We live in an increasingly connected world. An ever-increasing number of things around us are connected to the internet – not just our phones, watches, and TVs but our appliances and even our clothes. In a world like this, it’s not a surprise that many people are abandoning their cable and broadcast TV channels for streaming – after all, streaming offers a much better experience, often across several devices at a competitive cost or without ads. As a result, we’ve seen many popular streaming apps and services emerge in the last few years. There are, of course, Netflix and Spotify – these veterans of the streaming business – and a few contenders already attacking their supremacy: Apple with its Music and TV+ services, Disney, and YouTube Music, to name just a few. Each year, new services are launched – 2020 won’t be an exception. Here are ## exciting streaming services to keep an eye out for this year.
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Hulu
Hulu was a Fox product offering its American viewers content that has already been broadcast on TV – as such, it was popular but never as popular as Netflix or Amazon Prime Video. With the Disney-Fox merger, in turn, it joined the Mouse House – and it is becoming a lot more exciting than ever before.
First of all, the service has gone global – it is now available in more than 200 countries on any device, no matter if it’s a phone, a PC or a smart TV. And its content offering will be amazing: Disney plans to fill it with all the properties that don’t fit into the family-friendly Disney+. This means we might soon see a new Aliens series on Hulu.
Hulu is currently available in three tiers: an ad-supported “cheap” tier for $5.99 a month, an ad-free tier, and a “package” that includes subscriptions to Disney+ and ESPN+.
HBO Max
Warner has tried its luck with a DC Comics-related streaming service called “DC Universe” that didn’t attract the fan base it needed to survive. Instead, WarnerMedia plans to add a new service to its roster: HBO Max.
HBO Max will have more than 10,000 hours of content, drawing from sources like its cable channel The CW, its premium service HBO, and original programming made especially for HBO Max.
HBO Max will initially be launched in North America, followed by a localized version in Latin America later in the year, and parts of Europe in 2021. Ultimately, it will go global.
Peacock
Finally, let’s take a look at NBC’s own streaming service “Peacock” set to be started this July in the US (with no word on other countries at this time). Peacock will have a great content library: aside from classics like “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation”, it will also offer access to movies from Lionsgate and series from Starz, and a ton of new content like a reimagining of the hit “Battlestar Galactica” series, family series like “Madagascar: A Little Wild”, a spinoff for the “Real Housewives” reality series and a reboot of the popular “Saved by the Bell”.
Peacock will be free in the US but with a limited library and ads. For access to the full library, users will have to pay $5 (and see 5 minutes of ads each hour), and for the ad-free experience, they’ll have to pay $5 more. There is no word yet on if and when the service goes global.
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