You don’t need to go to your local video store any longer to rent a DVD. In truth, traditional television viewership is eroding as streaming keeps a firm grip on the home entertainment sector. We can now view a variety of episodes and movies on demand for a fair price thanks to a robust broadband connection and many streaming services.
Here are the top streaming options available now in the UK and Ireland.
Netflix
Netflix is a U.S. production company and streaming service with its corporate headquarters in Los Gatos, California. On August 29, 1997, Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph established Netflix in Scotts Valley. In addition to its published works, Netflix Originals include The Queen’s Gambit, The Guilty, Kingdom, Ozark, Money Heist, and Narcos. It offers a library of movies and TV shows through distribution agreements like Squid Game, The Crown, Peaky Blinders, Stranger Things, and Bridgerton. One of the most well-known streaming services is Netflix, which has more than 220 million users worldwide, including over 17 million in the UK and over 600,000 in Ireland. However, as more and more new streamers enter the market, there is severe competition for Netflix-like services.
Amazon Prime
Amazon’s version of online streaming services, Prime Video, is one of the numerous services that come with a Prime membership, along with free delivery on a variety of items and other perks. The single monthly subscription delivers 4K streams, but the feature is only available for Amazon Originals. It’s a terrific streaming service in terms of both content and affordability. The only drawback to this service is its incredibly crowded user interface. The popular television shows How I Met Your Mother and Downton Abbey may be found on the platform, along with their own distinctive Amazon Originals. The Boys, Fleabag, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel are just a few examples.
NOW
The over-the-top streaming service NOW, formerly known as NOW TV, is run by Sky. It offers all the entertainment options you might want, including movies, family-friendly content, sports, and reality TV. The service was introduced in the UK in 2012, and its library includes popular Showtime and HBO productions. During the Game of Thrones mania, when it was the only location for non-sky subscribers to watch the show live, the platform obtained previously unheard-of levels of popularity (the platform even crashed on the day of the season finale). Aside from that, the UK streaming service is the home of incredible programs like the binge-worthy docu-drama Chernobyl and the sci-fi horror series Dark.
Hayu
The most popular reality TV shows are shown on Hayu, a streaming platform. Keeping Up With The Kardashians, The Real Housewives of Orange County, and Made in Chelsea are just a few of the 250 reality TV shows that make up Hayu’s impressive library of more than 6,500 episodes. This makes it possible to access fresh ones on the same day as in the US. The service offers a 30-day trial period and costs £4.99 when purchased directly from Hayu’s website. However, if you want to add Hayu to NowTV or Amazon Prime Video, you can save £1 each month.
Disney+
Disney, a renowned business with a well-known brand among both adults and kids, introduced its streaming service, Disney+, in the US and Canada in late 2019 and in Ireland in March 2020. The service has grown steadily, with 10 million individuals signing up on the first day of its introduction in North America alone, but may suffer from the idea that it is primarily intended for kids. Disney+ offers personalized suggestions, multiple downloads, and support for up to four devices at once. Additionally, you can create up to seven distinct profiles and set up Kids Profiles to protect your young children from any mildly risqué material.
Apple TV+
When Apple’s eagerly awaited new streaming service, Apple TV+, premiered in November 2019, it did so with a lot of pomp and a slew of Hollywood powerhouses ushering in the platform. A lot of additional people have joined since then. Apple is offering the service as a free trial for seven days; thereafter, a monthly price of €4.99 will be charged. But everybody who buys a new iPhone, Mac, or iPad gets three months of access free. Although the service currently has a very tiny catalog when compared to more well-known streaming service providers, it does offer intriguing titles.
You must first fix your connection if you want to take advantage of everything that these streaming services have to offer. A reliable broadband connection and enough broadband speeds are necessary for uninterrupted, on-demand viewing.
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Munia Jamal is a freelance content writer and translator with 5 years of experience, working with different clients and agencies. She believes that content is nothing but showing your creativity through words. She can be contacted at muniaj99@gmail.com.