Research and compare on-demand internet streaming media services available in the US.
The wide world of internet TV allows us to watch our favorite shows how we want, when we want. You might be getting everything you want from your current provider, but are you paying the most feasible price for it? Possibly not.
Whether you’re up for a night of plotting cold-blooded revenge with the Underwoods, raging at the latest episode of Game of Thrones or learning to cook with Walter White and Jesse Pinkman, there’s many services that cater to your viewing needs. We’ve compared the top USA services head-to-head to help you decide on the best streaming provider for you.
| Name | Service | Content | Pricing (USD) | Contract Type | More info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Streaming | TV, movies | SD – $7.99, HD – $8.99, UHD – $11.99. | No lock-in | More info |
| Amazon Instant Video | Streaming | TV, movies | Prime – $99, Rentals – starting at $0.99 for 24 hours. | Annual subscription fee | More info |
 | Streaming | TV, movies | Hulu – Free, Hulu Plus – $7.99. | No lock-in | More info |
 | Streaming | TV, movies | No subscription fee, rentals range from $0.99 to $5.99. | No lock-in | Go to site |
 | Downloading | TV, music, movies | TV – From $1.99 per episode, Movies – $14.99 to buy and $3.99 to rent. | No lock-in | More info |
 | Streaming | Soccer | $9.99 per month. | No lock-in | Go to site |
 | Streaming | Christian Movies and TV shows | $10.99 per month. | No lock-in | Go to site |
 | Streaming | Original and Exclusive Documentaries | $2.99 per month in SD, $5.99 per month in HD and $11.99 per month in 4K. | No lock-in | Go to site |
 | Streaming, mail-based | Video games, movies | Starts at $6.99 per month. | No lock-in | Go to site |
 | Streaming | HBO TV episodes | Free with your HBO subscription. If you do not have a subscription to HBO, you can purchase HBO Now for $15 a month. | No lock-in | Go to site |
 | Streaming | TV, movies | Free with your regular TV subscription through participating television providers. | No lock-in | More info |
 | Streaming | TV, movies | Free with STARZ subscription or $8.99 per month. | No lock-in | More info |
| Name | Hardware | Mobile Phone | Consoles | Devices | Streams |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tablet, mobile, desktop, Chromecast, Apple TV | Yes | Yes | Any device. | 4 |
| Amazon Instant Video | iPod, iPhone, iPad, Kindle Fire, Android phone and tablets, Smart TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and more | Yes | Yes | 2 | 2 |
 | PC, Mac, iPad, Android Tablets, iPhones, Android Smartphones, Sony Smart TV, Hisense TV, Samsung Bluray Players, Roku, Amazon Fire and Sony Smart TV. | Yes | No | 1 | 1 |
| Smart TV, desktop, Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, Nexus Player, Nook, TiVo Premiere, Amazon Fire TV | Yes | Yes | Any device. | 1 |
| Smart TV, Chromecast, Blu-ray, Roku, TiVo, Tablets and Home Theatre | Yes | Yes | 12 | 2 |
| Apple TV, Mac, iPhone, iPod, iPad | Yes | No | 1 | 1 |
| Mac or Windows computer, iPhone, iPad, Android Phone, Roku, Chromecast or Amazon Fire TV | Yes | No | Any device. | 1 |
| Mac or Windows computer, iPhone, iPad, Android Phone, Roku, Chromecast or Amazon Fire TV | Yes | Support in 2017 | Any device. | 1 |
| Mac or Windows computer, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Android Phone, Roku, Chromecast or Amazon Fire TV | Yes | No | 1 | 1 |
 | Amazon Fire TV, EMTEC GEM Box, Smart TV, CD Rom, DVD, Amazon Fire TV stick | Yes | Yes | Any device. | 1 |
| Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Playstation 4, Samsung Smart TV, Xbox 360, Android TV, Playstation 3, Roku, Tivo, Xbox One | Yes | Yes | 3 | 3 |
| Apple iOS, Roku players, Apple TV, Android, Windows 8, and Xbox One | Yes | Yes | 2 | 2 |
| Amazon devices, Android Phone and Tablets, Apple TV, Microsoft Window 7 or newer, Apple OSX 10.5.7 or newer, iPhone, iPad, iPod, Roku, Smart TVs, Xbox | Yes | Yes. | 2 | 2 |
| Name | Closed Captions | Quality | Content | Affiliates | Most Popular |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | SD, HD and 4K | ~100,000 movies and TV shows | Starz, Paramount Pictures, Lions Gate Entertainment, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Marvel Television, Sony Pictures, The Weinstein Company, Open Road Films | House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, Grace and Frankie, Wet Hot American Summer |
