With most of us still under self-quarantine at home due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, streaming services have proven to be a vital tool to have at our disposal. We’re pretty fortunate too as the market is currently inundated with a wide variety of services offering thousands of hours of content.
Personally, I’ve relied on streaming services for a number of years now, ever since I literally cut the cord on ASTRO almost five years ago. Frankly, despite the initial hurdle of missing live telecast of my favourite sports, I really didn’t miss satellite TV all that much.
That’s primarily because today’s streaming services not only host abundant amount of content but also with the added benefit of on-demand viewership, allowing you the opportunity to be entertained when you want, whenever you want. With the world under lockdown for the next several weeks, these streaming services should prove ideal to have to keep the boredom away.
YouTube
Price: Free; Premium: From RM14.90
You don’t need an introduction to YouTube because it’s been around since 2005. But along with the hard-to-find clips, music videos and other archival footage, the video service also has a ton of original content and shows. This includes Fitness videos as well as original series like Cobra Kai and short form series such as Mortal Kombat. It remains one of the most ideal and accessible content streaming services, and it won’t even cost you a cent, as long as you don’t mind those pesky advertisement videos that play before and during each video.
iWonder
Price: From RM21
If you’re a fan of documentaries, then iWonder is probably the ideal streaming service to subscribe to. The service specifically specialises in documentaries and investigative-type programmes, many of which are award-winning and critically-acclaimed. Standout shows include Untouchable, which chronicles the Harvey Weinstein scandal and The Kleptocrats, which investigates the 1MDB scandal.
Amazon Prime
Price: RM25
What they don’t have in terms of abundant content, Amazon Prime makes up for it in quality. For its price, the movie catalogue is relatively unimpressive but its original series undoubtedly makes up for it in a big way. Amazon Originals such as Jack Ryan, Marvellous Ms Maisel, Good Omens and The Boys are not just great television shows but are also highly binge-worthy. Take it for a free trial for seven days and see if you’re convinced by the end of it for a full subscription.
HBO GO
Price: Access Under Astro Movie Pack Subscription
In my opinion, HBO GO is the best of the lot when it comes to streaming content. The only downside is that for now it’s only accessible for Astro HBO/Movie Pack Subscribers. In terms of quality and quantity, HBO GO is the most complete amongst all streaming services available on Malaysian shores at the moment. There is an abundant selection of old shows as well as relatively recent blockbusters plus, HBO’s original slate of content is rather impressive with recent shows like WestWorld, Barry and Watchmen featuring prominently with classics like The Sopranos, True Blood and True Detective.
Netflix
Price: From RM17
Netflix is essentially the hypermarket of streaming services. It’s got tons of content but alongside some really good original shows like Stranger Things, The Crown, Mindhunter and The Witcher, it also has some rather dubious shows like The i-Land and V-Wars. The same applies to its film catalogue with quality Academy Award winners like Roma and American Factory alongside dumbed-down direct-to-video quality shows like I Love You Man and Ridiculous 6. Overall though, Netflix still provides the best-bang-for-your-buck subscription for viewers due to its extensive library of shows from across the globe.
