There’s nothing more relaxing than sitting down in the evening and putting your favourite TV show on – except these days, that comes with a whole lot of strings attached. With the cost of living crisis on the horizon, viewers are looking to tighten their belts and streamline their streaming – but with multiple services battling it out for your attention, sometimes it’s hard to know where to splash your hard-earned cash.
What you need is a handy guide to which platforms are worth it – and which are worth skipping.
Apple TV+
Apple got into streaming comparatively late in the game in 2019, with some starry shows that looked expensive but didn’t create much buzz. Its Oscar win for CODA, however, suggests its growing pains may be over, making it one to watch if you fancy some quality, exclusive content starring big names.
There also seems to be plenty of that coming down the line, with shows like Antarctic drama The White Darkness; Leonardo DiCaprio’s haunting Killers of the Flower Moon and Sundance Award winner Cha Cha Real Smooth.
However, if you fancy a more international approach to your viewing platforms, then Netflix might be your best port of call: Apple TV+ has fewer non-English-language options to choose from than many of its counterparts.
Stand-outs: Ted Lasso - singlehandedly owning ‘prestige feelgood’ as a genre; Severance, a Black Mirror-esque drama that has everyone talking. Slow Horses, the funny and occasionally chilling adaptation of the first in Mick Herron’s best-selling Slough House series of spy novels, which has just launched to critical acclaim. Plus, of course, CODA: the Oscar-winning story about a deaf family and their hearing daughter.
Watch out for: The Essex Serpent, a sexy period drama starring Tom Hiddleston and Claire Danes, based on Sarah Perry’s bestselling novel, and, further down the line, an as-yet-untitled comedy drama series starring Noel Fielding as a well-coiffed Dick Turpin.
Sneaky deal: If you buy a Mac product, you get a three month free subscription to Apple TV+.
Price: £4.99 a month
Netflix
The OG of all streaming services – and arguably, still the biggest. Netflix launched as a disc rental service all the way back in 1997 but hit its stride as the Internet started to take off. Now, its platform offers perhaps the largest selection of TV and films of all the options on this list – alongside a hefty roster of Netflix Original content, making it a contender with some of Hollywood’s biggest studios.
It also got in on the awards game relatively early thanks to its keen eye for making quality content and most recently added to its trophy list as Jane Campion scooped the Oscar for Best Director for film The Power of the Dog.
However, in the years since its competitors have emerged, Netflix’s star has waned slightly. With the loss of solid fan favourite shows like Friends (which left for HBO Max in 2019); the Marvel films (which left for Disney+ in 2020) and The Office (which left for Amazon Prime in 2020), it no longer occupies the same stranglehold on the market it once did.
Stand-outs: Where to start? If dystopian horror is your thing, then try international sensation Squid Game; if you’d rather watch a crime drama, try Ozark; if you want steamy romance, try Bridgerton. If a TV series or film has gone viral in recent years, chances are it came from Netflix.
Watch out for: Stranger Things season four, which is premiering in May 2022; Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde, starring Ana de Armas; the hotly-anticipated Lady Chatterley’s Lover, starring Emma Corrin.
Price: Varies, according to what you want from your subscription. £6.99 a month to watch on one screen; £10.99 to watch on two and £15.99 to watch on four: pricey.
Prime Video
The only streaming package where you can also get next-day free delivery as part of the service. Launched in 2006 as Amazon Unbox, this behemoth offers viewers access to thousands of TV shows and films – considerably outstripping Netflix in terms of sheer volume.
If that wasn’t enough, it has also started producing its own award-winning exclusive content in recent years, pouring millions of dollars into creating a truly extraordinary roster of shows, and with more than 200m members, it also offers great value for money.
Stand-outs: The Game of Thrones-esque new fantasy show The Wheel of Time; the darkly violent superhero satire The Boys and the award-winning TV show The Marvellous Mrs Maisel, about a Jewish housewife who discovers a talent for stand-up comedy.
Watch out for: The criminally expensive upcoming Lord of the Rings prequel, which has reportedly cost at least $1bn to buy and produce; Ten Percent, the English-language adaption of the hit French show about a dysfunctional talent agency.
Sneaky deal: Not so sneaky, but Amazon offers a 30-day free trial of its Prime services, including Prime Video, for first time viewers.
Price: £5.99 a month; or get it with a wider Prime subscription for £7.99.
Disney+
The House of Mouse was a latecomer to the streaming game, but the sheer number of films it owns makes this a worthwhile subscription for any Disney, Pixar or Marvel fan.
Though it doesn’t go in for prestige content so much as family favourites (think Frozen II or Black Widow), Disney+ has a healthy selection of straight-to-streaming releases – such as the hit film Encanto – as well as blockbusters like the latest Marvel superhero epic.
However, the lack of original content might be off-putting to some: don’t come here if your thing is watching the latest releases, all the time.
Stand-outs: What, you mean the entire Disney and Marvel back catalogue isn’t enough? Pick your favourite: it’ll be on there.
