Everything You Need To Know About Streaming Subscriptions
Are you ever at a loss on where you should stream movies or your dramas? There are so many streaming services and apps to choose from and offer different types of subscriptions and services. If you want to experiment with different types of streaming services with paid subscriptions, then you will spend a lot of money on your experimentation. I am an avid drama watcher and love binging, so I am very familiar with streaming services. Here are some of my go-to streaming apps and services and my experiences with them.
Youtube
Youtube is a popular streaming app for dramas, movies, and also other types of videos, such as music videos. Unlike many other streaming platforms, any user can upload content onto Youtube. Therefore, not only can you watch dramas or other series on Youtube, but other original content from creators or Youtubers. There are also music streaming services and music videos from artists.
Another difference from other streaming services is that there are many how-to videos by video creators showing how to learn new skills. For example, there are how-to videos to learn how to cook or knit, or origami. Learning visually from a video is much more effective and easier than learning by reading directions. I am a visual learner myself, so watching videos on Youtube has helped me a lot. Following written instructions is not something that I am good at, so watching how-to videos on Youtube has made it more convenient for me.
Youtube offers free services to non-subscribers, but there’s a catch to it, non-paid users get advertisements while watching videos. If you do not want to watch advertisements while watching videos on Youtube, then you can pay for a Youtube subscription. There are different plans for different services. The Youtube Premium membership for a family, or up to 5 members is $17.99 per month. An individual subscription is $11.99 per month and a student subscription is $6.99 per month.
Some Youtube premium benefits are watching videos not having to be interrupted by advertisements, downloading videos for offline watching (really beneficial if you are on a plane or traveling), and the Youtube music app. If you enjoy watching videos without being bothered by advertisements and like the Youtube music app, then a Youtube premium subscription might be something you would like to try. But if you’re like a drama lover like me, a Youtube premium subscription might not be worth it. I will explain shortly.
Unlike other streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, or Disney+, Youtube includes other content from video creators that are not dramas, series, or movies. Therefore, Youtube does not have functions that are tailored toward people who want to binge dramas. The intro music and ending credits must be manually skipped and full episodes of dramas are not grouped together unless there’s an existing playlist for the drama. On the other hand, other streaming services like Netflix or Hulu have functions on their app or website that are specifically designed for binging dramas.
Even though Youtube may not have functions on their service specifically for binging dramas, one thing that I like about watching dramas on Youtube is the comments section. Sometimes, when I have parts of the plot that I did not understand clearly, I would go to the comment section to get my confusion cleared up. It is also fun to go through the comments section of dramas on Youtube to read what others also think of the drama.
Netflix
Unlike Youtube, Netflix does not allow users to upload their own content to the platform but rather it offers movies and series to its viewers for a paid subscription. Netflix also does not have music videos, but only just dramas, TV shows, and movies.
Netflix is a paid subscription and does not have free services for unpaid viewers. The basic plan is $8.99 per month and is only available on one screen. On the other hand, the premium plan is $17.99 per month and it can be shared between 4 people and the same account can be used on multiple devices. The differences between the two plans are the number of devices the account can be used on and the video quality. But both plans include video downloading on devices which is convenient for traveling or watching on the plane. If you have a group of friends who want a Netflix account, I suggest getting the premium plan and share the cost. Each person will only have to pay about $4.50 a month, which is a lot cheaper than getting an individual, the basic plan is $8.99.
Netflix is tailored towards drama and TV show watching so there are many functions that are convenient while binging shows. For example, the video quality adjusts automatically, unlike Youtube. Also, there is an option to skip the beginning introduction of the show and the ending credits which makes it easier when you are binging shows. One of the services of Netflix that is one of my favorites is you can watch on either your phone or laptop and your watching history will be synched. I really like this service because I’m not always on one device watching, but switching between my phone and laptop. This way I do not have to remember which episode I have watched until. Netflix will save my watching history and I can pick up where I left off last time I watched.
Compared to Youtube, Netflix has many more TV shows, dramas, and movies and offers more subtitle options. While Youtube subtitles may sometimes be submitted by fans or put out by the original production company that is usually not very accurate and detailed, Netflix subtitles are more flawless. The timing of Netflix subtitles is a lot better than Youtube subtitles. The audio of Youtube may sometimes be cut off due to copyright problems, but you will not encounter that problem while binging shows on Netflix.
If you are a fan of American TV shows or Korean dramas, Netflix is your go-to place. I am a big fan of Chinese and Korean dramas and have struggled to find them on Youtube and other streaming websites. In recent years, there have been more Korean dramas available on Netflix as it has exclusively produced a few, such as Love Alarm.
Netflix has much more shows than other streaming services such as Hulu or Youtube, but even so, it has its own flaws. There is no rating system on Netflix or comments section. If you wanted to know if a TV show or series is good or not, you would have to do research on your own. This is inconvenient when searching for something new to watch. The price is also something that many people worry about. Paying a large amount of money every month for a subscription service that does not have many shows that you may want to watch may waste of money. Even so, if you think that a Netflix subscription may be something you want to try, there are 1-month free trials for new users.
