Netflix, NOW TV, Apple TV+: Which streaming service is best for Christmas?
Written by News on 10/12/2019
When Netflix came on the scene a few years ago it opened up a world of TV choice, from Breaking Bad and Narcos to Stranger Things and Making A Murderer.
Now, that world has got a whole lot bigger, with Apple, Disney and NOW TV among the companies that have entered the fight for our eyeballs.
With so much choice, it can get a little overwhelming. And Christmas is coming up, which means a lot of telly. You want to get it right. So here’s our guide to what’s on offer.
Netflix
The original. The biggie. Netflix has more than 158 million memberships in around 190 countries across the world.
Cost: Plans range from £5.99 to £11.99 a month – the content stays the same, but the more expensive packages allow you to stream to more devices and in HD.
Trial period: 30 days.
What you get: Films, TV series, documentaries, comedy, originals and more. Big hitters since it launched in the UK in 2012 have been Breaking Bad, The Crown, Stranger Things, Black Mirror, House Of Cards, the recent Our Planet, with David Attenborough, the Oscar-winning film Roma… it’s a long list. The aim is that there’s something for everyone, which means there’s some stinkers in there too. The Open House, anyone?
Can you download? Yes, for selected shows.
Shows and films to binge on over Christmas: Well, the latest big ones are Martin Scorsese epic The Irishman, and Marriage Story, starring Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver. But if you want something a little more festive, Christmas offerings include Super Monsters Save Christmas, The Knight Before Christmas, Holiday Rush and the comedy special, Jack Whitehall: Christmas With My Father.
NOW TV
Shows and films on the Sky channels you won’t find on freeview, basically, but without the contract. So you get Sky Atlantic, Sky One, Sky Crime, MTV and more. Take your pick from different packages for box sets, films, sports, reality and kids shows. NOW TV is owned by Sky.
Cost: Depends which package you go for. Kids TV is £3.99, Entertainment, for box sets, is £8.99, Sky Cinema is £11.99 and Sky Sports is £33.99 a month. You can also get deals on bundles.
Trial period: Seven days
What you get: Box sets will give you shows including Ray Donovan, Watchmen, Big Little Lies, Chernobyl and Succession, while Sky Cinema gives you a access to a library of more than 1,000 films, new and old. Sports will give you access to the biggest matches and events on Sky Sports, while Hayu gets you all the latest US reality shows.
Can you download? You can download most on demand shows and films, but not all content is available – available content has a download icon.
Shows and films to binge on over Christmas: New TV content includes Cinderella: After Never After, a Christmas special Cinderella sequel of sorts, starring David Walliams and Sian Gibson, and Romesh’s Look Back To The Future, featuring stars’ predictions for the year, made at the beginning of 2019. Christmas classic films include It’s a Wonderful Life, The Holiday, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, The Grinch and Die Hard. (Yes, Die Hard is a Christmas film). Plus, they’ve got Avengers: Endgame for Marvel fans.
Disney+
The much anticipated streaming service from The Walt Disney Company has garnered 10 million sign-ups since its launch in the US in November. The bad news is that it’s not available in the UK yet; if you’re after Disney+ content here, you have to wait until March 31 2021.
Cost: The UK prices have not been confirmed yet, but in the US it’s priced at $6.99 (£5.42) a month or $69.99 (£54.24) a year.
Trial period: Seven days in the US, so hopefully this will be the same here.
What you get: Films and shows from Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars, basically. So you can expect the much-hyped Star Wars series The Mandalorian and the rebooted Lady And The Tramp, as well as access to the Marvel world and the Disney library. Plus, 30 seasons of The Simpsons.
Shows and films to binge on over Christmas: Umm, see above. Unless you’re travelling to the US, in which case, fill your Santa boots!
Apple TV+
Also launched in November, Apple TV+ at the minute offers a small selection of original content but no syndicated content – so no TV reruns or chances to revisit your favourite films. However, it’s brought in some big names for its new shows to bring viewers in, and there’s lots in the pipeline.
Cost: £4.99 a month. Or free for a year when you buy a new iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac or Apple TV.
Trial period: Seven days
What you get: The flagship show for the launch was The Morning Show, the breakfast television #MeToo drama starring Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston. They also have dystopian thriller See, with Jason Momoa and Alfre Woodard, and M Night Shyamalan’s Servant, and there are plans for Prince Harry and Oprah to team up for a series on mental health.
Can you download? Yes.
Shows and films to binge on over Christmas: No festive offerings, but new series Truth Be Told has just launched. Starring Octavia Spencer, Aaron Paul and Lizzy Caplan, it tells the story of a murder case featured on a podcast, questioning the world’s thirst for true crime on a public stage.
Amazon Prime Video
Launched in the UK in 2014, Amazon Prime Video replaced Lovefilm and now offers TV shows, films and originals.
Cost: £7.99 a month or £79 for a full year – or free if you already have an Amazon Prime account, giving you next-day delivery on products ordered from Amazon online.
Trial period: 30 days.
What you get: Originals include Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, the award-winning The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, and Carnival Row, starring Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevingne. Plus, this is the streaming service for The Grand Tour, home to Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May since leaving Top Gear.
Can you download? Yes, for selected shows.
Shows and films to binge on over Christmas: Family films include the Paddington and Gruffalo movies, Christmas classics come in the form of Love Actually and The Holiday. They’re also teaming up with Grammy winner Kacey Musgraves for The Kacey Musgraves Christmas Show. Plus, season three of the Golden Globe and Emmy-winning The Marvelous Mrs Maisel starts on 6 December, and, erm, The Grand Tour Presents: Seamen – in which Clarkson, Hammond and May journey across Vietnam and Cambodia by boat – launches on 13 December.
BritBox
The new paid-for streaming service from the BBC and ITV also shows content from Channel 4 and Channel 5, making it the first time programmes from all the UK’s main terrestrial channels will be available through one catch-up service.
Cost: £5.99
Trial period: 30 days
What you get: The majority of UK content is classic series, including Fawlty Towers, Blackadder and Absolutely Fabulous, with more recent favourites such as Downton Abbey, Love Island and Broadchurch also available.
However, shows will not appear on BritBox until they have dropped off free-to-use BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub and All 4, where they can stay for up to a year – so fans will have to wait for certain shows, including Killing Eve, Bodyguard and Peaky Blinders.
There will also be some original shows, including Lambs Of God, about a group of nuns living on a remote island.
Can you download? Not yet, but the plan is to introduce next year.
Shows and films to binge on over Christmas: An abundance of Christmas specials, basically. Fill your boots on classic festive offerings of old from the likes of French And Saunders, Little Britain, Harry Enfield And Chums, Only Fools And Horses, Downton Abbey, Victoria Wood, The Vicar Of Dibley and, erm, The Only Way Is Essex.
They’re also having a “Very Christie Christmas” with more than 100 episodes of Agatha Christie classics, plus family films such as Oliver Twist and Bugsy Malone.
(c) Sky News 2019: Netflix, NOW TV, Apple TV+: Which streaming service is best for Christmas?
