What are the most popular streaming services in 2023? Check out the list for the best video/movies and audio streaming platforms.
Streaming services have become the “new norm” when it comes to watching the media world. This genre has become so widespread in recent times that even the A-listed Hollywood celebrities try their hands at one or the other show, series, documentary, or movie.
With the margin of exclusivity being in the hand of streaming service providers alone, there is a clear indication of how to have these services become super dominant and powerful in their respective arenas.
They are the most popular streaming media platforms out there when it comes to providing entertainment. It includes movies, tv shows, originals, reality shows, games, sports, etc. People are genuinely attracted to these streaming services because of the variety of tastes they can get in one place. The featuring of your brand across these platforms is quite easy given that you have the power to leverage social media. Maybe more Instagram followers or create consistent content but make sure you have an audience to share and learn with. Here are the top 10 streaming services that you need to experience.
Top 12 Most Popular Streaming Services 2023
12. Discovery Plus
Discovery Plus is the on-demand streaming home for TLC, Food Network, HGTV, and Discovery shows.
Pros: A huge library of shows from 14 cable networks, including Food Network, HGTV, TLC, History, and Animal Planet
Cons: Certain newly aired shows won’t appear on Discovery Plus, no downloads for offline viewing, and no parental controls
Discovery Plus is one of the fastest-growing streaming services in the business, delivering a ton of popular shows for fans of reality TV, true crime, cooking, and competition series, like “Chopped,” “Dirty Jobs,” “Extreme Makeover,” and “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.” The service collects shows, documentaries, and movies from more than a dozen different cable channels, including Discovery, TLC, Animal Planet, Food Network, HGTV, ID, A&E, History, Lifetime, OWN, Travel, and more.
Discovery Plus boasts more than 55,000 individual episodes for on-demand streaming, and the service includes “channels” to let you watch a 24-hour stream of specific shows like “House Hunters” and “Chopped.”
Unfortunately, Discovery Plus is not as technologically advanced as some other streaming services. There are no parental controls to prevent kids from watching explicit content, and the app does not include downloads for offline viewing when traveling. Its library is also lacking when it comes to scripted series, so the service will really only appeal to fans of nonfiction programming.
11. Apple TV Plus
Apple TV Plus has a limited lineup, but its cheap price makes it a solid option for fans of its exclusive shows.
Pros: Affordable price, exclusive shows, movie rental, and purchase options, can add streaming channels, 4K HDR support
Cons: The lineup of movies and shows is small compared to other services, no back catalog of programs from a major studio or network
Apple TV Plus is one of the most affordable streaming services you can subscribe to. The platform costs just $5 a month for ad-free access to its entire lineup of on-demand movies and shows, and new Apple devices include a three-month trial.
While that’s an attractive price, the Apple TV Plus library is relatively small compared to competing platforms like Netflix, Disney Plus, and Hulu. Most notably, the service lacks a large back catalog of movies and shows from other networks and studios. That said, there are some standout exclusive series like “Ted Lasso,” “The Morning Show,” and films like “Macbeth.”
Like Prime Video, Apple TV Plus also lets you access a huge library of additional movies and shows that you can pay to rent or purchase. Though it would be great to have more programs included as part of your subscription, being able to order more titles within the Apple TV Plus app is convenient. You can also add extra channels to your subscription, like Showtime, for an extra fee.
If you’re someone who plans to use other Apple services, you should also consider the Apple One bundle. The base package includes Apple TV Plus, Apple Music, Apple Arcade, and 50GB of iCloud storage for $15 a month.
10. Spotify
Music has a different place in the hearts of everyone. After those hectic meetings and traffic honking just vanishes into the air when a song from our “favorite list” comes out and we start jamming. Spotify has a worldwide catalog recognition and their contracts feature specifically user entertainment content.
Spotify might not fit the criteria of mainstream media platforms before they started featuring podcasts and audiobooks, but after this breakthrough resolution made by the board, we can surely say that Spotify is on its way to becoming one of the major streaming areas when it comes to music and audios. The database this place has created for itself is just tremendous and as worthy as one can imagine. Spotify is a game-changer streaming platform for real.
9. YouTube Music
The way YouTube has emerged with its music streaming is just outstanding.
YouTube music is widely popular in over a population of 80 million people.
The world is not going to stop and so does YouTube. Their key strategy behind launching the platform was to showcase what artists from all corners around can do. Sure enough, they succeeded.
