So many streaming services, but which to choose? - Business News - Castanet.net

Photo: The Canadian Press

Choosing how to spend your time in front of the television has never been so difficult, and the decision isn't about to get any easier.

On Friday, Apple TV Plus becomes the latest player to dive into the already crowded selection of streaming services, offering up a buffet of original programming it hopes will spark buzz and attract eyeballs away from major competitors Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Crave in Canada.

Disney Plus throws its hat into the game on Nov. 12 with an extensive menu of family-friendly entertainment.

It's enough to make a couch potato cry tears of joy over the endless amount of "must-see" programming at their fingertips, and provoke feelings of anxiety in casual viewers left wondering how many streaming services they really need.

"There's a danger that Hollywood is simply making too much television. It is a lot for people to handle," says Joe Adalian, West Coast editor for U.S. culture news outlet Vulture.

"The problem is that people don't have time to catch up with all of this stuff."

The streaming wars offer several advantages for the average Canadian household, but industry watchers say not everything is perfect.

Viewers willing to strategize could potentially coast along on free-trial memberships for a good part of the next year, suggests Convergence Research president Brahm Eiley. With so many different streaming TV platforms jockeying for attention, he says several of them will likely juice up their introductory offers. Eiley recommends dipping into the services you're curious about and ducking out before you start to pay for ones you don't like. "There's no penalty at the end of the day, there's no contract," he says. "It's very easy."

Having the freedom to watch TV whenever and wherever you want is nice, but the risk of getting lost in the overwhelming number of hyped shows and movies is becoming a real challenge for many. Sometimes that can mean paying for subscriptions you don't actually use — or forgot you had. "Cable was a lot simpler, you just paid for it, you knew your bill, but you often got hosed," says Adalian of Vulture. 

from Entertainment - Latest - Google News https://ift.tt/2WrXUvx
via IFTTT
October 30, 2019 at 08:33PM