“I’m A TV Writer, These Are The Streaming Subscriptions That Are Actually Worth It”

These days, there’s endless stuff to watch on streaming- but the problem is, there’s also endless streaming services. Most people have a subscription to Netflix, and maybe Amazon Prime Video, and isn’t the new season of Slow Horses coming soon? Better grab Apple TV! With all of these streamers comes mounting subscription costs, but which ones are worth it? Here’s what I think of each.

Netflix

Best for: Familiarity, large library, not having FOMO.
Lowest monthly tier: £5.99 (with ads)
Highest monthly tier: £18.99 (4K streaming, multiple devices)

Netflix remains the most popular streaming platform globally and continues to dominate. For many people, it’s the one they tend to stick with: it’s familiar and has a healthy stream of Netflix originals releasing monthly. There’s a varied selection of documentaries, too, as well as stuff for kids, making it well-rounded. However, in recent years, it’s lost a lot to competitors- Friends, for example, left the service last month, and Breaking Bad departs next year.

While there are a lot of great original films and shows, it feels like other streamers have caught up (or even surpassed) it in quality. It’s unlikely you’ll want to unsubscribe tomorrow, but with prices continuing to rise, Netflix is less enticing than it once was.

Disney+

Best for: Big blockbusters, kids and family content, all 37 seasons of The Simpsons.
Lowest monthly tier: £5.99 (with ads)
Highest monthly tier: £14.99 (4K streaming, multiple devices).

Disney+ has become very popular in the 2020s, predominantly because it’s the place to watch big franchises like Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar and of course, traditional Disney-fare like Pixar. Obviously, it’s good for those, but there’s plenty more on there than at first glance: it’s got The Simpsons and a pretty big selection of movies thanks to their buyout of 20th Century Fox. National Geographic documentaries are also available- my dad keeps up a subscription just to watch Air Crash Investigation when bored.

It’s definitely great for kids, the classic Disney library and for the many blockbusters it boasts- while you might not need to remain subscribed permanently, it’s a good one to come back to (you can opt to pause your subscription for a few months).

Apple TV

Best for: Critical darling TV shows, streaming quality, A-Listers in basically every original series
Monthly cost: £9.99 (no other tiers; 4K streaming and family sharing included)

The definition of slow and steady, Apple TV is perhaps now the home of prestige television, with its big shows- Severance, Slow Horses, Pluribus and Ted Lasso to name a few- gaining loyal followings and critical acclaim. Its original films, like Killers of the Flower Moon, have also been praised, with F1 being a box office hit. The library is, however, quite small, meaning it’s perhaps better to have it as a subscription when you’re keen to watch Slow Horses. You can, however, rent and buy separately a vast amount more from the Store to have in your library.

It obviously works well with Apple devices (you can use it without), and considering it’s where a lot of the best original shows are being made, I’d definitely recommend giving Apple TV a go. Plus, it’s widely regarded as having the best picture and sound quality of the pack, bringing things to another level, for a solid price.

Amazon Prime Video

Best for: Crowd pleasers like Fallout and The Boys, films and TV shows from years gone by, regular Amazon customers
Lowest monthly tier: £4.49 (with ads
Highest monthly tier: £11.98 (4K streaming, multiple devices)

Prime Video is also a big player in the streaming scene, and the biggest benefit is that it’s free with Amazon Prime itself. There are quite a few big hits on the service that’ve cemented its popularity, including Fallout, The Rings of Power and The Boys. Prime Video also has a sizeable amount of films and TV that are included in the subscription, and I’ve found it’s a good place to find older shows and documentaries that are harder to find. Like Apple, you can buy or rent more titles through Prime Video beyond what is available with a subscription.

However, it feels a little bit as though the amount of exciting originals from Amazon has slowed down in the last few years (Fallout being a notable exception). While it’s still a solid streaming service and there’s much to find on there, and if you use Amazon so much that paying for Prime is a no-brainer, you’ll have access anyway.

