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Watching TV is a fundamentally different experience than it once was, as the cinematic experience makes itself more and more comfortable in our living rooms, as physical media platforms continue to give way to the convenience of streaming, and as production companies go all-in on making film and TV near-equivalent for the average viewer.
The small screen isn’t so small anymore; not when so many of us are furnished with home-cinema flatscreens, and not when so many TV and film streaming services are throwing their best bucks at block-busting bouquets (say that three times fast) of prestige limited series. That arms-race of broad-remit content has led us to a rich tapestry of streaming services from which to choose, and some painful financial decisions we must make.
So, what does this mean for you, the consumer of all things music related? The ardent movie critic? The reality TV gossip-merchant? The sci-fi fan? The person who wants to flop down on their sofa after a long day at work, and just find something to watch? Well, it means figuring out what the best TV and film streaming services are for your specific wants and needs. And this is precisely what my buyer’s guide is here to help you do.
Read on to find out which streaming services are the best for film, for prestige TV and for more besides. If you want to know more about the nuts and bolts behind the streaming experience, shoot down to my FAQ section.
Quick links
Visit Netflix
Netflix is arguably the OG streaming service, and has poured all resulting goodwill into an ever-expanding library of both licensed and innovative original content. Where else are you going to watch Stranger Things again? Pity they biffed it at the end, though.
Visit Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video is a sprawling centre of all things content, including some add-on channels like the horror merchants Shudder. Come here for everything from the majestic Rings Of Power to timeless TV classics like The Osbournes.
Visit Disney+
Disney+ is a clear go-to for family friendly content; just as the name would suggest, it’s chock-full of kid-forward goodness from Disney, Pixar, Star Wars and more. Music content includes The Beatles: Get Back and Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story.
Visit Apple TV
Apple TV is an unlikely source for some of the most stunning television in the 21st century, but this is where we are now. Apple’s streaming service is a champion of unique and original programming, exemplified by everything from Beastie Boys Story to Severance.
Visit NOW TV
NOW TV is the streaming home for UK network Sky – meaning it is a near-exclusive treasure trove of Sky’s excellent curatorial instincts, from new Game Of Thrones prequels to through to Sky Arts which is jam-packed full of music content. It works a little like cable, which can get expensive, but it’s the best for UK-localised programming.
Visit Paramount
Paramount+ is a conglomeration of excellent ‘channels’, Comedy Central, Showtime and MTV inclusive. You can watch everything from Ozzy: No Escape From Now to Star Trek, and at a considerably cheap starting price compared to other such services.
Best overall
📺 Netflix is probably the best-known of all the TV and film streaming channels and it's positively rammed with content. Like the majority of streaming services, I'd like more music programming, but there's a decent chunk to get stuck into and enough variety to keep everyone happy.
Let’s be honest; when someone says “streaming service”, the first one that comes to mind is Netflix. It was the catalyst for the modern age of subscription media and the disruptor that birthed a million streamers.
Netflix, then, sits pretty as the best all-rounder for all things streaming. As with any library, there’s a rotation of available titles – but, as far as music is concerned, you’re still able to watch such seminal delights as Metallica's Some Kind Of Monster, Motley Crue: The Dirt, Trainwreck: Woodstock 99, Hip Hop Evolution and David Bowie: The Man Who Changed The World.
Add to the mix stuff like ZZ Top: That Little Ol’ Band From Texas, Hate To Love: Nickelback, Depeche Mode: M, John Lennon: Love Is All You Need, Glastonbury The Movie, Song Exploder: How Music Gets Made, featuring Nine Inch Nails and R.E.M., Keith Richards: Under The Influence and 27: Gone Too Soon, and you have a decent amount of music content that should keep you occupied for some time.
Aside from music, there's also a vast library of licensed films and shows available and a dense selection of in-house productions too – from early Fincher-helmed true-crime thriller Mindhunter to nostalgia-culture phenomenon Stranger Things.
Best all-rounder
📺 Amazon Prime Video is the place to go if you want to relive the joy and chaos off The Osbournes, with every season here to dive into at your leisure. There's loads of classic movies and series to explore too - and it's a hub for a variety of platforms making it a great all-round option.
