A breakdown on the four new streaming platforms

The Golden Age of streaming is behind us.

At one point, there was only Netflix. And it had everything from shows like The Office and Friends to your favorite Disney-owned properties like Marvel movies and Star Wars. Soon though, nothing will be the same. Big brands like Disney, Apple, HBO, and NBC will be taking their content and putting it on their own individual streaming services. The result? Cable 2.0. With all the major companies splitting up and charging a monthly fee to access their content, you need to know what each one of them is offering for the price and what you can expect if you decide to sign up. Here’s the breakdown:

Big brands like Disney, Apple, HBO, and NBC will be taking their content and putting it on their own individual streaming service.

Disney+

Cost: $6.99 a month
Launching: November 12

Out of all the forthcoming streaming services, Disney’s seems to be the most essential. With over 60 years of content to pull from, Disney has the largest library of movies and television series of all the streaming services. Want the classic animated movies like Peter Pan and Cinderella? Check. What about the entire Pixar collection? Check. All of Star Wars? What about the Marvel movies? Check and check. Maybe you’re craving some classic Disney Channel shows like Even Stevens, That’s So Raven, or Hannah Montana? Consider it done. Not only will Disney+ have pretty much everything ever produced by Disney, but it will also be the exclusive streaming home to the entire catalogue of The Simpsons, since the company’s acquisition of Fox earlier this year. It will also have National Geographic and ESPN content too, due to Disney’s ownership of those brands. And on top of having the largest back catalogue to pull from, Disney+ will also feature new shows from top properties like Marvel and Star Wars, such as Falcon and the Winter Soldier (dropping late 2020), and The Mandelorian (November 12). Obviously, Disney+ is stacked. And at $6.99, you’d almost be foolish not to sign up. The service is available November 12 and will slowly be adding most of the Disney library over the next year. So don’t be alarmed if every Marvel movie isn’t available at launch. Patience!

Apple+

Cost: $4.99
Launched: November 1

Apple’s attempt at streaming seems to be a more simple venture than the rest. Full of original new shows for you to stream, Apple is focusing on pulling you in with interesting, new content rather than acquiring the rights to any major properties. If you head over to Apple+ right now, you’ll be able to see Jennifer Aniston in her first TV outing since Friends, in her new original The Morning Show, starring alongside Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carell. Also coming to Apple+ are original shows like Dickinson, See, and For All Mankind. At $4.99, Apple+ seems to be worth the investment if you like the idea of original new shows starring some of the biggest A-list celebs. And if you purchase a new Apple product, you get Apple+ free for a year. So that’s cool.

HBO MAX

Cost: $14.99
Launches: May 2020

HBO is responsible for paving the way for premium television shows with series like Game of Thrones, The Sopranos, The Wire, and others. Now, HBO Max is their streaming service that’s set out to continue creating original premium television while also maintaining a library of mega-hits. HBO Max will be home to TV hits like Friends, The Big Bang Theory, Sesame Street, Looney Tunes, and others. Some of the original content coming to the streaming service includes a Grease spinoff, Anna Kendrick and Ansel Elgort led projects, a new Gossip Girl, and a Green Lantern show, amongst other live-action DC comics series. At $14.99 a month, HBO Max is the priciest of the upcoming streaming services, but there’s still a bit of time before it launches in May of 2020. We’re sure to hear some new announcements before the service drops, and maybe they’ll convince you to subscribe by then.

Peacock

Cost: TBD
Launches: April 2020

Little is known about NBCUniversal’s streaming service at this point. We know it will be home to beloved shows like The Office, Park and Recreation, and Saturday Night Live. They boast that the service will launch with over 15,000 hours of content to stream, and that it will feature original new series from creators like Mike Schur (The Good Place, The Office). The service will also feature a catalogue of blockbuster and critically acclaimed films from Universal Pictures, Focus Features, DreamWorks Animation, Illumination, and other studios. With not much more info than that, we’ll have to wait and find out if Peacock is worth the investment.