Hulu
Not as well known as Netflix or Youtube, but Hulu is another streaming service that has a paid subscription like Netflix and its format is similar to Netflix. But unlike Netflix or Youtube, Hulu has a different subscription plan. Hulu offers many different plans to users.
Hulu plan with a student Spotify subscription, just $4.99 a month, but this is just the basic Hulu subscription that has advertisements while watching videos. A Hulu subscription with no advertisements is $11.99 a month. On the other hand, there is a Disney bundle that includes a subscription to Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu plan that is $13.99 (with advertisements) or $19.99 (no advertisements) with no advertisements, or Hulu + Live TV for $72.99 a month. There are many options of Hulu subscriptions to choose from.
Some services that Hulu offers with its subscription is a streaming library with many TV shows and movies and Hulu originals. You can either watch on your TV, laptop, phone, or your tablet and for a single account, you can create up to 6 user profiles. Creating different user profiles can allow for different people to use a single account and have the ability to personalize their own watching profile and watch on 2 different screens at the same time. Only the Hulu subscription with no advertisements allows viewers to download shows and watch in the future.
I have a Hulu subscription with a student Spotify subscription and I have experimented with watching some Korean dramas and the viewing experience was not as nice as Youtube or Netflix. One, like Netflix, there is no comment section or rating system for shows. Secondly, there is not playback speed option to watch at a faster speed, like Youtube or Netflix. Thirdly, compared to Youtube and Netflix, there are very few Asian shows. There are some Korean dramas that are all available on other streaming platforms, so if you want to have a Hulu subscription for Asian shows, I would not recommend you to do so. But if you want a Hulu subscription for the other American shows, it’s not a bad deal, especially if you want to watch sports and Disney shows, you can buy the Disney bundle.
WeTV
A must-have app if you enjoy watching Chinese dramas. WeTV is the international app for China’s Tencent Video app. WeTV is similar to Netflix as is it specifically designed as a drama viewing platform. It is a free app, just like Youtube, but also offers paid subscriptions plans.
The most basic plan for a WeTV VIP subscription is $5.99 a month, or $17.49 quarterly, or $56.99 for a yearly subscription. The benefits of a VIP WeTV subscription are being able to enjoy watching dramas without the interruption of advertisements, premium content for VIP members only, watching episodes in advance before free members get to, watching on 2 devices at the same time, and a special price for movie rentals.
If you are an avid Chinese drama watcher, then you can consider getting a VIP subscription. Sometimes, after a period of time, dramas on WeTV become VIP only, therefore free viewers are not able to watch for free anymore. If you want to be able to have access to more dramas, the VIP subscription is worth it. Also, being able to watch new episodes earlier is a good benefit to enjoy.
Not only are there Chinese dramas available on WeTV, but also other Asian dramas and anime. There are Thai, Korean, Taiwanese, and Japanese dramas available. There are anime and reality shows. If you become bored from binging dramas all day, you can switch from watching dramas to reality shows or anime, or another drama of a different language. The WeTv app also offers subtitles in different languages and also you can switch the language of the app if needed.
WeTV is a relatively new app and still needs a lot of improvement to be up to the level of Netflix or Youtube, but it is still a great streaming service for Asian shows. A lot of the features of the app and web version of WeTV do not function as smoothly as other streaming services and the visuals are not as good either. There is some lag in the video loading times, but that may be because of the wifi connection. These are just some negative aspects of WeTV, but they will not obstruct your viewing experience. If you are an avid Asian drama watcher, then a WeTV subscription may be something that you want to consider choosing.
iQiyi
If using you disliked the design of WeTV, you can consider using iQiyi international app. This app is similar to WeTV in the sense that it offers many Asian dramas. If you like binging Chinese dramas, this app is perfect for you. Like WeTV, there are also free dramas available to watch for non-paid viewers, but with advertisements.
There are 2 different subscription plans for iQiyi. The Standard monthly subscription is $6.99 a month and benefits include watching on 2 screens with 1080P HD quality, VIP content download, and watch episodes earlier than free viewers. The Premium subscription is like the Standard subscription but you can watch on 4 screens or devices at the same time. I would suggest if you want to buy a Premium subscription, you can share it with your friends or family members.
iQiyi offers different dramas than WeTV sometimes, so you can choose between the two if you like watching Chinese dramas. The iQiyi international app is older than the WeTV app, so it is easier to use and watch dramas compared with the WeTV app. If you enjoy watching American shows or other TV shows and also Asian shows, then you can choose a combination between Netflix or Youtube or Hulu, and WeTV or iQiyi.
Sometimes paying for different streaming services may not be worth it, but if you can smartly choose your subscriptions, then your binge-watching experience will be much more enjoyable. If paying for multiple subscriptions at a time may seem like too much, consider sharing an account with a friend or family member. Many streaming services allow subscribers to watch on multiple screens and accounts, therefore you can pay for a subscription with a friend or family member and share that account with them and it will be much cheaper for you.