If you’re after an outrageous selection of TV shows, movies, documentaries, animation and concert films, then Amazon Prime Video is definitely worth a closer look. Not only will you get as much TV as you can filter into your eyeballs, but, if you get it bundled with Amazon Prime, you’ll also get access to all the related perks of the broader e-commerce platform – and shuffle-based music streaming from Amazon Music Prime. (If the music side of things appeals, you can also upgrade to Amazon Music Unlimited which will give you ad-free, shuffle-free access to the entire library - but it's worth noting that’s not included in the basic Prime membership.)
Amazon Prime Video’s key draw is its commitment to abundance. There’s a great deal of licensed content here, from music docs to thrillers to horror; unfortunately, some of this is locked behind add-on subscriptions like Shudder (for horror) or MGM+. There’s also a conventional rent-or-buy system, like the good video stores of old.
Music-wise, there's a massive amount of diverse content for you to get stuck into, and that includes all four seasons of The Osbournes, celebrated Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, We Are Twisted Sister, Buddy Guy: The Blues Chase The Blues Away and a stack of live offerings such as Amazon Music Live: Foo Fighters and Guns N' Roses Live Rarities. You could spend hours going down the music rabbit hole here.
Away from all thing loud, some of my favourites include Eric Kripke’s The Boys, big-budget fantasy series The Wheel Of Time, sci-fi epic The Expanse, sprawling prequel-series The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power and video game spin-off series Fallout.
It’s sometimes frustrating to encounter something you’re excited to watch, only to discover it seems arbitrarily paywalled as an add-on rental – a UI issue, more than anything, for a streaming platform that seemingly aims to have everything.
Best for families
📺 Disney+ is a brilliant TV and film streaming option for all the family. The Beatles: Get Back is perhaps the star of the show when it comes to the music on offer, but there's more than that available. However, the draw of Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar and, of course, Disney makes this a top choice.
Disney+ is, 100%, the streaming service to get if you have kids at home – a foregone conclusion, borne out by that very familiar logo and all the mascots that come with it. While some were initially quick to dismiss Disney+ as just a platform for cartoons and kid’s movies, the streaming service has come to be so much more in its six-ish years of existence.
I would like to see more music content included with Disney+, but what is here is high quality such as Peter Jackson's acclaimed three-part documentary The Beatles: Get Back, Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story, Summer ’82: When Zappa Came To Sicily, Abbey Road: If These Walls Could Sing and the 2024 biopic on The Beach Boys.
Along with all the classic Disney films, you also get access to all things Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars, National Geographic and Hulu – which means a massive amount of content upon which you may deign to feast your eyes. Star Wars, in particular, has really hit hyperdrive – from the runaway success of limited series The Mandalorian to Tony Gilroy’s prestige masterpiece Andor.
I'll also give a special shout out to the brilliant comedy crime drama series Only Murders In The Building starring Steve Martin, Selena Gomez and Martin Short. It's a binge-worthy series that'll see you comfortably through a long weekend.
"Disney+ is a must-buy for families, owing to its comprehensive coverage of animated media; it’s also the home of Star Wars and Marvel. As for music, Peter Jackson’s epic trawl through one week of archival Beatles footage in Get Back is worth far more than the price of entry alone. However, I'd like to see more music content spread throughout the service."
Read our full Disney+ review
Best for original content
📺 Apple TV might not be the pinnacle of music content, but there are some gems scattered into the mix. But the real draw is the sheer range of high quality original programming which makes it a strong option for binge-worthy series. The price is also good value for what you get.
When Apple entered the TV and film streaming market, many eyebrows were raised when they realised the channel would be focusing on their own content – not just the re-runs of old TV favourites or films we’ve all watched a dozen times. But if there were doubts at the time, those have been firmly laid to rest thanks to a wealth of quality content.
In the intervening years, Apple has carved out a unique place for itself in the streaming market, with compelling limited series from the best in the biz; Ben Stiller’s mindbending workplace thriller Severance is a runaway success, as is Vince Gilligan’s latest, Pluribus – all building on the star power built by such shows as The Morning Show starring Jennifer Aniston, See with Jason Momoa and Ted Lasso starring Jason Sudeikis.
However, when it comes to original music content, I found Apple TV to be a little lacking. Sure, you can buy or rent music-themed films and shows and stream them through the service, that's going to be an additional cost. What is here though is quality, and that includes Beastie Boys Story, The Velvet Underground, Bruce Springsteen: Letter To You, Bono: Stories Of Surrender and 1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything.
