What you should know about entertainment services in Canada
By: Vincent Tran
Published on: November 3rd, 2023
Subscription services are a big part of the current entertainment landscape and with the wide plethora of services available at our fingertips, it could get a bit confusing to understand the pros and cons of each service.
Sometimes it may be difficult to find a specific show or movie you want to watch or to know where to find them, so it’s important to understand all you need to know about the subscription services in Canada. There are many shows and movies out there for you to watch, so take a look through some of these services to find out which one suits you the best and get comfortable while binge watching your new favourite program.
Subscription services available in Canada
There are many different streaming and subscription services available in Canada, however, this article will only focus on some of the more popular services that offer up a wide range of programs.
Some of the most well-known subscription services in Canada are:
- Netflix
- Disney+
- Crave
- Amazon Prime Video
- Apple TV+
- Paramount+
What each service has to offer and pricing*
*Pricing as of July 2023
As there are many different subscription services available, there are also many different shows and movies offered to entice subscribers to join each company’s respective service.
To search for some shows or movies that might be available on each service in Canada, you can check out this website. In any case, here’s a rundown of each service and what you may expect to see from each of them.
Netflix
Netflix has one of the most robust and diverse catalogues out of all the subscription services available in Canada with thousands of movies and shows offered to subscribers.
With Netflix you can find many high-quality documentaries and original series. Well received and popular shows from Netflix include Squid Game, Stranger Things, and Bridgerton.
Netflix offers three different subscription options to its customers. The cheapest option is a basic subscription with ads that costs $5.99/month. The standard Netflix subscription costs $16.49/month and allows for Full HD 1080p quality. All these options allow for up to two users at a time.
The most expensive Netflix subscription is the premium option and costs $20.99/month. This option allows users to watch on up to four devices at a time and offers Ultra HD 4K video quality, the best quality offered by Netflix. Both the standard and premium options also allow users to download programs to watch on their devices when not connected to the internet.
Disney+
Disney+ offers subscribers the broad catalogue of Disney shows and movies throughout the years. If you ever watched Disney movies growing up, then Disney+ is your go-to location for all the old and new Disney movies.
Disney+ also offers users access to every Marvel movie and show available. Movies such as the Avengers series, Spider-man, and many more are all available on Disney+. Star Wars is also another big franchise that is offered with Disney+ with every Star Wars movie and Disney produced show available.
On top of all those Disney related shows and movies, Disney+ also has many other programs of different genres on their service. These include titles such as Lost, American Horror Story, and The Simpsons.
Disney+ offers subscribers an option to pay $11.99 monthly or an option to pay $119.99 yearly. A Disney+ subscription allows unlimited ad-free viewing for up to four users at once at Ultra HD 4K quality. Users are also able to download Disney+ programs with a subscription.
Crave
Crave offers subscribers a wide-ranging suite of shows and movies on their service. One of the main draws of Crave is that they offer HBO’s popular and high-quality programs. These include shows such as Game of Thrones, Succession, and The White Lotus.
There are also other popular movies and programs on Crave such as Friends, the Harry Potter series, and The Lord of the Rings series.
Crave has three subscription offers for customers. The cheapest option for subscribers costs $9.99/month plus tax and is a basic option with ads. This option allows for only one user and video quality up to 720p.
The standard option with ads costs $14.99/month plus tax and allows for up to four streams at the same time. The video quality is also up to 4K. The premium option comes ad-free and costs $19.99/month plus tax. This option also allows four streams at once along with 4K video resolution and also allows users to download programs for offline viewing.
Amazon Prime Video
Apart from fast and free deliveries, another perk of being subscribed to Amazon Prime means you are entitled to their streaming service Amazon Prime Video.
Amazon Prime Video has a large library of shows and movies for its users. Some popular Amazon Prime original programs include The Boys, Reacher, and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Apart from their original programs, there are also thousands of other movies and shows available for you to enjoy.
Access to Amazon Prime Video comes along with an Amazon Prime subscription that has a one-month free trial after which it costs $9.99/month plus taxes. Amazon Prime Video allows users to stream from three separate devices at once and programs up to 4K resolution.
Apple TV+
Apple TV+ is another subscription service that has popular shows leading the way for the service. Some of the main attractions include Apple Originals, Ted Lasso and Severance.
Apple TV+ also offers up select few exclusive Major League Baseball (MLB) games throughout the season, with at least two games streaming every week. So, if you’re a big baseball fan or are interested in the sport, this is another thing to consider when selecting the subscription service of your choice.
Apple TV+ comes with a free seven-day trial after which it will cost $8.99/month. If you recently purchased an Apple device, you will be granted three months free for Apple TV+. A subscription offers users 4K video resolution, downloading programs for offline use, and subscribers are able to share their account with up to five others.
Paramount+
Paramount+ is also another subscription that has their own exclusive shows that draw users to their service. Some of these programs include Halo, the live picture adaptation of the beloved Xbox game franchise as well as Star Trek: Discovery.
This service also offers Nickelodeon programs, so if you enjoy watching or grew up watching Nickelodeon shows and want to rewatch them, then Paramount+ would be the service for you.
Another draw of Paramount+ is that it includes NFL on CBS games as well as UEFA Champions League matches and coverage throughout the season for sports fans to enjoy.
A Paramount+ subscription comes with a seven-day free trial and will cost $9.99/month or $99.99/year.