Streaming Video Power Rankings #151

Let's get to it, folks. This was such a big week for news and events that the usual first-of-the-month add assortment doesn't have the impact it normally would.

1) YouTube/YouTube TV: Let's give a final shout to YouTube TV, which I think is by far the best overall cordcutter live TV service (I haven't tried Hulu yet). I am saying goodbye to it for now, but I am pleased to learn I can pause my membership and keep my settings AND DVR recordings for several months in case I want to reactivate it later.  On price, channel lineup, overall performance, and especially the unlimited DVR, I think YouTube TV bests everyone else out there that I have sampled.

2) Hulu: I did start diving into Hulu this past week, and the service dropped it's base subscription by two bucks, which warrants a high spot in any list. Plus the live TV part of it reportedly passed DirectTV Now by reaching 2 million subscribers, now trailing only Sling.

3) Netflix: Netflix is only number 3 because of extraordinary circumstances.  I got on a big Friends roll again this week, and more importantly, the streamer did so well at the Oscars (most notably Alfonso Cuaron's Best Director win for Roma) that Steven Spielberg felt the need to declare that IT MUST BE STOPPED.

4) Amazon Prime Video: Any other week, Amazon might be higher on the strength of new original series The Widow with Kate Beckinsale (though I heard surprisingly little buzz about it), plus the entire run of Little House on the Prairie, The Practice/Boston Legal, and The Unit.

5) Tubi TV: Kudos to Tubi--ad supported but free, remember--for announcing a major licensing deal with Comcast/NBC/Universal/Woody Woodpecker/Whatever it is that will bring old series like Magnum P.I. and Battlestar Galactica, plus others that haven't been rebooted (why no Punky Brewster V 2.0?) to the service. Tubi ain't messing around, and there go my fears that Comcast would save all its library content for its OWN forthcoming streaming service.

6) DC Universe: Doom Patrol seems to be holding strong, but I am checking out the original Young Justice on here, a show I didn't "get" the first time around.

7) HBO: The explosive Jacko documentary is making headlines, plus it debuts Skyscraper, which on one hand is a "see it in a theater" movie but on the other seems like a "wait for HBO" movie. I final saw Justice League on here this week, too. W

8) Disney Now: I sure hope my kids aren't too bummed when they find out I don't have authentication through YT anymore.

9) MLB TV: Because baseball is back1 Yes, exhibition games, but it's baseball!

10) Starz: I give it props for adding Good Times and re-adding Diff'rent Strokes to its Starz Black channel as well as the on demand offerings on the network and the app.