Apple TV+ is a also a little pricier now than it used to be – but also boasts much more in the way of original programming. Besides, you can also get three months of Apple TV+ free if you buy an eligible Apple device – a decent prospect for someone about to upgrade their tech. There’s also the option to get Apple One, which bundles everything including the excellent Apple Music into one well-priced subscription.
It's not for you if all you want is music content, but there's plenty of excellent programming like Slow Horses if you want something a bit different from other streaming services.
Best for UK
📺 NOW TV has five separate channels to choose between - all with their own price structures. While the Sport channel includes football, F1 and the NFL, the Entertainment package is the one for music fans. Sky Arts lives here and there's a bunch of great music content to discover.
NOW TV is part of the Sky network, but it differs from its parent in a number of ways – most importantly, it’s a bit more flexible. NOW TV is a UK only service and it features five separate channels: Movies, Entertainment, Sport, Kids and Hayu. Each channel can be subscribed to separately on a month basis, letting you tailor your viewing experience without having to sign up for channels that don’t interest you.
Movies costs £9.99 a month and opens the door to more than 1000 films across 11 Sky Cinema channels, including Sky Cinema Premiere, Sky Cinema Hits, Sky Cinema Comedy and Sky Cinema Sci-Fi Horror. Loads to choose from and if you’re a film buff, this should be your first port of call.
Entertainment boasts a total of 14 channels and also costs £9.99 a month. For your cash you’ll have instant access to channels including Comedy Central, MTV, SYFY and Sky Arts. Sky Atlantic is also available in this tier and serves as the home of HBO in the UK – a place where you can watch all eight seasons of Game Of Thrones, the new prequel series A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms, Heated Rivalry and more.
Music fans are well catered for in the Entertainment tier too, with Sky Arts showing a multitude of concert films and documentaries such as Metallica S&M2, Black Sabbath: The End Of The End, Guns N' Roses: Appetite For Democracy, Brian Johnson’s Life On The Road and the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert.
Doubling up on plans can get expensive, but there’s always a new-customer offer in the offing – for UK consumers, at least. Would-be consumers from the US are only able to access NOW TV as an add-on to an Xfinity internet plan, a frustrating hoop to jump, but one that gets you access to the same excellent UK programming.
Best value
📺 Paramount+ is a fairly new entry into the streaming universe and more music content is needed. However, what is here is great, and that includes Ozzy: No Escape From Now and Nothin' But A Good Time. Add in Star Trek and classic flicks & TV series for a good price and you've got a nice family-friendly streaming option.
For the best value of the bunch, it’s hard not to pick Paramount+. In channel terms, you’ll find familiar content from Paramount, Showtime, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and the Smithsonian. Trekkies will be particularly interested in Paramount+, then, thanks to the comprehensive range of Star Trek shows and films, across the entire history of the IP, hosted lovingly on the service.
For music fans, Paramount+ has folded in content from MTV. This means access to docs like Ozzy: No Escape From Now, Geddy Lee Asks: Are Bassists Human Too?, and the nostalgia-filled docuseries Nothin' But A. Good Time: The Uncensored Story of '80s Hair Metal. Unfortunately, it also means wading through a lot of MTV’s latter-era bilge before finding anything of value - and for rock fans, there's just not enough content.
If you’re in the US and a Walmart member, you can access Paramount+ for free; there’s also the opportunity to access some of Paramount+’s programming via Amazon Prime Video, as an add-on channel within Amazon’s own sprawling network. Note, though, the operative word ‘some’, as content is missing from Amazon’s platform – a shame when Paramount’s UI is less effective. Still, a great option for value.
"Paramount+ is a nifty streaming platform with some excellent IPs to its name, both original and licensed. An unfortunate lack of music content wouldn’t count for much, unless MTV was one of the core brands under the Paramount+ umbrella – and it is. This trove of missing MTV Unpluggeds is ultimately (at least partially) forgiven by the relatively low cost of entry, and the platform’s smooth in-app performance with regards to 4K streaming."
Read our full Paramount+ review
FAQ
What’s the best streaming service for TV and film?
There are many excellent streaming services for TV and film out there – more, arguably, than there should be. But many of these excel at some specific things, meaning, instead of shelling out half your salary for a dozen different subscriptions, you can cater your services to your own viewing habits.
