It is safe to say that the pandemic has left many of us in need of more stimulation. This is where streaming services play a large part for a lot of people. But with so many different services out there, which of them are actually worth the money? Five of the most popular streaming services will be selected and scored out of 10 based on genre variety, kid-friendliness, pricing, commercials/ads, and content mix. The top five streaming services, according to Business Insider, are Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus and HBO Max.
Starting with Netflix, they received a 10/10 overall. Their genre variety is unmatched as they have a great ratio of movies-television shows. There’s plenty of content for the kids as well such as “PJ Masks” and “Cocomelon”. And with no ads on top of that, for only $9 a month, that’s a steal in the current climate.
Coming in right behind Netflix is Disney Plus with a 9/10 overall score. Disney Plus is also ad-free and $2 cheaper at $7 a month. They have a great content mix but fall short in genre variety in comparison to Netflix as a large amount of Disney’s content is geared towards children.
HBO Max is next with a score of 8/10. They have great genre variety and a pretty good content mix; they even include short films, which are not as prominent on other streaming services. HBO is priced at $15 a month and is also an ad-free service. However, they lack a variety of new and popular kids’ content and their pricing is a little higher than other ad-free streaming services.
Hulu and Amazon Prime Video are tied at 7/10. Both services are lacking a little in the genre variety category. There aren’t as many options as other streaming services have. However, both have a good balance of movies and television. Amazon Prime has a contract with the company A24, an independent movie distributor of films like “Moonlight”. Amazon Prime Video is more equipped with children-friendly content than Hulu, but Hulu is cheaper at $6 a month compared to Amazon’s $13. As far as ads go, Amazon Prime Video has a mix of an ad and ad-free content in their service. The basic Hulu plan has ads, but you do have the option to upgrade to the ad-free premium plan for $12.
In conclusion, Netflix is your best bet at beating quarantine boredom as it offers the most variety and desirable features for the price. Netflix is the most equipped to handle the televisual needs and wants of every member of the family!
Thank you for the information. It was informative and helpful!