Ready to Cut the Cord? Our Top Picks for Streaming Services

Ready to cut the cord.

Given the fact that so many of us are spending so much more time at home, we might be indulging in a little (or a lot) of watching TV and movies. You might even be wondering if cutting the cord might be an alternative to cable TV. Many people are making the leap and converting to watching their content on streaming services. They enable you to watch on-demand, at your own pace and control access with passwords. Here are some of our favourite streaming services you might want to check out for your household.

Netflix

Netflix is still the king of streaming services! In 2019, they spent 14.6 billion, yes billion, on content. While other streaming services might buy the rights to tried and true shows or broadcast shows from network TV, Netflix has pivoted its business model to produce their own original content. Which means lots of new options for you!

Price: $10.99 per month for the basic level

What You’ll Get:

  • 30 day free trial
  • Access to a library of over 3,000 titles
  • Options for Ultra High Definition in 4K
  • The ability to download content from the platform for offline viewing
  • Apps available for Smart TV’s, gaming consoles, and Amazon FireStick and Roku Stick

Interface Organization

  • The platform has options to view TV shows or movies
  • The popular content on the platform is up at the top so that it is easy to find
  • They have your traditional genres such as Drama, Comedy, Action, Thriller
  • They have categories such as “Critically-acclaimed,” “Emmy-award Winning,” “Sports & Fitness,” and “Binge Worthy TV Shows” to help you narrow down your search for the perfect content

Popular Content on Netflix: 

  • Emily in Paris
  • American Murder: The Family Next Door
  • Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
  • Schitt’s Creek
  • Ratched
  • This is Us
  • Enola Holmes
  • Modern Family
  • The Good Place
  • Selling Sunset

Upcoming Content on Netflix:

  • David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet (New and currently streaming)
  • Hubie Halloween (Oct. 7)
  • Moneyball (Oct. 14)
  • My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman, Season 3 (Oct. 21)
  • Sarah Cooper: Everything’s Fine (Oct. 27)

Here’s a full list of all releases on Netflix in October 2020.

Crave

Crave is nipping at the heels of Netflix in Canada. With this platform, you will be able to revisit some of your favorite TV shows from days past or watch the newest hit from HBO, Showtime, or Starz. Crave has not ventured into original content.

Price: $9.99 per month for the basic level

What You’ll Get:

  • 30 day free trial
  • 10,000+ hours of video
  • A mix of movies and TV shows
  • A list of video quality options 720p being the best quality available
  • The ability to conveniently add on access to Starz, HBO, and Showtime content

Interface Organization

  • The trending content is the first category you will see, so you can check out what’s popular
  • They also feature the most recently added content for you to peruse
  • They have a section that recommends content you might like
  • They even have an “On Air” section to see content at the same time it is being broadcast by the network

Popular Content on Crave

  • Lovecraft County
  • The Good Lord Bird
  • Raised by Wolves
  • Star Tek: Lower Decks
  • Big Little Lies
  • Seinfeld
  • The Big Bang Theory
  • Ramy
  • Curb Your Enthusiasm 
  • Letterkenny

New or Upcoming Content on Crave:

  • Jann, Season 2  (New and currently streaming)
  • The Call of the Wild (Oct. 9)
  • Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Oct. 9)
  • Star Trek: Discovery: Season 3 (Oct. 16)
  • Underwater (Oct. 31)

Here’s a full list of all releases on Crave in October 2020

Amazon Prime Video

Amazon Prime Video is a mixture of well-known and original content in the form of its Prime Originals. Amazon Prime Video is the most affordable option on this list but has an impressive array of hit movies and TV shows, and quite an impressive amount of kids and nature programming. 

Price: $7.99 per month for the basic level

What You’ll Get:

  • 30 day free trial
  • Video is included if you already have a Prime membership
  • The ability to add Nick+, SuperChannel, Starz, Hayu, and Acorn TV to the subscription.
  • Android Amazon Prime Video app supports 4K streaming for select movies and TV shows

Interface Organization

  • The Amazon Prime Video interface is not as user-friendly as Netflix or Crave
  • Have common categories such as TV, Movies, Kids
  • Also can be categorized by the network/channel
  • There are also rentals available on this platform

Highly Rated Content on Amazon Prime Video

  • Modern Love
  • Picnic at Hanging Rock
  • Good Omens
  • The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
  • The Boys
  • Transparent
  • Homecoming
  • Fearless
  • Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan
  • Alpha House

New or Upcoming Content on Amazon Prime Video

  • Mad Men: seasons 1 -7 (New and currently streaming)
  • Mr. Robot: season 4 (Oct. 6)
  • Chasing the Crown: Dreamers to Streamers (Oct. 9)
  • Time (Oct. 16)
  • Truth Seekers (Oct. 30)

Here’s a full list of all releases on Amazon Prime Video in October 2020.

Disney+

Bringing back all of the Disney favourites from your childhood, and adding so much more content that you will love now, even if you don’t have kids! You’ll get movies, TV shows produced by Disney, the Marvel and Pixar studio movies, the Star Wars franchise, and even National Geographic.

Price: $8.99 per month for the basic level

What You’ll Get:

  • 7 day free trial
  • Access to a mix of approximately 7,000 television episodes and 500 films
  • An option to buy a bundled package with ESPN+
  • You can also adjust video quality by selecting either High, medium, or standard

Interface Organization

  • The affiliate studios of Disney can easily be perused
  • These subsections host the content related to Disney, Pixar, Marvel, etc. and almost function like a separate platform
  • You will see less content upfront, the interface is clean and simple
  • Disney+ has a sidebar to navigate TV series, movies, and the Disney+ Originals category

Popular Content on Disney+

  • The Lion King
  • Hocus Pocus
  • Black Panther
  • Toy Story movies
  • The Greatest Showman
  • X-Men
  • National Treasure
  • Beauty and the Beast
  • The Little Mermaid
  • The Avenger movies

New or Upcoming Content on Disney+

  • Mulan (Live Action) (New and currently streaming)
  • The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Oct. 9)
  • Clouds (Released October 16)
  • Once Upon a Snowman (Oct. 23)
  • The Mandalorian, Season 2 (Oct. 30)

Here’s a a full list of all releases on Disney+ in October 2020.

Think you’re ready to cut the cord and get the most out of streaming services? MCSnet can help you out with a residential internet package that can suit the streaming habits of your household.