This week’s battle has been an active conversation in our office. If you have only $12 a month to spend on a streaming service, which one are you going to choose: Netflix or Hulu? Streaming services have quickly changed the way we watch tv, allowing us to view our favorite shows anywhere, but each one offers slightly different advantages. So, without further ado, let’s get this battle going!
Coming in on this side, we have the first streaming service, Netflix!
Netflix started as an alternative to movie rental businesses. While the concept remained the same, Netflix allowed you to pay a monthly subscription and receive unlimited movie rentals with no late fees. All you had to do was order your movies online, and the DVD’s would be mailed to you. However, by 2007, Netflix had transitioned into an online streaming service allowing customers to stream their favorite shows and movies from just about any device. Their number of subscribers skyrocketed to over 60 million, but what keeps them competitive compared to other streaming services? Netflix has the most substantial quantity of films and shows allowing customers to have a large variety of titles to choose from. One of their biggest perks, NO ADS, so you are free to binge watch your favorite shows for hours upon hours (not that we’ve ever done that…). Netflix has even created some of their own series and movies that are only accessible with a Netflix subscription. So, when you aren’t catching up on classics like Friends or The Office, you can try out Netflix Originals like Stranger Things. All of this sounds incredible, so what’s the drawback? While Netflix has current shows on their sites, it takes up to 3 months to a year for them to gain access to the most recent seasons. If you have a lot of patience, Netflix is the perfect choice for you.
For our next competitor, Hulu!
Hulu is a popular streaming service that was created and launched in 2008. The entertainment site is now majority owned by Disney who plans to use the site alongside their other services, ESPN+ and Disney+. Hulu has quickly grown in recent years, actually doubling their subscribers since 2016. One of their biggest perks compensates for Netflix’s weakness. They stay up-to-date on current series with their next-day streaming. If you miss this week’s episode of the Bachelor, Hulu will have it ready for you to watch the very next day. Hulu even has an option to stream live tv now. Unfortunately, one of their most significant drawbacks is ads. Hulu’s most basic package runs ads throughout the show much like commercial breaks. While their upgraded package is said to be ad-free, there are still some series that will preview ads before and after shows even despite the extra payments. Hulu also has created Hulu original series that are only available on their site (blessed be), but they do have fewer titles overall than their competitor.
Who do you think wins the Streaming Service Showdown? Netflix, with no ads but slower show uploads. Or Hulu, with instant uploads, but ads here and there.
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