Here Is a Video Streaming Service – the Best Bargain for Your Money in 2019
Reelgood , the site that tells you which shows and movies are streaming on which streaming services, has released a new annual report on which one pays off best: Hulu, Netflix, or Prime Video. And this year Netflix is losing ground.
If you want the service with the most movies and TV shows, choose Prime Video. But you probably want the most good films and serials. Reelgood measures the number of good films in the top 3 streamers, plus HBO and Showtime, based on user popularity and IMDb ratings. The site publishes their analysis tomorrow, but they shared some of their findings with Lifehacker ahead of time.
Every Streaming Directory is Better in 2019
The good news is that Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, and HBO have more “quality” and “high quality” movies and TV shows than last year. (The only exception is Showtime’s “high quality films” catalog.)
Netflix and Prime Video have raised their prices a bit over the past year, and now all five of those services cost from $ 9 (Prime Video) to $ 15 (HBO NOW) a month. Big percentage difference, but they are all about the same in the total monthly budget.
It might seem like Netflix is constantly replacing classic movies with lousy originals, but the data shows that overall, there are more highly regarded movies and shows than there were before. You just need to browse these originals and category “B” films.
But.
Hulu is the king of television
Hulu has retained or expanded its edge over Netflix, and Prime Video is catching up too. Netflix has a few more TV shows, but Hulu has more good shows and a little more great shows. Since Hulu without ads is now a dollar less than Netflix, Hulu is even more money for TV.
Prime Video has the most TV shows, significantly more than last year. But less than a quarter of them have an IMDb rating of 6.5 or higher. (In contrast, nearly half of Hulu’s shows are rated 6.5 or higher.) Prime has a lot less good / great shows than Netflix or Hulu, but still much more than HBO or Showtime.
Prime Video – King of Movies
Last year, Netflix and Prime had roughly the same number of good and great films. Prime has doubled its catalog of good films this year. If you want the crapiest movies, Prime is definitely your best bet.
That’s without considering that Prime is cheaper than Netflix, Hulu, HBO, or Showtime. That’s before you consider other Prime benefits like faster free shipping for Amazon products. That’s down to all the different shopping perks like Prime Rewards Visa, Whole Foods discount, random free e-books, Prime Music library.
This is also, before you factor in Amazon’s reign of terror over its employees , publishers, bookstores, and the land . But that is beyond the scope of this article.
Fuck all four
By “all four,” we mean Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, and HBO. Or, if money is tight and you don’t feel morally controversial about simple piracy, get one of these services and exchange passwords with three friends.
Because while one service has more to offer than the other, each has some original shows and films that you really want to watch. Netflix owns Bojack Horseman, GLOW, and Beasts of No Nation . Hulu has Pen15 and Shrill and The Handmaid’s Tale . Prime has Fleabag, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Transparent .
HBO has fewer good movies or shows than any of the three streaming services, but it charges more than them. Because Netflix can’t give you Game of Thrones, Chernobyl, Big Little Lies, Euphoria, Westworld, Silicon Valley, Veep, Succession, Barry, GIRLS . (Prime can give you GIRLS and many other HBO shows that ended years ago, but good luck finding someone to talk to about this in the morning.)
This proves that it’s not just about how many good or even great shows there are. It’s about your favorite shows and the ones that all your friends are talking about. This is how they understand you.
Anytime you can use Reelgood to find all the shows and movies available on Netflix , Prime Video , Hulu , HBO , Showtime, and 55 other streaming services. Or check out what is free to watch elsewhere – including currently Memento , The Terminator, and several recent Brooklyn Nine-Nine episodes. Because there is more to it than Netflix.