3 New Streaming Services we Can’t Wait to Try in 2020

Back in the old days of the internet, online content streaming was a much simpler matter than it is today. We had a few competing services offering everyone a chance to upload a short clip — back then, the limit was 10 minutes or so in most cases. Then in 2006, a short-lived DivX.com emerged, taking things to the next level. And 2007 came with the birth of the biggest online video content streaming revolution: the launch of the Netflix streaming service.

Netflix became a thing the same year the smartphone as we know it was born – and it soon found its way to the pocket-sized cinema we carry around wherever we go. Smartphones became more than just a tool to snap selfies and play a few spins at the Lucky Nugget Online Casino — they have grown into a full-blown multimedia experience many have used for binge-watching series on the go. Netflix’s multiplatform presence – and its dedication to serving its customers with high-quality original content – made it the online service of choice for cord-cutters and other tech-savvy individuals around the world. And, as you might expect, its popularity came with a downside: competition.

Streaming newcomers in 2020

Last year, we’ve seen a few streaming services hit the market, complete with their original programming. Some, like “DC Universe”, didn’t make the cut. Others, like Disney+ and Apple TV+, are going strong, pushing their amazing lineup of original programming and stealing subscribers from Netflix in the process. Some, like CBS All Access and HBO Go, are linked to a TV channel, broadcast or otherwise. And the market seems not to be saturated yet: more new services backed by massive media conglomerates will launch in the near future.

HBO Max (May 2020)

HBO – you know, the one with Game of Thrones – already has two streaming services: HBO Go and HBO Now. The latter is a standalone service not tied to an HBO cable subscription. Now WarnerMedia plans to launch a brand new service called “HBO Max” with even more content and original programming.

HBO Max will be the melting pot of all Warner content, adding a few “ingredients” from third-parties, too. The service will have content from the HBO, the CW, BBC (including Doctor Who, Luther, and Top Gear), and a handful of cult series like The Big Bang Theory and South Park, among others.

Some of the more interesting and attractive original content set to be launched with HBO Max we find the first live-action Dune series (Dune: The Sisterhood), the yet-untitled “Friends” reunion special, the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel, and many more.

Hulu (already here)

Wait, you might say, isn’t Hulu a thing already? Well, it is… but it is going to change as a result of Disney’s acquisition of Fox (its parent company).

The complicated deal between Disney and Fox came with Hulu in the package, adding it to the already long list of Mouse House properties. Now Disney plans to reorient the service: it will become a streaming brand for general entertainment outside of Disney’s family-oriented content. The service will go international (probably in 2021) but until then, American viewers will get a nice selection of original programming on it.

Among the other attractive properties already on Hulu, there are a few pieces of content that we look forward to seeing there, including the upcoming third season of the hit science fiction series “The Orville”, a serialization of Douglas Adams’ cult novel series “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”, a series based on Marvel’s “Helstrom”, and a revival of the animated series “Animaniacs”.

Peacock (April and Beyond)

Finally, let us mention the upcoming streaming service backed by NBCUniversal with a name inspired by NBC’s logo. Peacock is set to be launched on April 15 (for Comcast’s Xfinity cable and broadband customers) and July 15 (for the rest of the US). It will have an ad-supported “free” tier and a “Premium” version for $5 a month. And it will come with a few very brave pieces of original programming.

Among others, Peacock will take its viewers back to the 13 Colonies with a new “Battlestar Galactica” reboot, it will revive series like “Punky Brewster” and “Saved by the Bell”, and it will adapt Aldous Huxley’s famous dystopian novel “Brave New World” to the small screen. And it will also have sweethearts like “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation”, too.