The 4 main types of streaming services
When most people start to think about cutting the cable cord and begin the process of researching various streaming options they have a lot of preconceived ideas about what is out there.
When we help people cut the cable cord we like to educate them about the 4 types of streaming services that exist.
In this article we’ll go over each category of streaming services.
Type 1 - Free Streaming Services
These are streaming apps that are free to download and offer the vast majority of their content for free to watch. Most free streaming services will also ask you to create an account with them which will include information like your email address, name, gender and sometimes your birthdate. This is often for data collection on their end.
The benefit of creating a profile for any streaming service means that you can log into the service with that one account on any connected device (OTT streaming device, computer, tablet or smartphone)
This will often come with the benefit of keeping track of what content you have watched which allows you to pick up where you left off with a particular show or movie.
Pros: Free content, won’t cost you anything.
Cons: 99% of the time free content means you will have to sit through commercials. If something is free then rule of thumb is that YOU are the product.
Examples in Canada Include YouTube, CBC Gem, CBC ICI Tou.TV, The Knowledge Network & NFB
An example of some Canadian free streaming services.
Examples in the US Include Peacock, PBS, PBS Kids, The CW, Crackle, Tubi & Pluto TV
Examples in the UK include BBC iPlayer, All 4, iTV & My5
Examples in Australia include SBS On Demand, 7 Plus, ABC iView & 9 Now
Examples in New Zealand include TV New Zealand & Three Now
Examples in Sweden include Via Free
Type 2 - Subscription Based Streaming Services
These are the types of streaming services that most people are familiar with. The streaming apps are free to download but to access and watch any of the content you must first pay a monthly fee. Some subscription based services also offer yearly plans.
There are subscription based streaming services that are classified as on demand services offering movies and full seasons of shows. Some of these services include commercials some of them are commercial free. There are also subscription based streaming services that offer live tv. Some even offer both live tv and on demand content.
Pros: The ability to easily turn any subscription on and off at any time allows you to control what you subscribe to. This allows you to easily manage your costs.
Cons: There are some streaming services that even with a paid subscription still will show you commercials.
Examples in Canada of on demand subscription streaming services include Netflix, Amazon Prime Canada, Disney+, Apple+, Crave, Paramount+ Canada, hayu, Shudder, Crunchyroll, britbox, AcornTV
Examples in Canada of live TV streaming services include Stack TV, TSN, Sportsnet, DAZN, RDS, TVA Sports, FuboTV, Bell Fibe TV, V-Media, TekSavvy TV & River TV.
Most of the sports leagues also have live TV streaming services including the NHL, NBA, MLB, UFC, WWE, WNBA & AHL
An example of some of the sports leagues subscription streaming services.
Examples in the US of on demand subscription streaming services include Netflix, Amazon Prime US, Disney+, Apple+, Hulu, Paramount+, HBO Max, Showtime, Starz, Epix, Hallmark, hayu, Shudder, Crunchyroll, britbox, AcornTV
Examples in the US of live TV streaming services include Sling TV, Hulu, YouTube TV, Philo, AT&T Watch TV, Fubo TV
An example of some of the bigger subscription streaming services.
Type 3 - TV Everywhere Streaming Services
These are streaming services that are free to download but the vast majority of the content available in the streaming app is only accessible once you authenticate the app with a valid active supported cable providers login and password.
Pros: The vast majority of TV Everywhere apps do offer some free content. If you do have a cable login and password you can get access to a fair amount of content.
Cons: The biggest issue is that you still need a cable login and password to use most of these streaming apps. Even once you login with a cable provider login and password you’re going to have to deal with watching commercials with the on demand content. Canadian TV Everywhere apps very rarely have full seasons of shows while US TV Everywhere apps will often have multiple seasons of most shows.
Examples of this in Canada include CTV, Global TV, City TV & FX Canada
You can see our full CTV streaming app Quick Look video here.
An example of some of the Canadian TV Everywhere streaming apps.
Examples in the US Include NBC, ABC, Fox, HGTV, Food Network, DIY Network, Discovery Channel, TLC, History, A&E, National Geographic, Bravo, Comedy Central, TBS, TNT, SyFy, USA, IFC & many more. In fact most major channels in the US have a TV Everywhere streaming app.
One big benefit in the US is that some of the live tv monthly subscription services like Sling TV can be used to log into the individual US TV Everywhere apps
An example of some of the US TV Everywhere streaming apps.
Type 4 - Hybrid Streaming Services
These are streaming services that can be a mix of Free, TV Everywhere or Subscription streaming services.
Examples of this in Canada include:
CBC Gem which offers most of its content for free but has an add on subscription service. You can see our full CBC Gem Quick Look video here.
CBC Gem Streaming App
Crave, Sportsnet & TSN are subscription services that can be purchased direct by consumers or can be used as TV Everywhere streaming apps. When you initially log into each you are given the choice of how you want to login.
An example of the login screens for Crave, Sportsnet & TSN.
Examples of this in the US include:
NBC’s new Peacock streaming service is free to sign up for and offers a ton of content free but some of the most recent episodes of current shows or other specific content requires a subscription and there are two levels of subscription available.
You can read our full review of Peacock here.
NBC’s Peacock Streaming Service - Pricing Plan Options
Kutko Canada’s goal is to help folks navigate all of these streaming options.
If you are interested in cutting the cable cord and not sure where to start then get in touch with us and arrange your free phone consultation today.
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