Streaming Video Power Rankings: Week 17

Well, Wall Street clearly does not take stock in these rankings, as the share price of Netflix plummeted despite last week's #1 spot. Hey, Wall Street, I don't take stock in YOU. I mean that literally. I really need an investment strategy. But anyway...

1) Netflix: Why did Netflix stock decline? Because it didn't do as well as was forecasted. It added 1.68 million subscribers last quarter. Think about that. But "Wall Street" forecasted more, so increased revenue and growth wasn't good enough because it wasn't ENOUGH enough.

Hey, wouldn't it be cool if  the original "Wall Street" was on Netflix so we could all go watch it now? It's not.

So why is Netflix #1? Because I am defying Wall Street and the MAN, folks! Also because it garnered Emmy nominations for various projects, "Stranger Things" continues to get good buzz, (including a strong thumbs up from my sister), plus I got back into "Cheers" reruns this week.

2) Warner Archive Instant: One glorious final week high in the rankings on the strength of how entertaining "The Lieutenant" is. Will WAI get its act together and entice me back? Let's see if it adds anything in time for San Diego Comic Con, as it did last year with the Golden Harvest film titles. Adding something it can tout, like 'Gilligan's Planet" or even "Super Globetrotters" or "Tarzan" or "Shazam!" would be a nice signal that someone is still paying attention.

3) Hulu: Summer doldrums continue, but I'm curious about the "Showtime Free Preview" starting Friday. Last time, I believe it was just a collection of debut episodes you could sample. Hulu is coasting, but it still provides better value than many other sites.

4) Shout! Factory TV: When I drop WAI, it's gonna be prime time for Shout again. This week it was all about variety for me, with Cavett and "Black Omnibus."

5) YouTube: All I'll say is there has been a lot of great sports content on here lately. I get more than my money's worth (0$) each week.

6) SeeSo: Two things make me happy about SeeSo this week. One, it is picking up the pace on original content, with the new series "Harmontown" the latest example. Two, my free beta trial has apparently been extended and I will be watching more stuff on here for a while. I have to admit the second thing makes me happier than the first.

7) Pub-D-Hub: Unspectacular update this week...but still an update!

8) Crackle: Hey, guess what? Crackle is still annoying with its auto-start ("Comedians in Coffee" right now), but it may have redeemed itself somewhat by adding "Fantasy Island." Sadly, it's only 5 episodes and not even the first 5 in order, but it's something. It's something I have no business watching, but I did, and I got through an entire episode without a reboot, a buffer, or any interruptions beside the frequent commercials. I think Crackle may be making progress!

9) MLB.TV: The Pirates are in the Free Game of the Day tonight, and longtime readers know what that means. So do first-time readers after I tell them: It means MLB makes it into the top 10!

10) Weather Underground: It's been very hot and very humid. For some reason I get a kick out of turning it here and seeing a number. I know it's hot, but HOW hot? Kudos again to WU's unassuming Roku channel.