I’m with you in that I object to the Balkanization (I even use that term) of streaming TV. If I had my way I’d avoid subscribing to any of them jus ton principle, but I’m also a miser and a luddite so take that for what it’s worth. FTR I subscribe to:
Netflix: Originally did the DVD service, got the streaming service to watch Stranger Things when it first came out. My wife finds stuff to watch on it so we keep it.
Disney+: I like having access to The Simpsons and my kids like the Star Wars / Marvel stuff. I personally don’t watch it enough to justify a continued subscription but my family has vetoed my desire to cancel it.
Tubi: Free w/ ads, I never watcha anything on it but I still have a subscription. I got it to watch Dr. Sleep and that’s basically it.
Peacock:
I discovered The Office after months ago and absolutely fell in love with it. I binged the first 5 seasons (which were all that were available at the free level) and then balked at forking over the $5.99/month just to watch the final seasons. I signed out of my account and left it at that. After a few days I got an email from them saying basically “We’re so sad to see you go! How 'bout we give you a good deal if you come back?” and offered me a year’s subscription to the commercial premium tier for $19.99/year. I took them up on the offer and am now working my way through the rest of The Office.
The most recent SNL episode available is from May 21, 2022. If you are curious about anything specific just ask and I’ll look it up.
im thinking at some point they’ll merge Disney plus and Hulu once the old people get over the fact that Disney has been a multi-studio company since the 80s and isn’t squeaky clean like a certain segment of the elderly population thinks it is and when it ends up just being Disney owned stuff
We have Netflix and Amazon Prime. In the evenings I’ll usually watch a few episodes of whatever I’m currently bingeing on Netflix (currently “Suits”) while my wife watches something on Amazon or Youtube (or occasionally streaming something from the pubic liberry) and then she’ll watch Netflix while I play a video game. Amazon definitely has table scraps when it comes to TV shows and movies, but I love some of their original series (“The Boys” and “Invincible” come to mind).
I’m impressed with the folks who have the patience to slog through YouTube to find the worthwhile content! These days I only use YouTube for walking tour videos, which are my preferred distraction while using my treadmill.
Probably sound advice…however, I keep going back and forth between this and “but I want to watch it noooowwww!”
I love that show! I was on vacation when S3 was released: I learned about it being available while chatting with a fellow B&B guest during breakfast one morning.
I use the search function. Once you find a video on a topic, YouTube suggests bunches of others.
Yesterday I got curious about the Dabbawalla lunch delivery guys in Mumbai and I immediately found about seven videos on the subject. I’ve become interested in a psychology writer named Donald Kalsched. A search turned up a dozen or so lectures of his. Watched several videos that clarified the chronology of the Battle of Waterloo. Where does the slogging come in?
We did an audit of Hulu, and with the loss of NBC shows, we determined that there’s very little left of interest to us there. With the $2 price increase, Hulu is definitely on the chopping block. Screw you, Hulu. Will probably re-up for a month after the complete Rudd season of Only Murders is available, and binge it.
Peacock has an offer of $1.99/mo for a year. Unfortunately it’s the ad version. No-ads jumps to $9.99/mo, no deals offered. Still, the ad-supported deal seems like a no-brainer. Peacock also offers Universal movies 45 days after they show up in theaters, so that sweetens the deal. Still, ads, ugh. I guess we’ll just wait for a commercial break to go to the bathroom instead of hitting pause, just like ye olden days.
Will probably get HBO Max for a month or two to watch a few things then cancel again.
Still looking at AMC+: with AMC, BBC America, IFC, Sundance TV, and Shudder, seems like a decent deal.
I can’t tolerate ads anymore, even though using ad-supported streaming has fewer ads than conventional TV used to. I get the ad-supported Hulu free with my spotify account and I can barely tolerate watching it on my tablet where I get ads - I’ll only watch it on my PC sometimes since I can effectively block the ads. I understand why people save a few bucks using the ad supported versions of these services but I don’t know, your time is worth the extra $5 a month or whatever.
I hear you. When we first signed up for Hulu we tried the ad version and it got old fast. We very soon upgraded to ad-free.
But with the Balkanization and price increases of the streaming services, it seems like it will be a necessary evil to keep prices down in the future. I watch an occasional thing on free streaming channels like tubi and freevee, and as you say, it’s not as bad (yet) as on-air TV. There’s typically a little counter that lets you know how long the bank of ads will last, which is convenient. I guess we’ll just have to take a break, or turn the sound down and do something on the tablet in the meantime.