8. Hulu
Hulu is an American streaming service that offers us movies, tv shows, originals, and so on. There are 75 + channels including Disney+, Espn+, and many more. Hulu brings to the table unlimited sports, news, events, and a bunch of classic anime series. It is an alternative to your cable.
7. Amazon Prime Videos
Amazon Prime Video contains a ton of superhit movies, tv shows, and Amazon Originals. It collaborates with so many famous channels like ho!Cho!, Discovery+, Erosnow, Hayu, Sportstv, and many more. The best thing about Prime video is that its subscribers get a free Kindle book per month and unlimited access to Amazon Music as well. Prime gives you a 30-day free trial that’s a very good way to vent your taste and see if it matches your taste or not.
6. Peacock
With free and premium streaming options, Peacock is a convenient source for hit TV shows and movie nostalgia.
Pros: Free to watch many shows and movies, live news, and sporting events
Cons: The premium plan doesn’t offer many exclusives, the movie library lacks newer releases, no 4K or HDR support
Peacock is the free-to-watch streaming home for NBCUniversal shows like “30 Rock,” “Cheers,” and “The Office,” as well as some new original titles. The service also offers a rotating slate of hit movies. Though few of the choices are less than 10-years old, Peacock has dozens of memorable films.
Peacock’s base plan is free but it offers a limited library and it’s ad-supported. If you want access to all of the platform’s content you can pay $5 a month, but this plan still features commercials. To unlock everything with ad-free access, you need to pay $10 a month for the Peacock Premium Plus plan.
Starting in 2022, the service will stream brand-new Universal movies within four months of their theatrical releases. Select movies also debuted on Peacock at the same time they premiered in theaters, like “The Boss Baby: Family Business” and “Halloween Kills.”
Peacock has some live news and sports broadcasts as well. In 2021, the service became the exclusive streaming home of WWE Network, and it streamed highlights from the 2021 Olympics.
Peacock doesn’t stream in 4K resolution, though given the platform’s emphasis on television and older films, the 1080p limit isn’t a huge drawback.
5. Amazon AudioBooks
Audible is like that Fairy Godmother for Cinderella who loves listening to books and gaining knowledge but in an unconventional human.
It is brimming with audiobooks from various genres for all kinds of age groups. You have access to over a million books for around $7 a month. Besides, you can listen to the books when you feel like this is the right time.
You can adjust the speed, the translation methods, and whatnot.
4. Twitch
Twitch is an American live-streaming gaming service that has been such a positive influence among Gen Z lately. You know those fans of YouTube around 10 years ago who ruthlessly and aimlessly created content and put it out there are earning more than the average pay rates of most of us.
The wildfire of Twitch is somehow similar to that.
In this platform, subscribers are allowed to see the players and their monitors through screen sharing. The streamers engage with their comments or they can stream various games, lives, and other sessions to start gaining a strong audience who actually cares about what you create.
3. Disney plus
Starting from a subscription of as little as around $6 a month, Disney plus offers all the high-end luxury feels of watching the animation live or from a theatre in the comfort of your home.
You know their high key resolutions that have changed the watch quality of a normal princess anime story to become so influenced by her that your daughter wants to be treated like one.
Disney Plus has its own unique amalgamation of childlike feels and great picture quality.
2. HBO Max
Let’s be honest this platform has some serious fanbase.
From watching all those science documentaries to getting addicted to shows like Friends, GOT and other such beautiful memories that live in our minds rent-free.
HBO MAX is probably the only platform that knows how the world of digital media works, how there’s no “constant” and only growth is the parameter you can judge the success of your platform upon.
The up-gradation of HBO from the former to now “HBO MAX”, has not only helped it to lay down a strong and firm foundation but also has increased its popularity in GenZ by like a thousand times.
1. Netflix
As we all are well aware that Netflix has always come up with the best streaming shows in the world of entertainment. Be it a tv series, movies, or originals Netflix gives us the best version of engaging HDR content. Despite its high prices, Netflix has snatched the 1st position among so many other platforms. The uniqueness of recasting the classic stories into tv shows is the best thing I found on Netflix. Anne with an E, Baby sitter’s club, and Bridgeton are some popular titles.
Conclusion
Having subscriptions to some streaming platforms is a trend and a wonderful way to experience entertainment as well as consume valuable content. But at the same time, this practice could be addictive and burn your pocket. So don’t subscribe to any random apps and pick platforms according to your flavor. Choose wisely and carefully to save your time and money.