Watch out for: Ms Marvel, the upcoming TV series featuring the first South Asian superhero woman, Kamala Khan; the Star Wars epic Obi-Wan Kenobi (featuring Ewan McGregor).
Sneaky deal: Until April 29th, Tesco Clubcard users can swap £8 worth of points for six months of Disney+ access.
Price: An eyebrow-raising £7.99 a month (up from £5.99 in February)
NOW
Sky’s streaming platform was launched in 2012 and offers access to a confusing array of different services and channels, depending on how much you want to pay.
The 30-day cancellation policy also makes NOW cheaper than a standard 12-month Sky membership. However, its rather mercenary approach on paying for access to different sections – Entertainment, Cinema, Sports and Hayu being the main ones – can prove off-putting, not to mention confusing.
Plus, you have to pay for NOW’s Boost membership to skip ads, something that isn’t a problem on other subscription services.
In terms of TV content, in addition to Sky’s TV channels, NOW struggles to keep up with its more established competitors. Though there are new shows coming out, most of them aren’t up to the standard of its heavy-hitter, Game of Thrones.
Stand-outs: Game of Thrones, the TV show that needs no introduction; the darkly hilarious social satire about a luxury resort, The White Lotus; Julian Fellowes’ new Downton-esque drama The Gilded Age.
Watch out for: Season two of Ridley Scott’s bizarre sci-fi show Raised By Wolves, which follows the story of aliens trying to raise human children on a far-flung planet; season 18 of long-running medical drama Grey’s Anatomy.
Price: It depends. If you pay for everything, that’s a whopping £60+ a month for full membership. If you just want access to the Entertainment channel, then its £14.99 a month after the free trial. For NOW, it’s worth doing your research to decide exactly what you want before committing to buying anything.
BritBox
The subscription service that nobody asked for had a rocky start when it launched in 2019. Trumpeting its unique USP – namely, the biggest collection of British box sets in one place, anywhere on the internet – the service has struggled to establish itself as a contender in a rather overcrowded market.
Marketed as a joint venture between the BBC and ITV, the BBC sold its stake in the venture after ITV announced their own ITVX streaming platform. However, it has versions of its services available in the US, Canada, South Africa and Australia.
Despite that, there’s plenty to enjoy on BritBox. Though it does have some original content, the main draw here is the binge-worthy collection of old classics that it boasts.
Stand-outs: Boxsets of all your favourites, of course: including Fawlty Towers, Pride and Prejudice, The Office and The Thick of It. What’s not to like?
Watch out for: Sanditon, the BritBox original adaption of Jane Austen’s unfinished last novel; The Magpie Murders, based on Anthony Horowitz’s best-selling (and fourth-wall breaking) murder mystery.
Price: £5.99 a month
MUBI
Global film streaming platform MUBI is the one to watch if you’re looking for some truly artsy cinema to enjoy. Created in 2007, the platform uploads a new film every single day and the result is an international smorgasbord. Billing themselves as film lovers above all else, MUBI isn’t bringing anything new to the table, but it makes it very easy to find the best of what’s out there - and discuss said films, should you wish, in their ‘Community’ section.
Stand-outs: Oscar-winning Japanese-language film Drive My Car is on here, as is the darkly funny Shiva Baby; if that’s not quite your thing, how about The Grand Budapest Hotel? It’s all on here.
Price: £9.99 a month (or, if you’re feeling adventurous, £14.99 will get you a hand-picked cinema ticket every week too)
BFI Player
Adding a touch of class to anybody’s evening, BFI Player is the British Film Institute’s answer to Netflix. With a truly staggering back catalogue comprising new cinema, classic cinema and archives of films dating back a hundred years, this is any film lover’s dream.
While you can rent the latest films, should you wish, BFI Player also has a subscription option, letting you watch as much exclusive and classic content as your heart desires.
Stand-outs: The moving, BAFTA-award winning After Love, starring Joanna Scanlan; Herself, a drama about an Irish woman building a life for herself and her daughters after fleeing an abusive relationship; erotic Korean drama (and adaption of Sarah Waters’ bestselling book The Fingersmith) The Handmaiden.
Price: £4.99 a month
Curzon Home Cinema
Though it’s best known as a cinema chain, that hasn’t stopped Curzon from getting in on the action as a streaming service too. The homepage features the most recent films, or films that have been arranged by theme (think Family Tree, or An Unlikely Pair) to make your viewing experience more of a browsing experience.
Though of course it doesn’t have the range of your top-tier streamer like Prime Video or Netflix, this will let you watch great cinema - though given that you have to pay for every film you watch, it is at the pricier end of the pay scale.
Stand-outs: Award-winning film Compartment No 6, which follows two passengers on a train to the Arctic Circle.
Watch out for: Timely post-war drama Hive, about a Kosovan mother trying to forge a life for her family; documentary Navalny, following the Russian dissident on his journey post-poisoning to his eventual return to Russia.
Price: It depends. Though you can pay to watch each film, you can also get a discount by buying a Curzon membership, which costs £65 a year and gets you five free films and 20 per cent off cinema tickets.