| Amazon Instant Video | Yes | SD, HD and 4K | 40,000 titles | Lovefilm, Epix. HBO, Amazon Studios | The Good Wife, Under the Dome, Downton Abbey, Catastrophe, Extant, Suits, Girls |
| Yes | SD and 720p HD | ~1,650 hrs of TV and 2,500 hrs of movies | NBCUniversal Television Group, Fox, Disney, ABC, The CW, BBC | Deadbeat, The Awesomes, Quickdraw, The Mindy Project, Selfie, Party Down, The Hotwives of Orlando |
| Yes | SD and HD | 20,000 titles | Warner Bros, Sony Pictures, NBC Universal, Disney, Lionsgate, HBO, BBC Worldwide | Mr Robot, Zoo, Shark Week, Scream, Game of Thrones, Pretty Little Liars, Community, True Detective |
| Yes | SD and HD | Data not available | Data not available | Data not available |
| Yes | HD | Data not available | La Liga, Serie A, MLS, Liga MX, Ligue 1, Primeira Liga and the Brazilian Serie A through our live channels beIN Sports, Univision Deportes, UniMás, GolTV HD and Benfica TV | Copa America, Copa America Centenario, CONMEBOL, Football League Championship, English League Cup and Swiss Super League |
| Yes | HD | Over 2,000 family-friendly, faith-based titles. | Data not available | God’s Compass, Unlimited, Crossing Streets, October Baby, The War Within, and Woodlawn |
| Yes | SD, HD and 4K | Thousands of documentaries in science, technology, the arts, civilization, and more. | Data not available | Next World, Big Picture Earth and The Road to Singularity |
| Yes | SD and HD | 8,000 titles | Data not available | Skyrim, Battlefield 1, Star Trek Beyond, Titanfall 2 |
| Yes | HD | 400 hours of feature and HBO original television films (including 130 movie titles that rotated monthly). | Data not available | The Wire, The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Enlightened, Game of Thrones, Curb Your Enthusiasm and more |
| Yes | HD | Data not available | Xfinity, Dish, DirecTV, Time Warner Cable Spectrum, Optimum, Verizon, AT&T U-verse, Cox, Charter Spectrum, Optimum, Bright House Networks, Suddenlink, Mediacom, Cable One and Wow! Wide Open West | Suits, Mr. Robot, Shooter, Queen of the South, WWE, Colony and more |
| Yes | HD | Data not available | Xfinity, Dish, DirecTV, Amazon Channels, Verizon, Suddenlink, AT&T, Cox, Charter Spectrum, Optimum and Mediacom | Outlander, Black Sails, Power (TV series), Spartacus, The Missing, The Girlfriend Experience and more |
| Name | Data Usage | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| SD – 1GB/hr, HD – 3GB/hr, Ultra HD – 7GB/hr | 30 day free trial, the biggest content library, Netflix exclusives! | Not much. |
| Amazon Instant Video | SD – 1GB/hr, HD – 1.5GB/hr, Ultra HD – 7GB/hr | 30 day free trial, great content from Comedy Central and Nickelodeon | Only offers annual subscriptions |
| HD – 650MB per hour | 30 day free trial, streams shows that are currently airing. | Commercials for paid customers? What were they thinking? |
| Streaming N/A, SD episodes – 894.25 MB, HD episodes – 1.96 GB | Good range of TV shows and movies. | Pay per episode, no free trial, limited accessibility. |
| Data not available | Compatible with all Apple deices | Most expensive |
| Data not available | All new users receive 24-hours of free access to a full fuboTV subscription | Only offers soccer titles |
| Data not available | FREE for one month | Only offers faith and family titles |
| Data not available | FREE for one month | Only offers documentaries |
| Minimum 5Mbps for streaming | 30 day free trial, mail-based or streaming | Some titles may have limited availability |
| Data not available | Compatible with most popular platforms and internet browsers, no cap on the number of devices you can link and access to all of HBO’s movies and TV shows. | Access to HBO Go requires a cable and HBO subscription. |
| Data not available | Helpful app, live TV and HD | In order to access the streaming service, you will need a cable or satellite subscription. |
| With a fast connection, a single video streamed on STARZ PLAY consumes approximately 1GB of data. | STARZ Play streaming, media options and family options | In order to start streaming, you need to select your cable, satellite, or telco company TV provider, and enter in your STARZ account information. |
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View detailsHow do I choose a streaming service that best suits me?
