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Remember those days when television was black and white, and the ABC and three commercial channels (less in some states) were the only game in town. Today, it’s a smorgasbord of choice, with this article detailing some of the better options.

There are so many different streaming services available, each of them offering tens of thousands of films and TV series to enjoy. But they come at a cost so, for most retirees, it will depend on their budget. What follows are five popular streaming services to help you decide which one/s best align with your viewing interests.

Netflix:  

It’s the most popular streaming service in the world with more than 200 million subscribers. It boasts a vast collection of movies and TV shows, ranging from dramas, comedies, documentaries and animations. Most importantly, however, is that Netflix invests heavily in producing much of its own content – with one simple consequence. What you’ll watch on Netflix simply won’t be available elsewhere. For example, you can’t buy most of it on iTunes, and with titles such as The Crown, Stranger Things and The Queen’s Gambit, it’s hard to feel like you’re not missing out if you don’t have access to this service.

Cost: Standard plan with ads, $6.99 a month. Standard plan, $16.99 a month. Premium plan, $22.99 a month.

Stan:

It’s Australia own streaming service that specialises in home-grown art. Some of the most popular content on Stan includes No Activity, First Wives Club and Billions, but it also features popular movies such as Bloom and Wolf Creek, as well as golden oldies such as Seinfeld and Cheers. Stan doesn’t have as much original content as some other services, but the library is still massive and deep for people that would rather stream than buy their entertainment.

Cost: Basic, $12 a month; Standard, $16 a month; Premium, $21 a month.

Amazon Prime Video:

It’s a streaming service that comes with an Amazon Prime membership, meaning that if you have an Amazon Prime account already, you can access thousands of movies and TV shows for free. You can also rent or buy movies and TV shows through Prime Video. Amazon Prime Video has a lot of original and exclusive content and the backing of one of the leading online retailers really helps the company push for some big names. The Amazon Prime, The Lord of the Rings, for example, is the most expensive TV series ever produced.

Cost: $9.99 a month (Amazon Prime).

Disney+:

It’s a streaming service that offers a huge library of movies and TV shows from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic. It’s easy to forget just how big Disney is as a company until you see all of that content collected on a single app. Disney+ doesn’t have anything that isn’t owned by Disney, but there’s still more there than you’ll ever be able to watch, and, as an added bonus, there’s no better way to keep the grandchildren entertained when you’re looking after them.

Cost: Standard: $13.99 a month; Premium: $17.99 a month.

Kanopy:

It’s another service that offers a deep library of films and more, but what sets this service apart is that it’s totally free. Why? Because it’s the app that Australia’s libraries use to provide people with content to watch at home. When you sign up to Kanopy, you’ll input your library card number, and then you’ll have a certain number of credits to use for films each month. There’s an exceptional mix of classics and modern films here, and by supporting Kanopy you are also supporting your local library.

Cost: $0.

Most of these services do offer a free trial for a few weeks, so if you’re not sure which you’ll get the most out of, give some of the trials a go. The best trick is to sign up for all of them at once and see which app you naturally find yourself using the most. Just don’t forget to cancel the subscriptions on the others before the free trial expires. Happy viewing.