Even with your online learning, you probably have a lot of free time right now. And with most outdoor activities (that aren’t walks) off the menu, now’s the perfect time to binge some television and movies. If you don’t already subscribe to a streaming service, or are thinking of adding another, here’s a guide to the major players in the Canadian market specifically, with facts taking from Cansumer, The Globe and Mail, Narcity and Reader’s Digest
Disney Plus, the biggest new player in the market
What it costs you: $8.99 a month, or $89.99 a year (which saves you $18), with an account that can stream on four devices. There’s a seven-day free trial, too.
What you get: A near-complete library of Disney and Pixar movies and TV shows, perfect if you have kids, or for the kid in you. In addition to the Disney catalogue, you also gain access to libraries of stuff from Twentieth Century Fox (including every season of The Simpsons), Marvel Studios (including all the Marvel movies), Lucasfilm (including The Mandalorian) and National Geographic (including the World According to Jeff Goldblum). Plus, it’s all guaranteed to be family-friendly with no R-rated content present.
Netflix Canada, the long-time stalwart that you probably already have
What it costs you: $9.99 a month for the basic plan, which lets you stream on one device at once, $13.99 a month for the standard plan, which means two devices, and $16.99 a month to stream on four devices. There’s also currently no free trial, unfortunately.
What you get: Original productions like Stranger Things, Ozark, Orange is the New Black, and Netflix movies such as The Irishman, archives of popular older shows such as The Office, The Good Place, Black Mirror and Friends, a good selection of modern movies, plus documentaries such as Tiger King. Netflix’s mission is to appeal to the broadest market possible, so you have everything from kids’ shows to crime documentaries and to stand-up comedy specials.
Apple TV+ available on an Apple device near you
What it costs you: $5.99 a month for a subscription that covers six family members. There’s also a seven-day free trial. You can also get one year’s free subscription if you purchase an Apple TV or a new iPhone, iPad or Mac.
What you get: A library that consists entirely of original content in the form of movies, documentaries, TV shows and kid-friendly content. Offerings including new drama The Morning Show, black comedy Dickinson, and others. Unfortunately, they don’t have much of a back catalogue compared to other services. What they do have is big names like Oprah, Steven Spielberg, Octavia Spencer, and Jason Momoa behind their productions.
CBC Gem for that Canadian content
What it costs you: It’s actually free, if you’re willing to watch ads. For $4.99 a month, you can watch it for free, with live access to the CBC News Network.
What you get: Canadian shows, documentaries and movies, plus the occasional international thing. Local content includes The Great Canadian Baking Show, Working Moms, Schitt’s Creek, Kim’s Convenience, Anne with an E and Alias Grace, while international content includes Luther, starring Idris Elba. There’s also French-language programming from ICI Radio-Canada.
The Criterion Channel for the movie snob
What it costs you: $14 a month, or $133 for a year.
What you get: Movies only, in the form of thousands of contemporary and classic films, thanks to Criterion being in the business of distributing movies they consider to be culturally significant. This is also one of the few platforms that lets you access a lot of older movies, if that’s what you’re into. Among the many eclectic titles on the platform, you can find 3:10 to Yuma, many Godzilla films, Ghost World, The Graduate, Raging Bull, Withnail and I, and many more.
CBS All Access for Star Trek (and more CanCon)
What it costs you: $5.99 a month for the basic plan.
What you get: A lot of the content that airs on CBS, obviously, including reality TV, dramas, comedies, and children’s programming. It also streams live TV from CBS, CBSN, CBS Sports HQ, and ET Live. Current titles include NCIS, Big Brother, Young Sheldon, and the modern Star Trek shows Discovery and Picard.
Crave for the stuff that isn’t on Netflix (and HBO)
What it costs you: $9.99 a month for the basic plan, which gets you movies, Crave original shows, and past seasons of Showtime and HBO content. A full package of $19.99 a month will get you all that, along with current HBO and Showtime content, and access to different streaming channels. You can stream it on two devices, and it all comes with a one-month free trial.
What you get: Basically, any new-release Hollywood films that don’t go to Netflix end up here, like Aquaman, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and Crazy Rich Asians. You can also get access to HBO’s back catalogue of programming, like Game of Thrones, Westworld, The Sopranos and Sex in the City. Crave is Canadian-owned, which means there’s plenty of Canadian content, too like Letterkenny and The Handmaid’s Tale. It’s also the current home of Seinfeld, if you want another older sitcom to binge on.
Amazon Prime Video, which you might already have without knowing it
What it costs you: It comes free with a $79-per-year Amazon Prime membership (hence why a lot of people might already have it). Otherwise, it costs $8.99 a month, with streaming for up to three devices, and has a month-long free trial.
What you get: Amazon has managed to produce a fairly large slate of original programming that’s become very well-regarded, including The Boys, Good Omens, Jack Ryan, The Man in the High Castle, Transparent and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. It also includes an eclectic mix of old movies, from The Godfather to The Dead Zone, and TV shows like Downton Abbey, Parks & Recreation, Mr. Robot and House.
Shudder for those that like scary stuff
What it costs you: $5.99 a month, or $56.99 for a year.
What you get: Horrifying content for those that can take it. AMC, makers of The Walking Dead, are behind this service. It comes with movies, TV shows, podcasts and original content, like Child’s Play, It Follows, 3 From Hell, Greg Nicotero’s Creepshow, Daniel Isn’t Real, The Wrath and Belzebuth
Crunchyroll for the anime-lover in all of us
What it costs:
$7.99 a month, $22.99 for three months, or $69.99 for a year.
What you get: Just Manga, Anime and Japanese drama, with a selling point being simulcasts directly from Japan, so you can keep up with the latest episodes of what you’re watching. This service is for you if these shows mean anything to you: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Demon Slayer, Naruto Shippuden, Attack on Titan, One Punch Man and One Piece.
Tubi
What it costs: It’s absolutely free! You don’t even need to sign up, though signing up lets you make a proper que.
What you get: No original content, but an extensive movie archive like
Collateral, There Will be Blood, and the Passion of the Christ, plus an eclectic selection of TV shows, like Hell’s Kitchen, Unsolved Mysteries, Third Rock from the Sun, and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.
By Anthony Geremia