The Best Alternatives to Cable: Video Streaming Services
Streaming services started as an add-on to DVD and digital download offerings with a trickle of second-run movies and TV shows.
They were supplements to the programs you watched on their first (and second) runs on cable TV.
But speedier internet connections and an abundance of media streaming devices have accelerated the decline of traditional cable.
More and more viewers are cutting the cord entirely in favor of dedicated streaming alternatives.
Entertainment and tech giants are not blind to the threat, however, and the media landscape is rapidly changing.
Consolidation and curation (that is, owning the most media properties and serving the best content) seem to be the overarching goals of the players involved.
As long as you are staying home to stop the spread of COVID-19, take a look at our recurring feature on what to watch this weekend.
Does your home's Wi-Fi coverage not extend to your backyard oasis? We also have story on how to download videos from every video streaming service for offline playback.
Even though you may not be able to be in the same physical place as your friends and family, you can still watch the same shows together.
HBO supports Scener, a remote co-watching tool, and you can use the Netflix Party Chrome extension to sync that service's video playback across devices.
Hulu ad-free subscribers, Amazon Prime Video members, and Plex users also get co-watching features.
Disney+ is the latest service to add co-watching capabilities.
New Channels and Consolidation
The competition between video streaming services has never been tougher, so some media companies are banding together.
For instance, CBS and Viacom merged (again) and Paramount+ will soon take over for CBS All Access.
Viacom brings the free, ad-supported Pluto TV service, Paramount Pictures, and Viacom Media Network (Comedy Central, BET, MTV, and Nickelodeon) to the deal.
Ownership of The CW will be split between ViacomCBS and AT&T.
Fandango also acquired Vudu from Walmart, too.
The Best Video Streaming Deals This Week*
*Deals are selected by our partner, TechBargains
The increasing competitive streaming market is not without consequences.
On one hand, consumers who may have originally been attracted to the flexibility that streaming services offer over cable, now must pay more to get everything they want.
Existing streaming services are also struggling to adjust to rising costs of broadcast rights.
For instance, the price of Hulu's Live TV plan has increased considerably.
YouTube TV and fuboTV have increased their prices too.
The Catalog Is Everything
As mentioned, a video streaming service's success largely depends on what its library offers.
That's why so many services are investing heavily in developing high-quality original content.
Consider, for example, Netflix's Stranger Things, Amazon's The Marvelous Mrs.
Maisel, and Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale, all of which are Emmy-winning shows.
Although these services compete more on their original offerings than their resold broadcast content and post-theater-run movies, several platforms have also saved popular shows from the grave.
Without these hooks, standalone video streaming services would likely be unable to compete with existing entertainment behemoths.
Apart from on-demand video streaming services, complete cable-replacement services with live broadcasts are becoming increasingly viable and attractive options.
Some of the best live TV services, for example, such as fuboTV, Hulu, and YouTube TV, offer robust channel collections with excellent DVR functionality.
Can I Stream Sports Online?
Sports fans may worry that they won't be able to watch live sports when they ditch cable.
However, that's simply not the case.
Many of the video streaming options we reviewed are also among the best sports streaming services.
Regardless of whether you want to watch regional, national, or international sports coverage, there is a service that meets your needs.
Although blackouts and cancellations may still apply, these streaming options offer distinct advantages over cable, including full-featured apps on many platforms and simultaneous streaming capabilities.
Football and basketball fans should also check out our roundup of the best NFL streaming services and the best NBA streaming services.
Not sure where to begin? Our story on how to watch every sport without cable explains what channels you need to watch all of your favorite sports and teams.
We even pick the best service for streaming each sport.
Other Video Streaming Options
Smaller and sometimes cheaper options also exist with a more specific focus.
For example, Crunchyroll, DC Universe, Funimation, RetroCrush, and VRV primarily are among the available anime streaming services.
Check out our roundup of the best free video streaming services, if you want to reduce the amount you spend on streaming subscriptions each month.
Explore our article about the best video streaming services for celebrating Black art, too.
Cinephiles should read our coverage of the best movie streaming services, to date.
Although it is not what typically comes to mind, Vimeo also offers a small selection of indie films and video projects via its On Demand section.
If you want to watch people play games, Twitch is your best bet.
Plex is yet another option for streaming your local media content, over-the-air cable (provided you have the right hardware), and an on-demand library that now includes all of Crackle's library.
Open-source software Kodi offers similar media-management functionality.
You should use a virtual private network (VPN) for all your internet-related tasks, but VPNs are particularly useful for streaming services since they can sometimes grant access to region-locked content.
For example, if you connect to a VPN server in the UK from a device in the US, you may be able to watch free content from BBC TV.
That said, streaming services are cracking down on VPN usage, so we recommend signing up for a trial to test your network setup before fully committing to a service.
Make sure to check out our guide on how to unblock Netflix with a VPN as a starting point.
If you want to cut the cord, here's our rundown of what you can expect from the most popular services.
You shouldn't fall into the trap of paying more for video streaming services than you did for cable, so make sure to only sign up for those that offer the content you actually want to watch.
If we missed your favorite option, make sure to let us know in the comments.
Best Video Streaming Services Featured in This Roundup:
Netflix
$8.99 per month
Netflix is the standard-bearer of streaming.
It hosts an impressive selection of content at all times, with new titles exchanged for older ones monthly.
And then there's Netflix constantly growing library of premier original programming, which still outclasses every other streaming service.
