17 Streaming Services You May Never Have Heard Of
There are more than 20 streaming services available to Canadians. Assuming you’re familiar with the bigger ones (i.e., Netflix, Amazon, Disney+, YouTube Premium, Apple TV, CBC Gem, the Roku Channel, CBS All Access, and Crave), here are a few of the smaller or more specialized services that may have flown under your radar.
Crunchyroll
The world’s largest collection of anime, Crunchyroll also offers manga and games.
hayu
Hayu is all reality TV, all the time. Look, we won’t judge. We’re still trying to live down our Dance Moms addiction.
fuboTV
Want to watch sports? FuboTV lets you live stream sports from eight channels. They also let you record and store up to 30 hours of content.
DAZN
DAZN also specializes in sports. If you like to watch soccer (particularly the Premier League), then you’ve likely heard of them.
Acorn TV
Because it gets TV from ITV, Channel 4, BBC, All3Media, and a handful of other TV producers from across the pond, Acorn TV has a decidedly British bent.
Tubi
Tubi offers free streaming of titles from MGM, Lionsgate, Paramount, and more. But there are ads. They’re apparently working on original programming, too.
CuriosityStream
All documentaries, all the time. And at a surprisingly low price.
Shudder
Shudder is all about horror. And, to a lesser extent, suspense, and thrillers. Fun fact: one of its curators is Colin Geddes, who used to run Midnight Madness at the Toronto International Film Festival, so you can count on some quality scares.
Plex
Plex is a little more than a streaming service. Essentially, their app can organize content from all your other streaming services, plus some content of their own. That way, you never have to sift through your various streaming subscriptions to find the show you want. Plus, the service is free (although the paid premium has more features).
Spuul
If you want movies and TV shows in Hindi, Punjabi, Telugu, and other Indian regional languages, then look no further than Spuul.
The Criterion Channel
Basically, imagine the Criterion Collection, but a streaming channel. All the most culturally significant movies are here. You have your prestige films, art house movies, international cinema, and all the special features you could want.
Sundance Now
Now, imagine the Sundance Film Festival, but a streaming channel. Whereas Criterion focuses on prestigious films that have stood the test of time, Sundance is seeking out the next Oscar contenders. They’ve also started creating their own TV series, so that’s cool.
MUBI
This highly curated film streaming service adds one new film per day. Do you want a bespoke experience, in contrast to the endless options you get elsewhere? Then check out MUBI.
Club Illico
Films, TV series, documentaries, and more, all aimed at French speakers. If you want to stream a Quebec TV show, chances are you’ll find it here.
Kanopy
You probably already have access to this eclectic mix of world cinema, classics, and thoughtful current films. Kanopy is available through libraries, so see if your local library card gives you access to Kanopy’s streaming selection.
BritBox
Want your British soaps, panel shows, and very short but nevertheless critically acclaimed TV series? Get ’em here.
HighballTV
Let’s say you want to go to film festivals all over the world, but you can’t because that isn’t realistic. Well, films from festivals around the world get curated on HighballTV, so you can get basically the same experience from your living room. Except Billy Bob Thornton won’t get mad at you for leaving his Q&A early.