HBO Max

Best for: the huge selection of HBO shows past and present, franchises like Harry Potter, and dozing off to Friends.
Lowest monthly tier: £4.99 (with ads)
Highest monthly tier: £14.99, 4K streaming, multiple devices

The latest high-profile streaming service to launch in the UK, HBO Max, launched in March and was much anticipated because it was unavailable here for so long. It’s definitely a strong choice for a new subscription, as it not only has current HBO shows like White Lotus and Euphoria, but also a huge library of past shows including Game of Thrones, Succession, Sex and the City and The Sopranos. Plus, Warner Bros owned films like Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings and more are included too, alongside Friends.

It’s still early days, and there’s more to come (including the Harry Potter HBO series), but it’s definitely a good pick. The only unknown is the fact that Paramount is currently buying out Warner Bros, HBO included, so it may end up absorbed into a combined app in the future. But for now, go crazy.

Paramount+

Best for: Shows big in the US like Yellowstone and South Park, reasonable monthly cost, and Tom Cruise movies
Lowest monthly tier: £4.99 (with ads)
Highest monthly tier: £10.99 (4K streaming, multiple devices)

Paramount+ launched in the UK back in 2022, and has quite a lot of good stuff on there, but is also a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, there’s plenty of tentpole shows on there like Yellowstone, Mayor of Kingstown, South Park and Yellowjackets, and some big films right now like Top Gun: Maverick, Mission Impossible, A Quiet Place and Titanic. However, it does sometimes feel like the selection is a little lacking, particularly in the TV department. It’s perhaps not one you’d be rushing to subscribe to right now.

Having said that, it’s still a bad shout, and while the selection is definitely smaller than say Netflix, the cheapest tier with ads is only £4.99 a month, and the most expensive tier with no ads and the best quality is £10.99, compared to Netflix’s premium, which is £18.99.

Mubi

Best for: indie films, Oscar-nominated films, films to boost your Letterboxd street cred.
Standard monthly tier: £11.99 (no ads, 4K streaming, multiple devices)
Premium monthly tier: MUBI GO (the same streaming access alongside a free cinema ticket every week)

Definitely a more niche option when it comes to streaming, MUBI has carved out an identity for itself as a place to find indie and international films. It’s been around for a while, but has now grown into a popular destination for cinema fanatics. Some of the more notable films that MUBI has distributed in the last few years include the Demi Moore/Margaret Qualley horror movie The Substance, and the Paul Mescal-starring Aftersun, both of which got Oscar nominations. There’s also a number of hugely influential classic films on there like The Godfather, Paris, Texas and The Graduate.

If you’re really into your movies or maybe looking to discover less mainstream big box office films, then MUBI is a good streaming service to try out.

NOW

Best for: access to Sky shows and films, sports
Monthly cost: Varies by membership, click here for all Entertainment, Cinema, Sports and Hayu membership options

Popular in the UK because it allows you to watch Sky shows and sports in a streaming app, NOW remains a solid option. There are several different membership plans, including Entertainment, Sports and Cinema, with varying catalogues available. It’s a good shout for its convenience and for the sport and reality TV content (Hayu)- but while the Entertainment and Cinema options are pretty cheap, the Sports plan gets quite expensive.

It does risk being somewhat cannibalised by HBO Max (there are ad-tier options with HBO shows included, though), but for Sky Shows and more, it’s still decent.

Discovery+

Best for: Reality TV shows (a lot of them)
Monthly cost: £3.99 (with ads)

If you love reality shows, Discovery+ should be on your radar, as that’s most of what it offers. Brands like Food Channel, Discovery Channel and TLC have their home here. You can also find all kinds of true-crime, foodie, home-improvement, and paranormal TV shows here if that’s what floats your boat.

However, now that TNT Sports has moved over to HBO Max, it’s lost quite a lot of content, but if you’re big into reality, then it’s only £3.99 a month (with ads).

Channel 4+ and ITVX Premium

Best for: uninterrupted watching, BritBox shows, amazing your parents by showing them Inspector Morse without adverts
Channel 4+ monthly cost: £3.99 (no ads)
ITVX Premium monthly cost: £5.99 (no ads, BritBox included

Channel 4+ and ITVX Premium are separate services, but we’re lumping them together in this piece because they’re essentially ad-free versions of Channel 4 and ITV, meaning you don’t need to watch ads when watching those shows on demand. ITVX Premium also provides access to the BritBox service, which is nice, and Channel 4+ allows you to get early access to new seasons of shows like Taskmaster.