As explored in the guide above, different platforms have different strengths. Netflix was the first streaming service to ‘make it big’, and has used that clout to fund some ambitious, high production-value original programming. Alongside a formidable collection of licensed blockbusters, Netflix also has limited series and sitcoms galore – and, naturally, a healthy tranche of music docs (including Dave Grohl’s Sound City). Disney+, meanwhile, draws on its history as a pioneering animation studio to bring kid-friendly content from all corners (including its own vast library of in-house productions).
There are some subscriptions that didn’t quite make the cut for this guide, but not because they aren’t any good. MUBI, for instance, is a phenomenal platform for rare and independent cinema; it’s likely too niche for a majority of consumers, but it’s a non-negotiable for true-born cinephiles – and was also there at the start of the streaming revolution, initially partnered with the Criterion Collection to bring arthouse cinema to the masses.
In terms of pure music programming, many streaming services simply don't offer enough. Sure, there's gold to discover, and Amazon Prime Video perhaps has the largest selection, but in general, music content could be better represented across the board.
What makes a good streaming service?
There’s a lot that goes into our opinions of a good TV and film streaming service, but these thoughts are easiest broken down into three criteria: library, stream quality and user experience.
Each platform has licenses and access to different IPs, and these accesses change over time too – as such, platforms ebb and flow with respect to how much content they have, and how much the content they do have resonates with you. This is why it’s a good idea to re-evaluate what you’re watching, and your subscription to certain services as others refresh their libraries. Besides which, different platforms have different strengths, as explored above. What content do you prefer?
For stream quality, this is dependent on two things: the quality offered by a given subscription tier, and the behind-the-scenes tech that enables that stream to reach your broadband. For the former, shelling out for a higher tier will get you 4K Ultra-HD, and maybe even spatial audio for some platforms.; for the latter, some streamers are more persnickety about the devices you watch them on than others, in ways that can throttle the quality of stream you receive. This is an ongoing issue, related partially to anti-piracy DRM.
Finally, user experience is an all-encompassing criterion that touches on the speed and responsiveness of the app itself, the suggestion algorithms that push new content, the efficacy of the search bar and even the prevalence of ads in lower-tier subscriptions.
Why you can trust us
⚡ Louder was established in 2017 and founded on long-running brands including Metal Hammer, Classic Rock and Prog (launched in 1986, 1998 and 2009 respectively)
⚡ Over 80,000 products reviewed on site, from music listening tech to albums and box sets
⚡ Our reviewers are all passionate music fans who draw on decades of testing experience
Louder’s reviewing team consists of music fans, musicians and professional product testers, who between them have accumulated decades of product reviewing experience, writing thousands of words on music listening gear, streaming services and more across thousands of reviews on Louder.
As lifelong music fans and avid TV and film buffs, we're always on the hunt for something to watch in our spare time, whether that's a new music documentary, concert film, pop culture classic, or celebrated animation. We regularly share with each other what we're watching and pay for our subscriptions services from our own pockets. Like you, we want to watch content that's enjoyable on a dependable, easy to navigate and price-focused streaming service.
In this guide to the best TV and film streaming services, we watched a hours of content and scoured through each of them to specifically find music-related content, but we also mention other favourites outside of the music world. Streaming services tend to change their content pretty regularly and we'll update the guide to reflect those programming changes.
Meet the experts
James Grimshaw is a freelance writer and music obsessive with over a decade in music and audio writing. They’ve lent their audio-tech opinions (amongst others) to the likes of Guitar World, MusicRadar and the London Evening Standard – before which, they covered everything music and Leeds through their section-editorship of national e-magazine The State Of The Arts. When they aren’t blasting esoteric noise-rock around the house, they’re playing out with esoteric noise-rock bands in DIY venues across the country; James will evangelise to you about Tera Melos until the sun comes up.
Scott has spent 37 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in 2014 before moving into e-commerce in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, highlights deals, and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more - and watches a lot of TV. Over the last 12 years, Scott has written more than 11,500 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog and has previously written for publications including IGN, Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from news and features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky.
Latest updates
10/02/26: The guide has been updated from the ground up to include new entries, a quick links section and trailers for each of the TV and film streaming services featured. Each entry now has an 'at a glance' box, while expert verdict panels have been added where applicable. There's also brand new FAQs and a section detailing why you can trust the Louder team. Finally, we've included a 'meet the experts' section highlighting the authors of the guide.
Read more
You can trust Louder Our experienced team has worked for some of the biggest brands in music. From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our experts aim to create reviews you can trust. Find out more about how we review.
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