Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Streaming Video Power Rankings: Week 1

All rankings are highly subjective, but, hey, it's me. You can trust me.

1) Netflix: May always be #1 just because it's Netflix, and right now it's getting some good vibes for recent premieres like the Pee Wee Herman movie and new seasons of "Daredevil" and "Happy Valley." But watch me complain next week about the loss of "MASH" April 1...and I am not even a fan of "MASH."

2) Hulu: I haven't been thrilled with the recent acquisitions, but the acquisitions keep coming, proving Hulu isn't done collecting content. And positive buzz is building for upcoming original "The Path."

3) HBO Now: It's way too expensive, but announcement of the return of "The Larry Sanders Show" reruns is a great bit of news.

4) Amazon Prime: I'm not into Doctor Who, either, but that's a good get for Prime in a week when many of the other contenders were off their games.

5) Shout TV: I am PUMPED to see what this FREE service adds April 1.

5) WWE Network: Expect a big surge of viewers for WrestleMania week even though the Mania build is alarmingly weak this year.

6) Pub-D-Hub: I love you, Pub-D-Hub, but you haven't updated in several weeks, and your home screen merely says no update 3/12-3/19 due to office closure. Don't go Warner Archive on us!

7) Crackle: Good news: Got some pub in the wake of the sudden passing of Garry Shandling as people realized Crackle had "Larry Sanders." Bad news: Crackle dropped the series several months ago.

8) Warner Archive Instant: Deserves credit for actually doing something for the first time in months. It actually added some movies! Unfortunately, they're TV movies that were on WAI before. Furthermore, WAI added titles to its dreaded "Leaving Soon" category. Remember when we thought this would be a real boon to classic movie lovers?

9) Tubi TV: Underrated FREE channel that deserves more love.

10) Acorn TV: Needs an influx of exciting programming.

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