Right now, there are "more than 300 streaming video services to choose from" in the United States, according to a digital media trends survey published earlier this year. The survey pulls its estimate from another report, which I'm unable to find, but my own list totals around ~110 services. (I've included that list at the bottom of this post.)
The market has bloated with services, but, while the media goes on about "streaming wars," the discussion has focused on just a fraction of the available streaming companies. Even critics, when interviewed about their viewing habits, confessed to primarily watching only a handful of platforms: Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, HBO GO, Disney+, and Apple TV+. (They also, overwhelmingly, liked the Criterion Channel.) Ten or so services isn't really a war. It's more like a healthy competition.
So, what about these other ~290+ services? Are any of them good?
If we're going to have so much content, we might as well explore it. Here are eight other streaming options. Do you use any of these niche services? Let me know how you like them.
Dedicated exclusively to "martial arts and Asian action" movies, Hi-YAH! comes in at a sweet low price of $2.99/month. The service promises "hundreds of hours of programming, refreshed monthly," and can be viewed as a channel through Prime Video.
This one's for the DC Universe nerds, which is decidedly not me. But it features DC's back catalog alongside original programming, like a news program called DC Daily and series offerings like Titans and Doom Patrol. It's $74.99 annually or $7.99 monthly.
This is what you get your Broadway-obsessed 14-year-old kid for Christmas. At $8.99/month (or $99.99/year), Broadway HD gives viewers over 300 full-length on-demand productions, including Cats, Kinky Boots, and way too many versions of Nunsense.
Britbox claims to be "the biggest streaming collection of British TV...ever." It's $6.99/month or $69.99/year and includes Dr. Who, Fawlty Towers, and other stuffy stuff I've never heard of. If you like British TV, there's also Acorn TV.
Going from England to India... Launched in 2012, Eros Now is a global streaming platform that specializes in South Asian entertainment and media, with a large amount of Bollywood thrown in the mix. Since 2018, the platform has been rolling out original content. It's pretty cheap. They're offering a $4.99/month plan, as well as bi-annual and annual plans.
All the anime nerds will talk your ear off about Crunchyroll, the "world's largest anime collection," which comes in at $7.99/month. But I think the better deal is to go with VRV, an over-the-top streaming service that currently includes eight premium anime/animation channels (including Crunchyroll) for only $9.99/month. It has a great month-long trial period, which I'm currently testing out.
A service devoted to Black and "urban" audiences, Urban Movie Channel comes in at $4.99/month or $49.99/year. New content is added weekly, focusing on everything from comedy specials to stage plays.
There are other horror focused streaming services, but Shudder is the one I hear about the most. It promises an "endless" selection—which I hate. (Your average Blockbuster had a bigger catalog than most of these streaming services.) Shudder has flexible membership and a good amount of original content. Let me know if you like it.
And here's my Big List of Streaming Services in the United States. Currently, I have 110 services on here. Email me if you discover missing or new ones. It's very much a work-in-progress, and I'm only focusing on services available in the U.S., for now.
Streaming Services
Acorn TV
Amazon Prime Video
AMC Premiere
Apple iTunes
Apple TV+
BigStar Movies
Blaze TV
Boomerang
Britbox
BroadwayHD
CBS All Access
Crackle
Criterion Channel
Crunchyroll
Curiosity Stream
CW Seed
DC Universe
Disney+
Dove Channel
Epix
Eros TV
Fandango Now
Fandor
Funimation Now
FX+
Gaia
Google Play
Guide Doc
Hallmark Movies Now
Hayu
HBO Max
HBO Now
Hi-YAH!
HIDIVE
History Vault
Hoopla
Hopster TV
Hulu
IMDb TV
IndieFlix
Jive Turkey
Kanopy
KocowaTV
Laugh Out Loud
Lifetime Movie Club
Magnolia Selects
MaxGO
Mondo
Mubi
Netflix
Nicksplat
PantaFlix
Popcornflix
Pure Flix
Qello
Quibi
Rakutan Viki
Realeyz
Redbox
Revry
Roku Channel
Rooster Hits
Screambox
Short of the Week
Shout Factory TV
Showtime
Shudder
Starz
Sundance Now
Tubi TV
Twitch
UP Faith and Family
Urban Movie Channel
Vimeo
Volta
VRV
Vudu
Yahoo ViewLive TV Streaming Services
AT&T Watch TV
Bleacher Report Live
DAZN
DirecTV Now
ESPN+
F1 TV
Fox Soccer Match Pass
fuboTV
Ginx
Hulu with Live TV
KlowdTV
LG Channel Plus
MLB.TV
NBA League Pass
NBC News Now
NBC Sports Gold
NFL Game Pass
NHL.TV
Philo
Playstation Vue
Pluto.tv
PokerGo
Slice
Sling TV
Spectrum TV Essentials
UFC Fight Pass
WillowTV
WWE Network
Xfinity Instant TV
Xumo
YouTube TV
