New Streams on the Block

                As we all predicted years back, the stream-rush that started when every major company realized Netflix found gold has led to a massive fragmentation of the market. Already gone are the days of one-stop streaming, and it’s only getting worse as various enterprises pull their content away from popular and well-liked streaming services. This is done in the hope of luring folks to their own subscription offerings.

                I don’t expect most of these to “succeed” though some might manage to endure in shifting forms. Still, as someone who loves television, I couldn’t resist taking a peek at the newest contenders entering the streaming games, seeing if any have a hope of making it, or if they’re all doomed to join that big SeeSo/Vine/Quibi in the sky.

Paramount Plus/CBS All Access

                They might have rebranded, but that’s not going to make everyone forget about the bowl of cold shit they’ve been trying to sell us for years. CBS All Access has consistently been the example of a streaming service done badly. The stability was barely existent, the UI was aggressively bad, and the library of content was honestly insulting for what they were asking. CBS had some hits in it’s days, but they are few and far between, not to mention they lacked many full catalogs of their own content.

                I’m reasonably sure the change to Paramount Plus will fix at least some of these issues, though Hulu rocked it’s awful UI for like five years so who knows. Evidently they’ve rolled more content in, encompassing programs from Nickelodeon, MTV, and Comedy Central, but that’s no promise they’ll bother securing every series or even their entire runs. They are launching revivals of some beloved classics including Frasier and Rugrats, which is promising. Fans of those will have to hope they fare better than Arrested Development: Season 4.

                When the new Paramount Plus launches, I’ll take a look around and see what’s improved. For now though, based on everything the company has done so far… lets just say I don’t have the highest of hopes. Or even the middlest of hopes, if we’re being honest.

Cost: With ads- $4.99. No ads - $9.99

Peacock

                Of the new services, I think Peacock has the best shot at real longevity, and it’s because they’re the only ones trying a true hybrid model. Peacock’s pricing is similar to Paramount Plus, with one important caveat: they also offer a free tier. Not a great one, mind you, but it is a step down a road to viability. In terms of ways to lure in new customers, free is hard to beat. Most streaming services use the free trial, but if you haven’t hooked them when it’s done, odds of gaining a customer drop substantially. Constant free content means they’ll be circling back regularly, looking at all the premium offerings also present, perhaps seeing one that strikes their fancy enough to sign up.

                That’s all in concept, mind you. Right now Peacock’s free library is not too robust, even if you can’t argue with the price. That said, Peacock did at least put up the entire runs of all the series I checked, even if some of it will be behind the paywall. Lack of content is an issue at all tiers, really. Like with CBS, one network just doesn’t have that huge of a relevant back catalog. They’ve also been in development of original programs, including reboots on existing classics like Punky Brewster and Saved by the Bell, in order to add more content.

                Thanks to going hybrid, I think Peacock has the flexibility to survive the battle of streams, if it’s willing to be adaptive. That said, Peacock needs to steal a move from Paramount Plus and roll in a lot more programming. There’s just not enough content for a sustained subscription, though I could see doing an occasional month for binges.

Cost: Limited Content with ads – Free. All content with ads- $4.99. No ads - $9.99

Discovery Plus

                Out of all the networks to put their hat in the ring, I would not have expected Discovery to be one of them. But a few months back, I happened to see an episode of the new Battlebots series that’s been running for a few years. It kicked a lot of ass, and I wanted more, soon finding that several (but not all) prior seasons were on the Discovery Plus service. I signed up for a free trial so I could watch the backlog, clicking around to see what else they had on offer.

                This service kind of frustrates me, because it does have genuine potential, limited by some baffling decisions. It encompasses several different networks like HGTV, Travel, and Animal Planet, so there’s not the issue of a single-network catalog, however there are noticeable chunks of that content not present, including one example so glaring it will get it’s own entry shortly. The UI is aesthetically pleasing, but an annoyance to navigate through, especially for picking up a show that was being watched.

                As with the others, Discovery Plus is also putting premium programs behind their paywall, stuff you can’t get watching cable. In this case, it’s been things like continuations of existing series such as Good Eats, or entirely new enterprises like House Hunters: Comedians on Couches. And speaking of House Hunters, remember that piece I said was glaringly missing? Yeah, we have arrived.

                Of all the strange decisions Discovery Plus has made, launching without a show that looms large in pop culture, is near-infinitely rewatchable, and has hundreds of episodes, is by far the most baffling. The solution they introduced late last month is a channel within the app that’s always playing an episode of House Hunters, and it’s a poor substitute. Maybe it’s a rights issue, I have no insight on what’s at play, but the service definitely needs that massive draw. That said, I have been enjoying the hell out of Battlebots.

Cost: With ads- $4.99. No ads - $7.99