Guide to Streaming for Seniors in 2023

What Is a Streaming Service?

Broadly speaking, a streaming service is similar to cable or satellite TV. You pay a monthly fee that gives you access to a variety of video content, including movies and television shows. The main difference between streaming and traditional TV is that streaming services operate through your internet connection, while cable and satellite operate through their namesake connections.

Streaming services function much like smartphone apps, and in most cases — such as Netflix, Hulu, and HBO Max — they offer predominantly on-demand video content. Some streaming services, such as FuboTV and Sling TV, offer predominantly live content.

Benefits of Streaming Services

Streaming services are numerous and varied compared to cable and satellite TV, but they generally offer many benefits.

• Lower costs: Streaming services generally cost $20 or less per month, making them far more affordable than cable or satellite. In most cases, streaming services also don’t require contracts.
• Minimal setup: Streaming services are app-based, meaning you can quickly install them on your smart device and you won’t have to pay fees for cable boxes, satellite dishes, or installation.
• Multiple screens: Since streaming services are app-based, you can watch programming on your TV, computer, smartphone, or tablet.
• Exclusive programs: Many of the most popular shows in recent years —  “House of Cards,” “Handmaid’s Tale,” “Orange Is the New Black” and more — are available exclusively on streaming services.

Drawbacks of Streaming Services

Streaming services generally come with lower costs and a variety of viewing options, but there are some drawbacks across the board.

• Limited programs: Each streaming service offers its own high-profile exclusive shows, but no streaming service has everything. That’s likely why a majority of households have more than one streaming service.
• Changing programs: There are few guarantees in the world of streaming program lineups. A service may have the entirety of your favorite show one week, and then it’s gone the next.
• No local channels: Few streaming services have local channels such as ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, and PBS.
• Limited sports: Most people appreciate watching programs at their own pace, but there’s something special about watching a sporting event live. Unlike cable and satellite, few streaming services support live sports.

Types of Streaming Services

“Streaming service” usually refers to on-demand subscriptions like Netflix, but there are multiple types of streaming services that offer different content at different prices.

Subscription-Based Streaming

Subscription-based streaming services like Netflix cost a monthly fee, for which subscribers get access to on-demand content. Not all subscription-based services offer everything on the service with their basic plans though.

Amazon Prime and Hulu, for instance, require multiple subscriptions to different channels to get all the content. Prime even charges individual rental prices for some on-demand movies and shows (usually newer ones).

By contrast, Netflix, Disney+, and Max offer all their content to subscribers regardless of the plan. That doesn’t mean the content will be free from ads, however, since all streaming services handle ads differently. Some, such as Hulu, offer cheaper plans with ad breaks (usually about four to six minutes per hour of content) and more expensive ad-free plans. Others, such as Amazon Prime and Disney+, play about a minute of ads at the beginning of your content and then play the movie or show without interruptions. Netflix and some other services never have ads.

Subscription-based services all cost different monthly prices, starting at around $6.99 per month for Netflix and going up to $19.99 per month for the top-tier Max plan.

Live TV Streaming Services

Live TV streaming services, by contrast, offer smaller selections of on-demand movies and TV shows. The main content is a series of channels — sometimes hundreds — that offer live programming similar to cable TV, but without the hardware.

For live TV streaming services like Sling TV, FuboTV, and Hulu + Live TV, you’ll pay a monthly fee just like with cable. The services don’t offer as much original programming or on-demand content as subscription-based streaming services, but they have far more live sports and news content available.

They usually have channel add-ons, too, so you can customize the channels you get with your monthly subscription.

“Freemium” Services

Freemium streaming services can be accessed for free, but they still come with a cost that differs among services. Crackle TV and IMDB TV, for example, are always free, but you always have to watch ads. Others, such as Peacock, offer some free content but lock a lot of other selections behind a paid subscription tier.

Some freemium services offer the ability to pay for individual shows or to remove ads from content. These services are designed to convince you to either watch ads or pay for their bonuses, but they are usually harmless apps to add to your tablet or TV to see if you like the content they offer.

The best ones we tried were Tubi, which has a lot of on-demand movies for free, and Pluto TV, which has a pretty good lineup of content that streams live (such as the “Star Trek” channel, which plays the shows on a schedule like cable TV). Both of these services have ads.

How to Choose a Streaming Service

Streaming services are plentiful and frequently offer both unique and overlapping content, so there’s no right answer for the best streaming service. The best way to choose among them is to determine what you’re looking for.

1. If you want to escape your high cable bill but you still want the live sports and news content you would normally get from cable, subscription-based streaming services won’t cut it. You’ll need a live TV streaming service so you can keep watching major channels like ABC and NBC while getting a selection of on-demand content. Hulu + LiveTV conveniently combines both types of service for $69.99 to $82.99 per month. FuboTV offers live sports coverage but less on-demand content.
2. If you’re looking for a streaming service in addition to your cable TV plan or just to watch certain movies and shows, the best way to choose among them is to think about the content you know you want. Not all streaming services have everything, so the content you want could make the decision for you. Since some services, such as Disney+, offer content from a single company, the decision is a lot easier.
3. If you want to watch local channels, including sports games, be aware that not every service offers them. You’ll need a live TV streaming service and sometimes even an antenna hookup to keep your local coverage.
4. Keep the price in mind. Most streaming services cost $10 per month or less, so you could sign up for three or four and still pay less than a normal monthly cable bill.

What Equipment Do You Need to Stream?

Unlike cable TV plans, which usually require cables, boxes, and hookups, streaming services work entirely through an internet connection. That means you need a smart TV to use it, which is any TV that can access apps through the internet.

There are, however, ways to allow a regular TV to access smart TV content. You just need a streaming box, such as Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick, or Roku. They usually cost a one-time fee of $50 to $100.

You can also watch your content on other devices, such as smartphones, tablets and computers. Anything that can access the internet can access streaming content, but that means the strength of your internet connection determines the quality of your content. Different streaming services suggest different internet speeds, but most require at least 3 to 5 Mbps. Ask your internet provider if you don’t know the speed you’re getting.