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Make of this what you will, but the free streaming service Tubi, owned by Fox, out rated several much larger U.S. pay streamers like Peacock, Max (aka HBO) and Paramount+ last month.
Free will often beat fee, and here's another instance where that seems to have been the case. The pay guys better hope it's an anomaly and not a trend.
Nielsen: Fox’s Free Ad-Supported Tubi Service Tops Peacock, Max, Paramount+ in November TV Market Share
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It depends on what you want to watch.
I watch Pluto when I want my classic television fix, like Frasier (I watched a couple of the ho-hum new episodes, and it just made me long for the classic run from NBC). For newer stuff, I would rather check out the HBO series Julia, or even catch up on shows I never got around to, like Mad Men. I like the stand up comedy specials from Ricky Jervais, Taylor Tomlinson, Bill Burr and Craig Ferguson, I think there is a niche for paid streamers, but the model doesn't seem to be working towards getting them profitable; especially Netflix.
But for me, it's down to the content. You just can't watch this stuff on linear television. The quality of streaming originals are just so much better ... er, usually.
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The more free stuff, the better, as far as I'm concerned.
I think Tubi and Pluto are both excellent services, depending on what you're looking for. But I generally can find something there to watch when I'm in the mood for vintage shows.
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If finances ever forced me to choose only one paid service, it would be Youtube Premium.
You want music? ✔️ News? ✔️ Opinion? ✔️ Movies ✔️ Old TV episodes? ✔️And an incredible assortment of madness. ✔️
The biggest problem with ad-free Youtube Premium is trying to escape.
Last edited by Dial Twister (December 19, 2023 12:19 pm)
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Other than news/information programming and the odd movie, I watch almost no OTA television anymore. Too many commercials, too many contrived reality/game shows, too many cop or medical dramas.
More and more I am watching Crave, HBO and right now Hollywood Suite which is on free preview. For cable it is news, comedy, documentaries and sports, so that doesn't leave much time for OTA network programming.
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Plex is another good FAST service worth having.
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Jody Thornton wrote:
But for me, it's down to the content. You just can't watch this stuff on linear television. The quality of streaming originals are just so much better ... er, usually.
Sometimes I'm shocked by the poor quality of old TV shows they allow on the air because I know better quality ones exist. For example, Sci-Fi plays various ones from the post 1986 Star Treks and some look like they're off old VHS cassettes set on normal speed, the video is so fuzzy. Of course the original series are excellent because they're from film and probably restored. I'm pleased to hear that Pluto is showing higher quality video programs so I'll keep that in mind for the future.
Last edited by SpinningWheel (December 19, 2023 1:32 pm)
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Dave The OTA guy wrote:
Plex is another good FAST service worth having.
Yeah, Plex is real easy to install and set up. /s