Are Streaming Services Still Worth it?

Before streaming services came along, people didn’t have too many options for television. People picked a service, paid high prices for channels (many of which were unwanted), and were forced to watch advertisements throughout a program. Shows aired at very specific times and people had to be there to watch it or record it on the D.V.R. to watch it later. This can be inconvenient if somebody forgets to record a program, the D.V.R. gets full, or if the recording is accidentally deleted. It was very easy to miss shows that wanted to be watched, and the only thing one could do is wait for a repeat. I speak about this type of television watching in the past tense because to me, it seems old and slightly outdated compared to the way we watch T.V. today.

                We have been introduced to streaming services. These streaming services allow users to watch T.V. shows and movies in real time without having to download the content to their devices. One of the first most notable streaming services, to me anyways, is Netflix. Netflix has become the paradigm of video streaming services most likely due to the fact they are one of the first successful streaming services ever. Though they initially started out ad DVD rentals, Netflix soon became a streaming service most likely by popular demand.  Netflix brought users a bunch of shows and movies to watch instantly with the click of a button. For a small monthly cost people could have access to all of this media whenever they wished.

                Netflix however, only had a limited option of content. Not every show or movie is on Netflix, not even close for that matter. Nevertheless people still craved other shows to watch, bringing other streaming services to light. Other services such as Hulu, Amazon, and more recently, Disney Plus have been brought to attention. All of these streaming services offer a different array of content and are all complete separate entities from one another. All of these streaming services also cost varying monthly payments. Users are forced to pick which streaming service they would rather have or pay the price and have multiple streaming services. This can become costly depending on how many services one desires.

With new features that cable companies offer, such as on demand, which allows users to broadcast a program without a specific broadcasting schedule, are these streaming services as convenient as the used to be?

Consumer Report's Guide to Streaming Video Services