You’re chatting with your friends in the cafeteria during lunch, chowing down on a delicious pesto mozzarella sandwich from the L-Cafe. Soon, talk turns to everyone’s new favorite show, the to-die-for romance between the main character and their forbidden love, and its devastating twist ending in the final episode. Your heart
plummets when you realize… it’s on a streaming service you don’t have.
Nowadays, there seems to be an endless selection of platforms to consume your media on, each grasping at your wallet with their stacking monthly fees. Whether it be FOMO from friends’ conversations or that one movie starring your favorite actor that you missed in theaters, it’s hard to decide which of the infinite options to spend your precious entertainment dollars on.
So, let’s dive into the ins and outs of five of the main streaming services.
The most popular streaming service locally at Liberty according to a survey is Netflix. Its monthly cost starts at $6.99 for the basic subscription including ads, and racks all the way up to $22.99 for premium.
“I like Netflix because it’s got a lot of different shows,” senior Harper Day said. “And there are a lot of good originals on there.”
Some of Netflix’s hit originals include Stranger Things, BoJack Horseman, The Crown, and Outer Banks. However, a common criticism is its tendency to cancel fan favorites like I Am Not Okay With This and Shadow and Bone.
Next up is Max, formerly known as HBO Max. Popular for its complete Studio Ghibli collection and its trips down memory lane with childhood favorite Cartoon Network shows, it charges $9.99 a month with ads or $15.99 a month without.
“Max has just a ton of really high- quality shows like Our Flag Means Death, The Last of Us, and Barry, so I feel like it’s reliable with content,” Day said.
Moving on, Hulu is a service known for shows like The Kardashians, Normal People, and New Girl. Prices range from $7.99 to $17.99 a month.
“It’s versatile and it’s got a lot of movies per genre,” an anonymous Liberty student said.
Disney Plus is another service that offers viewers blockbuster content for $7.99 to $13.99 a month.
It has mega hits such as the entire Marvel and Star Wars catalogs. Not to mention all of the classic Disney and Pixar movies—an animation-lover’s dream.
Finally, Amazon Prime Video, with the widest selection streaming has to offer, has prices ranging from $8.99 to $14.99 a month.
Known more for its ability to rent or buy content, the subscription service provides exclusive content as well, including Fleabag and The Summer I Turned Pretty.
“It has variety. It offers you something you weren’t looking for, so it opens your mind up more,” sophomore Angelina Chen said.
Streaming has taken the entertainment landscape by storm and has fundamentally changed how we consume movies and TV. We are able to watch what we want, when we want, but for a price.
