Johanna Ericson
Reporter
During their downtime, students and professors love to take a break from their busy work weeks by opening one of their favorite streaming apps and tuning into the many movies or shows offered by the services.
However, over time more and more streaming services have begun to be launched across the world. Where less than five years ago there were only a few popular streaming services, there are now dozens that people can choose to spend their time and money on.
Some of the most talked-about shows among students include “Squid Games” and “You,” both of which are on Netflix. However, some students enjoy other streaming such as Philo, which allows users to watch live television or Pluto, which offers similar features.
“I love it (Philo) because it allows you to watch cable and basically Netflix at the same time for an affordable price,” said Shakia Butler, a junior Music Education major at Mississippi University for Women.
Butler says her favorite show on the app is Tyler Perry’s “Sistas.”
“It displays African American women and men leading lifestyles of professionalism while they are enduring relationship trials and errors,” Butler said. “You don’t see that too often, and I believe positive representation matters.”
Streaming services also help students in film classes watch the movies that are required for their courses. Tyler Newell, a senior Communication major at The W, said he prefers Hulu for this reason, along with shows like “Dave” and “American Horror Story.”
“My favorite streaming service is Hulu, because it always seems to have what I’m looking for, plus it has so many separate add-ons as well,” said Newell.
“I probably have two favorites,” said Dr. Barry Smith, chair of The W’s Communication Department. “One is Netflix because Netflix has been around for a long time, and it has a very broad range of content, so I feel like Netflix always has something to watch. It might be an old favorite, it might be something new, it might be original content, but they have probably the widest variety of content of any of the streaming services.
“My other favorite is Disney+,” said Smith. “Because Disney+ has “Star Wars.” They have all the “Star Wars” movies, plus they have original “Star Wars” content.”
It’s no secret that streaming services have displaced cable television when it comes to viewing pleasure. Whether people are binge-watching the latest hit series, or just simply want to zone out to something, such as a nostalgic show from their childhood, there is always a streaming service out there that will have what they want.