Introducing the Hilltopper’s Streaming Wars, where the most popular streaming services compete head-to-head for the No. 1 title. Our most commonly-used streaming services host thousands of various movies and shows, so let’s dive into fan-favorites of each.
Amazon Prime Video, home to the one of the largest streaming libraries of more than 31,000 titles for its 200 million subscribers (per Wikipedia), has made a major name for itself, with shows such as “The Vampire Diaries,” “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” and “Survivor.” However, the 2022 Amazon Prime hit series, “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” brought major attention to the streaming service, having become its No. 1 show in its premiere weekend. “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” an adaptation of Jenny Han’s 2009 book franchise, follows Isabel “Belly” Conklin and her summers spent in the fictitious town of Cousins Beach, as she navigates family and friendships in the midst of a love triangle. “I like the summery vibe of the show. It was a lighthearted watch, and there were really low stakes,” junior Sojung Lee said. “It’s the perfect show for the summer!” I entirely agree with her on “The Summer I Turned Pretty” bringing the audience the ideal blend of a beachy aesthetic and a drama-filled plot. A Prime Video membership is $14.99/month or $139/year.
With over 250 million global subscribers and a library of over 18,000 titles (per CNBC), Netflix has become a behemoth streaming service. This international service is home to numerous popular shows and movies like “The Night Agent,” “Bridgerton,” “Wednesday,” “Stranger Things” and more. Dilan Patel, senior, said he loves to watch “All American” on Netflix. The show follows Spencer James, a high school student who pursues his dreams of football in Beverly Hills, California, forced to live with a family whose culture collides with his own. Personally, I recently binged “Suits” on Netflix. A show on the daily duties of a law firm, “Suits” brings comedy, romance, and drama all under one roof as it follows the stories of Harvey Specter and con-artist-now-lawyer Mike Ross. Netflix’s popularity has soared to the top because of its vast title count and access worldwide. It has multiple levels of subscriptions, each with different perks and benefits with the bottom tier starting at $6.99/month (Netflix just recently announced that their lowest subscription level now has ads).
One of the newer subscription services to the group, Apple TV Plus is home to numerous award-winning shows with many notable actors and actresses taking on the screen. With over 75 million viewers (per Wikipedia), this streaming service is home to the film “CODA,” which won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2022. “CODA” follows the Child Of Deaf Adults, Ruby, who juggles work and school to help keep her family business thriving. Mr. Ellis, a teacher of Social Studies, enjoyed watching “Severance” on Apple TV Plus. “Severance” (one of my favorites too!) explores a fictional world where people’s work and home bodies are split, meaning the work form of yourself does not know what the outside world looks like and vice versa. In the show, the characters at work realize what is happening and try to escape the workplace, creating all sorts of chaos along the way. Some other notable shows on Apple TV Plus are “Ted Lasso,” “The Morning Show,” and “For All Mankind.” After a free trial, Apple TV Plus costs $9.99/month.
HBO Max continues to entertain its 96.1 million subscribers (per Variety) with its library of over 2000 movies and 1300 TV shows (per JustWatch). Popular titles include “Friends,” “Full House,” and “Gossip Girl.” However, for junior Akshay Dhawan, Young Sheldon quickly became his favorite. The spin-off prequel to the 2007 hit sitcom, “The Big Bang Theory,” follows child genius Sheldon Cooper exploring the ins and outs of high school in late 1980s and early 1990s Texas. Akshay watched all of the show’s seven seasons, describing how he “loved seeing Sheldon’s unique take on the world and the funny family dynamics in the show.” “Young Sheldon” is one of my favorite comfort shows because of the hilarious characters and short episodes. With every episode is a new adventure led by the exciting mind of Sheldon — in my opinion, what’s there not to love? An HBO Max subscription starts at $9.99/month for its Ad-lite tier. Other plans reach up to $19.99/month.
Disney Plus, introduced in 2019, currently has about 150 million subscribers worldwide (per Statista). This streaming service caught the attention of Disney fans of all ages. It was the perfect place to host all things Disney-related. Home to numerous franchises, Disney Plus is the one-stop shop for nostalgic TV shows and current movies as well. Vickie Xiang, senior, loves to watch Star Wars on Disney Plus. She has been able to rewatch the main nine episodic films and was able to enjoy TV shows based on the Star Wars series as well such as “The Mandalorian.” My favorite movie series on Disney Plus is Pirates of the Caribbean. The movie series follows a comedic pirate, Jack Sparrow (played by Johnny Depp), who travels the seven seas with his crew to discover new magical creatures and treasures along the way. Disney Plus has a basic subscription with ads currently at $7.99/month.
Streaming services are the new place to watch all of your shows and movies. With most people getting rid of their cable networks and switching to subscription-based services, more and more shows and movies are now accessible only on these streamers. We love watching shows on all of these streaming services. What are some of your favorite shows, and which streaming service do you think is the winner of the Streaming Wars?