Up until recently, we subscribed to or had shared access to the following streaming services:
- HBO Max
- Disney+
- Prime Video
- Paramount
- Apple TV
- ESPN (numerous)
- Netflix
I should qualify here that most of the streaming prices in Argentina are considerably lower than in other countries, but context is everything, and the amounts are relative to what we earn. But in the end, I found that we weren’t using most of them enough to justify the cost. There’s no doubt that there’s a huge amount of quality content, but that’s the thing – there’s simply too much to choose from. Perhaps because I’m old enough to remember that back in the UK when I was a nipper, we only had two channels to choose from, which eventually became four, but of course in those days it wasn’t content on demand. You simply watched what was available.
How Many Hours Of TV/Video Do You Watch?
We probably watch around three to four hours a night, plus during the day, I may watch some videos on YouTube, so with around seven streamers, that amount of time simply doesn’t cover the cost and the amount of content to choose from. It’s so easy to subscribe to a streaming service because a blockbuster show or film is only available on that service, and then once viewed, move on to something else and forget it. This happened when I subscribed to Apple TV for the Brad Pitt film, F1, and The Morning Show. F1 wasn’t nearly as good as I was hoping, and The Morning Show eventually began to irritate me, especially some of the characters.
I subscribed to ESPN, which has numerous channels, mainly for rugby and football (soccer), but the thing is, once the seasons are over, I find little point in keeping up the subscription. Besides, with a VPN I can watch numerous free-to-air sports in other countries. Disney+ has some good content, but a lot of it is for kids, and the sports section has a lot of American football and baseball, which doesn’t interest me.
Check Out Free Content
More and more, I’m turning to free content on YouTube, which has some fascinating documentaries and thousands of excellent films. I’m not sure how the channel creators manage to get away with it from a copyright point of view, but I’m not complaining. I recently watched Cromwell (1970) starring Richard Harris, The Virgin Queen (1955) starring Bette Davis as Queen Elizabeth I, numerous documentaries about Winston Churchill, and hundreds of my favourites, be they films or documentaries, without paying a penny; although for reasons mentioned in my other articles, I do subscribe to YouTube Premium.
We Kept Netflix
Because its content keeps improving, and with the probable deal with Warner Bros., the content can surely only improve further. Anyway, with so much quality to choose from on Netflix, even though in Argentina it’s not that cheap, there’s enough there for the foreseeable future.
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