Yes, we all know Netflix is the crowned king of streaming video on demand (SVOD). Their unrivaled library, global expansion, and quality exclusives have cemented their position at the top for many years now. But did you know that Hulu Plus actually uses less data per hour, or that Amazon Prime Instant Video streams Comedy Central shows, like Key and Peele? It’s the little differences like these that will make you reconsider your streaming provider of choice. So sit back, relax and let us walk you through the many options available to you.
What is Streaming Video On Demand (SVOD)?
Internet TV, or SVOD, are provided by companies like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon. They allow us to stream the latest (and exclusive) content from your computer, Smart TV, smartphone, tablets, and gaming consoles. It’s a relatively new concept that allows for users to completely customize their viewing experience by allowing them to watch what they want, when they want. With a sturdy internet connection and a monthly subscription, you can get everything your cable provider already gives and so much more.
Television Network Streaming Services
From basic cable channels like CBS to premium services such as HBO and Showtime, different networks are starting to launch their own standalone streaming apps. Some options are listed below but make sure to research online to find more networks, as new apps and services are frequently becoming available.
- Showtime- Starting at $10.99 per month, Showtime recently went solo with its app streaming hit shows such as Masters of Sex, Homeland, and Shameless. Showtime streaming is currently available on Apple and Android devices, and Roku. Amazon Prime, PlayStation Vue, and Hulu customers can add Showtime to their accounts.
- HBO Now- The first major premium network to go out on its own was HBO. The network’s content has been available online for a while now via HBO Go, but uses had to log in with their cable network account information. For $14.99, you can sign up for HBO NOW, the online-only streaming version. Available on Android, iOS, Web, and Roku.
- CBS All Access– Stay up to date on all your favorite series and sitcoms such as NCIS, The Good Wife, and The Big Bang Theory, for only $5.99 per month. CBS All Access is compatible with Android, iOS, web, Roku, and Chromecast.
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Join Amazon Channels - Free Trial from Amazon
Amazon Channels offers a variety of TV shows and movie channels from Starz, HBO, Cinemax and more. Try a free trial today. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.
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Join HBO Free Trial from Amazon
Watch your favorite HBO shows, no cable or satellite needed. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.
View detailsWhat devices can I stream Internet TV on?
You can stream most services through just about any device with a display and an internet connection. From tablets, to Playstations, MacBooks to PCs, everyone is eligible to stream Internet TV. Below is a list of common devices used to stream Internet TV.
- PC
- iMac
- Macbook
- Xbox
- Xbox 360
- Playstation 3
- Playstation 4
- Wii
- Wii U
- Android Smartphones
- Android Tablets
- iPhone
- iPad
- Blu-ray Players
- Smart TV
Can I find Big Ten Network live on an internet provider? Cost?
Can I find Fox News live on an internet provider? Cost?
Hi Chaska,
Thanks for your inquiry.
Unfortunately, Big Ten Network and Fox News live channels are not included in any internet plan or internet provider. You can watch these channels from their official sites. I’m afraid there’s also no app for Big Ten Network and Fox News. You may contact your cable provider to get these live channels.
There’s also BTN Plus. To watch BTN Plus, purchase a monthly or annual BTN Plus Subscription on BTN2Go for conference-wide action or a single favorite school.
Best regards,
Rench