Over the past few years, the world has rapidly moved from traditional ways of consuming media to streaming. The shift took a while to come about, but once it started, it took no prisoners. All of a sudden, streaming is the most popular way of watching TV, listening to music, and so much more. Not only has it given us new ways to consume media, but it has also given us the incentive to pay for it, by making it cheap and easily accessible.
If you’ve been left behind, don’t worry. There is still plenty of time to get aboard the streaming bandwagon. You just need to know where to get started, and you’ll be well on your way to having everything you need in the palm of your hand.
Just make sure you have a VPN, which can make streaming services think you are elsewhere in the world so that you can access content from everywhere. You’ll need it if you plan to watch BBC iPlayer abroad as well.
TV: Netflix and BBC iPlayer
To be fair, these are two very different services. BBC iPlayer is great for watching regular TV without actually owning a TV. Netflix, on the other hand, is an all-purpose, on-demand streaming service. Other companies are doing a good job of giving Netflix a run for their money, but they are still nowhere near actually challenging them for the top spot.
Netflix is growing in stature for a couple of reasons. The first is that its library of previously aired movies and TV shows is constantly growing, even if they face occasional setbacks (like Disney’s move to take Marvel movies across to its own streaming platform).
The second is that they are producing tons of original content, and a lot of it is extremely good. Unhindered by the demands of big networks, creators can produce something that is more true to their vision than the lowest common denominator network show would be.
Get Netflix if you plan on streaming TV and movies. No one else measures up.
Music: Spotify or Apple Music
This is a big debate among music fans, but for me it is simple. If you use an iPhone, use Apple Music and keep the free version of Spotify available. If you use anything else, Spotify is best.
Both essentially supply the same service – on-demand music from just about any artist anywhere. Each has its advantages, however. Apple Music quite simply works incredibly well in the Apple ecosystem. Spotify doesn’t have nearly as good functionality.
What Spotify does have is excellent playlists. These playlists are generated for you based on your streaming activity by a sophisticated algorithm. Apple’s playlists aren’t bad or all that far behind, but Spotify is as yet unmatched.
If you’re wondering whether Tidal is a better option for you, my opinion is you’re wasting your time. Tidal does have some artists who release exclusively on the platform (at least initially). However, their selling point is high-quality music files. Unless you have extremely good headphones (and I mean the £1 000+ variety) you’re not going to be able to tell the difference. If you can tell the difference, it’s not because it has any impact on your listening experience, but because you’re actively making a comparison.
This should get you started in the streaming world. A lifetime of content awaits.
