A reader recently wrote to DFA commenting that she was finally getting used to paying for Netflix and Amazon Prime video when she saw ads for new streaming content services like Disney+, Apple TV, Peacock, Quibi and HBO Max. Is there any way to rate them on price, content and availability? she asked. She also learned that some of these new services were really cheap or free to try out, but might not be available on her TV, Roku or Amazon Fire TV stick and wondered why.

Here’s a rundown

DFA says that some of these new streaming channels are so cheap or give you a free trial, that if you have a streaming box like Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Google Chromecast, you can get a week’s worth of the programming for free and then maybe as little as $5 a month.

In addition, many new TVs have these Apps built in and the purchase of the TV will enable you to get a free preview or, if you purchase any new iPhone, iPad, Mac or other Apple product, you will get Apple TV+ for free for a year.

Some of the new streaming content providers like HBO Max and Comcast’s Peacock are ONLY available on your Mobile phone or Tablet, as they have not signed on with any set-top boxes yet.

HBO Max: Many experts incorrectly claimed HBO Max would be free to most HBO subscribers. It actually costs around $14.99 a month but does encompass lots of the AT@T-Time Warner family like the Warner Brother’s TV and film library, and content from AT&T’s properties, such as Cartoon Network, CNN, DC Entertainment, TBS, The CW, TNT, and Turner Classic Movies and most of HBO’s original programming. HBO Max also has exclusive streaming rights to every episode of Friends and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air plus original series including Love Life, starring Anna Kendrick, and Legendary, a new reality competition show. There’s also DC’s Doom Patrol and, thanks to an exclusive deal, all 12 seasons of The Big Bang Theory through 2028.

Disney+: Not to be outdone, Disney offers their new Disney+ subscription streaming service at $7 per month or $70 if paid annually. It seems like this is one of the cheapest content services but, in reality, 60% of its programs are for kids with sparse original programming or specials like Hamilton.
Disney also seems to be taking aim at Netflix with a bundled plan that combines Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu, all for $13 per month.

As a reminder, Disney now owns all of the Star Wars movies, thanks to its acquisition of Lucas Films, as well as Marvel Studios and Pixar. Its most recent acquisition is 20th Century Fox—home to movie franchises such as Avatar, Deadpool, X-Men, and TV shows such as The Simpsons and Empire—as well as National Geographic shows.
And, of course, Disney has a huge library of its own animated and live-action films and TV series. Some of that content is currently licensed to Netflix in a deal that will be ending.
Among the new original content is The Mandalorian, a Jon Favreau-directed series set in the Star Wars universe that cost an estimated $10 million for each of its 10 episodes.
The Disney+ app, which features individual tiles for each of the prominent Disney brands, is available on lots of devices, including LG and Samsung smart TVs, plus Android TVs and Roku TVs. You can also access the service from most streaming players, game consoles, Android and iOS smartphones, and via web browsers.

Apple TV+: The computer behemoth has entered the content arena with a big splash. Last year’s The Morning Show an original series with a stellar cast and big-name writer-producers, was a pretty big hit at launch. It also guaranteed itself a big audience by offering the service for free for many Apple product owners.
Our favorite series was Little Voice, about an up-and-coming singer, from director J.J. Abrams and singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles, and Central Park, an animated musical comedy from the creator of Bob’s Burgers.
Other specials with big-name writers and Hollywood stars were already starting to film, but were caught in the content standstill by the Corona Virus. We’ve previewed Apple TV+ on a number of hardware platforms including Roku and LG TVs and found that while some of the content was very good, Apple’s deals with other providers like HBO, Showtime and Hulu made the selection process for what you want to watch on Apple TV+ confusing.

Quibi: Quibi (Quick Bites), the newest service aimed at millennials and those of you that enjoy shorter style (15 minutes and under ) programming. It was created by ex-Disney boss Jeffrey Katzenberg and former eBay honcho Meg Whitman and was supposed to be the most unusual new streaming service. Quibi has lots of short-form content, from series-based scripted stories to reality TV and chapter driven theatrical releases.
It has been a somewhat disappointing start for the service with less than 3 million subscribers compared to Apple’s and Disney’s new services which claim ten times the paid viewers. To account for its slow start, Quibi is offering a free trial, but it is mostly only available on mobile phones and Tablets.
Quibi is formatted for small devices and charges $5 for ad-supported videos and $8 for commercial-free content. According to Wall Street experts, Quibi’s reliance on small mobile devices could change soon. Currently produced in a vertical format, its investors are thinking of creating the content in a horizontal format.

HULU: Owned and operated by several broadcast networks, Hulu was first used by consumers whose TV service didn’t offer on-demand for their favorite shows. With its growing popularity, Hulu produced some award-winning series and programming. Priced less than Netflix or Amazon Prime Video at about $8.99 a month with ads and more for programs without ads, Hulu has been bundling its service with HBO, Showtime, and others in a bulk discount.

The one service that is only available on phones and Tablets is Comcast/NBCs Peacock. The new service which can’t seem to land a deal on any of the TV makers, or streaming hardware platforms, Peacock encompasses lots of iconic and new TV episodes, including Yellowstone, Law & Order: SVU, 30 Rock, and Frasier. Movies from Universal Pictures, DreamWorks, and more. Unlike many other services it does include live news, Premier League soccer matches.
sports highlights and docuseries. Because of the NBC-Universal library, there lots of kids stuff too. Peacock’s streaming app is available on Vizio and LG smart TVs, as well as iOS (Apple iPhones and some Android mobile devices, Android TV, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Chromecast. The service is also available through its official website.