Feeling spoiled for choice with the streaming services on offer? Our guide reveals everything you need to know about Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, NOW TV, BritBox, Disney+ and Apple TV+.
NOW TV
Amazon Prime Video
You can get Amazon Prime Video for £7.99 a month or for £79 a year as an Amazon Prime member, the latter of which includes unlimited one-day delivery and the ability to borrow Kindle books for free.
Amazon Prime Video offers a range of exclusive TV shows, including Mr. Robot, The Marvellous Mrs Maisel and The Man in the High Castle, as well as thousands of movies.
If you want to watch a film or show while on the go, you can download it via the app. You can also stream up to three videos at the same time with the same Amazon account.
On top of that, you can watch some live or on-demand sports, including a handful of Premier League games, via the app, a smart TV, set top box, game console, tablet, desktop or smartphone.
Some devices don’t support live streaming, so it’s best to check this before you sign up.
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If you’re not sure whether Amazon Prime Video is right for you, you can try a free 30-day trial.
There are rarely discounts for this service but students can nab a student membership for £39 a year or £3.99 a month, which includes Amazon Prime Video.
At the time of writing, students can try Amazon Prime Student free for six months.
One frustrating aspect of streaming on Amazon is the number of trailers in between episodes, which you can skip but still feels unnecessary.
Another downside is that you may not get a full refund if you change your mind but this only applies to Amazon Prime members who have used some of the benefits.
It’s unclear how much is deducted from a refund for using any of these services.
You may also have to pay to buy or rent the latest or most popular movies such as Toy Story 4 or Joker, which can cost over £10 in some cases.
This can be frustrating as you may have to pay for old films when they’re in demand at certain times, including over the Christmas holidays.
Amazon Prime Video also offers different ‘channels’ such as hayu or STARZPLAY, which incur an additional monthly fee.
Best for: live sports
Netflix UK
Disney+
Disney+ is due to launch in the UK on 24 March and will set you back either £5.99 a month or £59.99 annually.
For a limited time only – until 23 March – you can subscribe to Disney+ for £49.99 (equivalent to £4.17 a month).
The service boasts content from Disney (obviously), Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic.
You can expect to see a lot of movies that have already been released, including Marvel’s The Avengers and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
More recent releases will be available on Disney+, including The Mandalorian, the live-action Lady and The Tramp film, Frozen 2 and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
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According to TechRadar, Disney+ should be available to use via most devices, including game consoles, smart TVs, smartphones, tablets and streaming media devices.
There’s no confirmation if any free trial is available in the UK, but it’s likely as other countries can currently enjoy a free seven-day trial.
A big advantage of Disney+ is that you can download any TV series or films on up to 10 devices – without paying anything extra and there are no adverts.
You can also stream on four screens at once, so several people can enjoy Disney+ with one account.
But if you’re not a huge fan of Disney, Star Wars or Marvel content, you may struggle to find something to watch.
Best for: Disney, Pixar, Marvel or Star Wars fans
BritBox
Apple TV+
Apple TV+ launched around the same time as BritBox, costs £4.99 a month and is an extension of the Apple TV app.
The service guarantees new ‘Apple originals’ every month ad-free, which can be watched by up to six family members.
There are only a handful of original shows available at the minute, including The Morning Show and Dickinson, and arguably none quite match the buzz or critical acclaim of other shows available with rivals.
Of course, this could change as Apple TV+ only recently launched, so more compelling content may be released soon.
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Unfortunately, you’ll have to pay for licensed content through iTunes or elsewhere – so you’ll purely be paying for the original content.
This is a big issue if none of the shows are of interest, or if you binge through them all quickly and run out of stuff to watch.
You can watch Apple TV+ on an iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPlay, the Roku TV platform and devices, on a Samsung smart TV, as well as your desktop and Amazon Fire TV stick.
Similar to its competitors, you can download content and watch online. You can also take advantage of a free seven-day trial to see if the service is right for you.
If you’re considering buying a new iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV or a Mac, you can get a one-year subscription for the streaming service completely free of charge.
Students can get free access to Apple TV+ if they’re on the Apple Music Student Plan, which costs £4.99 a month.
Unfortunately, if you’re not a student or planning to buy a specific Apple product, there are no discounts available (at the time of writing).
It’s hard to determine what Apple TV+ is best for as it recently launched and there’s currently not much content available.
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