Comparing on-demand streaming services (Netflix, Disney, etc)
Today I’m going to be selfish and write about something that I’m doing research for myself on!
If you’ve been following, I recently bought a new home to move in to, and is (still) in the midst of renovation. The process is… very grueling, to say the least. Something that I’ll be sharing in parts in the near future once all the dust (pun intended) settles down.
Part of the reno + moving in process is that I can finally get my own smart TV! Yes, I’m currently living without one. With the smart TV, comes a choice of what should I stream from it.
(illegal) TV Boxes
I can’t say for other parts of the world.
But in Malaysia, a lot of times the natural move to getting streaming services on the TV is to go for those TV boxes. HIGHLY promoted by a lot of uncles & aunties.
For the uninitiated: These are pay once to get the box and free for life streaming. They usually promote that you can stream from all sorts of contents globally.
Yes, it is illegal. We should stop encouraging and paying people who steal from others for a living, don’t you agree?
The choices of streaming services that we have
There are a lot of on-demand streaming services out there now.
For this post, I’ll look into the following 7 that I’ve either considered or looked at:
Contents & Pricing
What do we get to stream on each platform compared to the pricing we pay for each of them?
To compare them, I created the following table.
| Streaming Services | Pricing | Contents Available |
|---|---|---|
| Netflix | Mobile: RM17/m Basic: RM35/m Standard: RM45/m Premium: RM55/m | TV shows, movies, documentaries, anime, Netflix Originals 1 device, mobile only 1 device, mobile & TV 2 devices, mobile & TV, HD 4 devices, mobile & TV, Ultra HD |
| Disney+ Hotstar | RM54.90/3m (~RM18.90/m) | Disney’s contents (incl movies, series, Pixar, 20th century fox, etc) |
| Prime Video | RM25/m | Amazon Originals |
| HBO GO | RM34.90/m RM69.90/3m (= RM23.30/m) | 20th century fox, Universal Picture, Warner Bros, HBO Originals However, contents (other than their originals) were reported to be added/removed from time to time. |
| iQiyi | Standard: RM10 or RM11.90/m Premium: RM15 or RM17.90/m Depending on monthly or yearly package (or Free for limited access) | Streaming service focused on Asian contents |
| Viu | RM8.33 – RM12.90/m Depending on package by period up to 1 year (or Free for limited access) | Streaming service focused on Asian contents |
| Astro | Primary: RM59.99/m Sports: RM89.99/m Entertain: RM89.99/m Movies: RM94.99/m Entertain+: RM129.99/m Platinum: RM194.99/m Premium 1: RM124.99/m Premium 2: RM149.99 Premium 3: RM154.99 | Basic Astro channels Basic + Sports Basic + Asian fav (x Korea) Basic + Movies + Disney Hotstar + HBO GO Entertain + Korea + Horror + Netflix All Astro + Netflix + Disney Hotstar + HBO GO Bundle = Primary + Movies + Sports Bundle = Entertain+ + Sports Bundle = Entertain+ + Movies |
The Streaming Originals
Now if you realised, most of the steaming services / platforms has original contents, which also means that they are exclusive to their own platforms.
So, we should also take a look at the original contents produced by each of these platforms for comparison.
| Streaming Services | Selected Original Contents |
|---|---|
| Netflix | Stranger Things, Narcos, Witcher, Squid Game, Love Death + Robots, Lupin, Queen’s Gambit, Peaky Blinders, Kingdom, Silent Sea |
| Disney+ Hotstar | Marvel Cinematic Universe, Pixar, Star Wars, National Geographic |
| Prime Video | Fleabag, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, The Wheel of Time, The Expanse, Patriot, The Boys, Reacher, Jack Ryan, Homecoming |
| HBO Go | Game of Thrones, The Wire, Band of Brothers, Rome, Oz, Doom Patrol, Peacemaker, True Detective, Westworld, The Nevers |
| iQiyi | My Dear Guardian, Forever & Ever, My Roommate is a Gumiho, Luoyang |
| Viu | Pretty Little Liars, My Bubble Tea, Jibril, Rewrite, The Bridge |
| Astro | Demon’s Path, Do[s]a |
Closing Thoughts: BTM chooses
That’s it! If you’ve read till here, then you’d more or less have an idea of what you would go for.
The Malaysian Favourite (?)
I really did consider Astro… given their valiant effort of keeping up with the times to incorporate other streaming services in their packages (i.e. Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, HBO Go). However, unless I’m into sports and the variety shows that Astro provides (which I’m not), the price is quite steep.
You’ll see what I mean.
The Streaming Service that BTM chooses!
My first go to, for sure, will be Netflix at RM55 / month for their huge variety of contents. So far, their original contents have not disappointed (much).
Then I’ll consider adding on Disney+ Hotstar for RM18.90 / month. Well, there’s the MCU, Star Wars and it’s Disney + Pixar!
As for the rest, I don’t have a compelling enough reason to subscribe to at this moment. Let alone enough time to consume the huge library of contents already offered by Netflix and Disney+ combined. Well, there are still free contents from iQiyi and Viu for more Asian contents.
That adds up to about RM74 / month for TV entertainment.
In comparison, to get both of these on Astro, it’ll cost at least RM150 / month.
What’s your pick?
Special Mention
Seriously, HBO GO and Prime Video has got great original contents. For those who are with Astro, do consider adding HBO GO, as well.
I know there are people out there who will be like “why are you wasting money and time subscribing to all these? You should be spending your time to make more income blah blah.”
Yes, I can save RM74 per month, which translates to RM888 (nice number) a year. I can use that money to invest and earn 3%, which would give me RM27 per year, which would then compound and so on and on.
I advocate spending wisely.
And I also advocate spending on what makes you happy. <– This is wise
Did I also mention that I don’t buy into FIRE?
So, you do you.