Netflix's impressive catalog includes shows such as Altered Carbon, Black Mirror, Bojack Horseman, Dead to Me, Mindhunters, Orange is the New Black, Russian Doll, Stranger Things, The Crown, The OA, The Umbrella Academy, The Witcher, and Unbelievable.
Unfortunately, Netflix has lost top titles such as Friends (to HBO Max) and The Office (thanks to NBC's Peacock).
Apart from its original movies, such as El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie and The Irishman, Netflix also currently offers the most high-quality movies of any streaming service, eclipsing competitors such as Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and HBO.
One of the problems with Netflix's seeming endless lineup of content is that you might not know what you should watch next.
Once Netflix's Shuffle Play feature launches later this year, that will hopefully be a problem of the past.
Netflix recently raised the price of each its two higher-end subscription plans.
For $8.99 per month, you can stream unlimited standard-definition content on a single device.
The Standard tier, which now costs $13.99 per month (up from $12.99), unlocks HD content and supports streaming on two devices simultaneously.
The top-of-the-line Premium plan costs $17.99 per month (up from $15.99).
This tier gives you four concurrent streams and access to 4K content where available.
Notably, Netflix no longer offers a free trial option.
You can download Netflix on a variety of devices, from your PC and tablet to the Chromecast and game consoles.
And yes, you can finally disable the obnoxious auto-playing previews.
Other new Netflix features include Screen Lock on Android devices, which prevents unintentional screen taps, and more parental control settings, which allow you to better restrict content and profiles.
Alongside Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, and Disney+, Netflix is one of the few streaming services that supports both offline downloads and 4K and HDR streaming (now on Macs, too).
And yes, Netflix's DVD mailing service still exists if you want newer releases, though streaming is clearly its primary business.
Hulu
$5.99 per month; $64.99 for Hulu + Live TV
Hulu impresses as one of the best all-in-one options for cord cutters, given its diverse set of streaming options.
In addition to a strong library of classic shows, and a good selection of movies, Hulu offers a robust live TV option (more than 70 channels of news, sports, and entertainment programming).
Still, Hulu trails some top competitors, given its lackluster original content and limited selection of 4K content.
Hulu recently announced that it would be adding 14 Viacom channels to its lineup, including BET, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network, but those channels are not yet live on the service.
Hulu's basic on-demand streaming plan only costs $5.99 per month, but the ad-free version will run you $11.99 per month.
College students can now get Hulu's ad-supported version for $1.99 per month.
The Hulu + Live TV plan costs $64.99 per month and combines Hulu's live TV service with the ad-supported streaming plan.
You can add Enhanced Cloud DVR (increases the available DVR storage to 200 hours from 50) or the Unlimited Screens package (allows an unlimited number of concurrent device streams in your home and up to three outside of it) to your plan for $14.99 per month each or $19.99 for both.
If you want even more options, you can add HBO or Showtime for $14.99 and $8.99 per month, respectively.
Hulu supports an impressive range of gadgets and you stream on up two devices simultaneously.
Note, however, that you can now stream Live TV on the PlayStation 4 with Hulu (though not on PlayStation 3).
Hulu's support for 4K content is limited; only some of its originals can be streamed at that resolution and only on the Apple TV (5th gen or later) and Chromecast Ultra.
Hulu's latest redesign brings the service into the modern age.
Interfaces are now consistent across platforms and feature elegant navigation menus and a media-first aesthetic.
None of the apps we tried suffered from performance issues.
Recently, Hulu added the ability for premium subscribers to download content for offline viewing.
Although it launched on iOS, this feature is now also rolling out to Android users.
Eligible subscribers can download up to 25 titles across five devices; downloads are available for up to 30 days or two days after you begin playback.
Not all Hulu shows support this feature, but Hulu's originals are among those that do.
Note that Disney controls Hulu, so we can't predict Hulu's long-term future, especially with the successful Disney+ launch.
Maybe Disney will eventually absorb Hulu's on-demand library and maintain the existing cable-replacement service.
Or things could stay as they are.
Peacock
Free; $4.99 per month
NBC's Peacock offers three tiers: an ad-supported free plan with about 13,000 hours of content, a Premium tier with 20,000 hours, some live sports, and clips-based channels; and a Premium Plus option with all of the content in the Premium tier, but with no ads when you stream on-demand titles.
Although you can't stream some of NBC's biggest hits on-demand (Friends, Seinfeld, and The Office), you can watch other popular past and current entries from NBC such as 30 Rock, Cheers, Friday Night Lights, King of Queens, Parks and Recreation, Saturday Night Live, Will and Grace, Chicago Fire, Law & Order: SVU, Superstore, and This is Us.
Other non-NBC shows include Battlestar Galactica, Downton Abbey, Eureka, House, Monk, Psych, Ray Donovan, Real Husbands of Hollywood, The Affair, Undercover Boss, and Warehouse 13.
Peacock doesn't yet have many original shows, but The Office is now on Peacock, too.
Peacock's movie library has shrunk since launch and some titles have moved from the free level to the paid Premium tier, but it still includes popular titles such as Burn After Reading, Children of Men, E.T.
The Extra Terrestrial, Field of Dreams, Frost/Nixon, Inside Man, Law Abiding Citizen, Mamma Mia!, Pride & Prejudice (2005), Schindler's List, Traffic, and Zombieland.
Peacock is slowing expanding its live sports...
