really, just 20 or so minutes – exploring the services and taking notes about which streamers feature which shows and movies that you want to see. (You can Google my story, “Confused by so many streaming choices? Here’s the guide you need” to compare the services and their prices.) Explore both a streamer’s originals as well as its library of old series. And don’t assume that because Peacock is related to NBC, “Friends” is on Peacock. It’s on HBO Max. Likewise, “The Big Bang Theory,” which ran on CBS, but is now also only available on HBO Max.
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And finally, choose a streamer to start out with. Remember — and I can’t emphasize this enough — that you can subscribe to a service for a month or two, then stop. During that period, you can catch up on the stuff you’ve wanted to see on that service. You shouldn’t feel as though you’re committed to years of Hulu just because you signed up. You can subscribe, watch “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “The Great,” “Mrs. America,” “Shrill,” and the movie “Palm Springs,” and then unsubscribe (put a note in your calendar reminding you).
Then you can subscribe to a different service for two months — Apple TV+, for example, where you can catch up with “The Morning Show,” “Defending Jacob,” and the wonderful “Little America.” Then you can unsubscribe. It’s obvious, but I am convinced people forget about that option. Think of it as buying a ticket to a movie, but instead you’re buying a ticket to a month of TV.
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MATTHEW GILBERT
Matthew Gilbert can be reached at matthew.gilbert@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewGilbert.
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July 21, 2020 at 06:14AM
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You can be in a relationship with a streamer that doesn’t have to last forever - The Boston Globe
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