Netflix:

If you want something that will hone in on ‘what you like’, then Netflix is the one for you. Its Algorithm is great. It knows what I want to watch. For example, it knew that I wouldn’t like Emily in Paris or Bridgerton, so it didn’t appear on the front page.

It caters for children. Adults are not the only people Netflix is for. However, if you want to watch content not suitable for children, there are plenty of options, and each family member has their own password reflecting their tastes.

Finally, it produces new stuff regularly, so it is my favourite of the networks. Also, it shows the Top 10 of what people are watching, the latest releases, and the content that Netflix thinks you will like.

BBCiPlayer

BBCi, which comes free with the licence, is the BBC’s own streaming site. I like this. It has lots of content, and if you want something with an English accent, then this is the place to go.

However, other content providers do do English stuff, for example, Netflix recently did Adolescence and Toxic Town. I am not as familiar with Disney+ so I cannot comment.

This is not to say that it does not provide good foreign entertainment; it does. For example, on Halloween, it provided horror films and more than enough chilling content to keep you going. Most were from other countries.

Also, it has access to a vast amount of BBC entertainment. For example, it has much of the David Attenborough nature content. This is just scratching the surface; the content is on par with behemoths like Disney+ and Netflix for documentaries.

As well as this it is beneficial for football fans. You can get access to Match Of The Day if you want to see 10-minute highlights of any match that has been played the week before. I am a Sky Sports user, so I don’t use M.O.T.D, but it is nice to have.

M.O.T.D is a BBC icon, but you can also watch Strictly Come Dancing, EastEnders and much more.

Finally, it keeps things that people love about the BBC permanently, such as Gavin and Stacey, all three series and the Christmas specials. There is also Wallace and Gromit.

Terrestrial television is slowly dying and being replaced by BBCi and other streaming services mentioned, and they are making an excellent attempt to keep viewers happy. Richard Osmond, a television producer, thinks it would be a good idea for all the other British content providers to join together to form a single British ‘mega app’.

Disney+

Disney+ is very good. It started as a ‘family only’ app but has since evolved into a giant behemoth of content after purchasing Fox from Rupert Murdoch and acquiring material from other providers, including fellow streaming giant Hulu.

It is more American than Netflix and has less of that ‘around the world’ feel. This is not in its favour. However, there is some good stuff. It has exclusive rights to Grey’s Anatomy. It also has Gilmore Girls, which I am fond of.

It also has many film-length documentaries, including many about the Beatles and one about Camden Town’s creativity, which is interesting. There are also some about mega stars such as Bruce Springsteen and Elton John.

Finally, Disney+ has excellent child-friendly content. It has content that families can watch together. It has Disney cartoon films, the Muppets, Star Wars and Marvel. Talk about bonding material.

I have only recently started using Disney+, to be honest and the algorithm has only just started to find its way regarding my tastes.

Firstly, you don’t have to have a satellite dish on your house anymore. It is all streamed.

Sky is big. If you have a Sky, it is a ‘gatekeeper’, and a very useful one at that. It acts as a giant algorithm. It has all the popular content that Sky has produced. It also comes with a new ‘technology’ that allows you to talk to your remote control.

For example if you want to watch the film ‘The Godfather’ you can say ‘Hello Sky I want to watch the Godfather’ and it will show you if it is on across all the streaming platforms whether it is available. This is a valuable feature.

Finally, Sky has ‘Sky Movies’. There are some 1,000 movies constantly changing. I have this, and it is excellent.

What is very good about it is that it is a ‘parent’ app that allows access to all the other ‘apps’ as Sky likes to call them, just by talking to it. No searching needed. I should watch more of the Sky Stuff as Sky Atlantic has access to some good HBO content like The Wire, The Sopranos, and Game of Thrones.

Anyway, I am sure it is excellent, but I am one man, and I cannot watch all this telly. I have watched 3 seasons of The Sopranos, and I can vouch that it is one of the best TV series ever made. I have watched three episodes of Game of Thrones, but couldn’t handle the commitment of watching all 20 seasons. That is not to say it is bad. It isn’t. But HBO is quality. Soon HBO Max will be hitting our shores, and I will watch with interest to see what they have.

Note: All the Sky stuff is streamed on NOW which is cheaper if you can’t afford SKY or you dont have a SKY box. This includes Sport. However the more packages you have, e.g Sport or movies the more it costs.

With the Sport move your mobile phone to another room as the streamed stuff reacts slower than the mobile phone technology. For example, I watched Arsenal vs Stoke many years ago, and Stoke had the very beginnings of a counter. My phone beeped, indicating that Stoke’s goal was going to go in before it happened on television—just a warning.

Conclusion

To be honest, if I were stuck on a Desert Island and had to choose only one, then it would probably be Netflix. This is only because of the familiarity with the product. I am pretty sure that all 4 have more than enough individually to keep me busy.

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