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When it comes to home entertainment, many Americans face one resounding choice: cable or streaming?
For decades, cable TV has dominated the home entertainment space —monopolizing the best channels, movies, series, documentaries, reality TV channels, sport and more.
However, in the last decade, streaming has taken a gigantic leap forward. Today, there are approximately 50 streaming services in the US alone, all offering content and features that have begun to convert even the most die-hard cable TV fans.
So, where is the home entertainment industry going? Is cable still worth it in 2022? HomeLinkd answers these questions and provides the best streaming TV services on offer.
Long gone are the days of Americans having to search the internet for unknown streaming sites that were littered with ads, low-quality content and dodgy links.
Today, streaming a movie or series online feels as professional, easy and immersive as going to the cinema, or watching a well-known cable channel.
From the interface, to the content and intuitive searchability — streaming sites are pouring big money into their platforms to rival that of cable TV. In fact, streaming companies like Amazon Prime, Apple TV and Netflix are doing so well, they’re able to create or buy their own move studios.
In 2021, Amazon bought MGM Studios, a movie-making giant, in a $8.4 billion deal. MGM Studios is well known for their massive blockbuster films like the Bond films, Lord of the Rings, Legally Blonde, the Rocky Balboa films, 21and 22 Jump Street and more.
In addition, Netflix pays upward of $2 million per episode of Stranger Things and The Crown. The power and growth of streaming platforms has become undeniable in the home entertainment space, with cable companies struggling to retain customers.
For the most part, yes, cable TV is keeping up. The streaming services industry is too new, but—if such growth could take place in such a short amount of time, there’s no telling where streaming will be in another decade.
Cable companies have industry power to offer quality content
Cable TV is doing a fairly good job at keeping up with streaming companies—mostly because they are owned and backed by tech or communications corporations.
This means that they have the financial power to offer viewers good content and premium channels like SHOWTIME, HBO Max, Starz and more.
AT&T, which offers cablevia DirecTV and internet services, is worth $266 billion. Imagine, as a cable TV provider, having that backing as your starting point?
Cable TV can also offer something most streaming platforms don’t —live sport and 24/7 news channels like ESPN, CNN, NBC, Fox and more. Many people choose cable over streaming so that they can have access to these channels.
Cable companies are offering bundles or free programming
A powerful driving factor for viewers is the fact that having cable TV also often means you can bundle this with your internet and voice package—paying one price instead of two or three. Spectrum, which is owned by Charter Communications, is well known for their bundles and affordable pricing, offering three packages that include cable TV, voice and internet, starting from $99per month.
Another smart addition to cable bundles are the streaming services themselves. Cable TV now includes Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu and more — as an added feature to your package. As if this wasn’t enough, some telecommunications companies are offering free programming. Comcast, which owns NBC Universal, created Peacock — another top streaming service — and struck a deal for its broadband customers to receive about 15,000 hours of free streaming.
Best known for: Netflix is well known for their original content, from award-winning documentaries like My Octopus Teacher to fan-favorite shows like Love Is Blind, YOU, and Schitt’s Creek. Netflix also has an impressive stockpile of old favorites like Friends, New Girl, Moesha, Suits, Orange is the New Black and Gilmore Girls. H
Best known for: Hulu is similar to Netflix, offering network TV shows, however, they arrive on Hulu pretty soon after they air, unlike Netflix. Hulu only launched in 2019, so their catalogue of originals is still growing. But, in this time they’ve produced riveting entertainment like The Handmaid’s Tale, making Hulu a true contender in the game of streaming.
Best known for: Apple TV has some of the best original shows on any streaming platform at the moment, including the award-winning The Morning Show with Jennifer Aniston, Ted Lasso with Jason Sedeikis, and The Problem with Jon Stewart featuring... Jon Stewart. Although Apple TV + isn’t known for releasing new content often, their selection is of a high quality.
Best known for: A staple in home television, HBO has been making award-winning TV shows and documentaries for decades. HBO Max offers their entire catalogue, which includes The White Lotus, The Deuce, Euphoria, Silicon Valley, The Wire, Oz, West world and more. HBO Max is the definition of premium content.
Although cable TV and streaming both offer their pros and cons, streaming is proving to be the stronger candidate when it comes to home entertainment. With HomeLinkd’s top Wi-Fi packages, you can enjoy all of the above streaming services and more.
Get connected with top Wi-Fi deals and start streaming today!
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