The Definitive Streaming Service Ranking

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My father can’t stand streaming. He would still rather scroll through the annals of a cable TV guide and pop on a rerun of The Office than open an app on his TV. Sometimes, when I tell him about exceptional shows waiting for him on HBO Max and Apple TV+, he obliges—and he even enjoys a few! (Especially Adolescence.) But after watching Netflix’s recent Tudum showcase detailing the streaming giant’s slate for the next year, even my own optimism for the future of streaming reached a new low.

Tudum was a train wreck. The two-hour event, hosted by Sofia Carson (Carry On) and Jackie Tohn (Nobody Wants This), featured an astounding amount of overtly forced cross-promotion. Ben Affleck (The RIP) met Cookie Monster from Sesame Street, the WWE Raw stars played Squid Game’s “Red Light, Green Light,” and Vanessa Lachey (Love Is Blind) celebrated the streaming service’s dwindling success stories with an awkward live kiss-cam.

I started thinking: Maybe… Netflix isn’t the king of streaming anymore. So, in the spirit of checking the current pulse of the Streaming Wars, here’s how I see the new power rankings for streaming services right now, from worst to best.

My number-one criteria for this ranking: If I’m paying a monthly fee for a streaming service ,is there at least one new show per month that’s worth my time? For Prime Video, quality TV simply doesn’t drop often enough. The streaming service is content to serve as a one-stop shop where you can access all the other subscriptions you pair for in-app—in the spirit of Amazon itself. At the end of the day, Reacher, Fallout, and The Boys are more like perks for paying for free shipping on Amazon.

For reality TV fans, Peacock is something they’d probably pay $100 a month for. For now, it’s the only place to stream Bravo’s entire fleet: Real Housewives, Love Island USA, Below Deck, Top Chef, Watch What Happens Live, and more. As the home of NBC’s library, Peacock also holds The Office, Parks & Recreation, New Girl, Scrubs, Law & Order, and more. Hell, due to a bizarre streaming deal, it’s also the only place you can stream Yellowstone. A vault of classic sitcoms and reality TV is certainly appealing to some audiences. Plus, minting itself as the streaming home of the Olympics was a nice addition—but the sporting event, of course, only comes around every four years.

I’ve paid for the Disney/Hulu/ESPN bundle for so long, that this is just one big streaming service in my mind. It seems that Disney agrees, because the entertainment company spent the last year adding Hulu and ESPN tiles to the Disney+ home screen so that paid subscribers could access all three from just one place. Honestly, it’s the only thing keeping all three alive. Each service has its own benefit. Disney is the home of Marvel, Star Wars, and a treasure trove of children’s content. Hulu has FX programming like The Bear and Shōgun, alongside ABC’s network slate—including Abbott Elementary. Plus, ESPN is still the go-to destination for live sports (even though its competitors are making hostile inroads to attack the live sports market). Still, all three platforms are only this high because they’re stronger together.

Netflix enters the race with a longer relationship with its subscribers than a lot of its peers. I imagine that most people scroll through the Netflix home screen for something new to watch much like they did when cable TV ruled their nights. But when I look at Netflix’s slate, I worry that audiences are settling for a lesser product simply because it’s so comfortably accessible to them. Whatever scale that previously balanced out hits and misses from the streaming giant finally tipped over with misses. Plus, after Squid Game and Stranger Things end later this year, the network will carry on without two of its largest subscription drivers in its history.

As the home of Taylor Sheridan’s TV empire, Paramount+ already has a massive fanbase working in its favor. The writer/creator currently helms Yellowstone, Landman, Tulsa King, Mayor of Kingstown, Lioness, and 1923. The streaming service also released several quality series recently, thanks to its merger with Showtime, such as MobLand, Yellowjackets, and The Agency. The one question holding Paramount back is whether it will deliver on Sheridan’s upcoming universe of spin-offs. Though there’s plenty of good, fresh TV available on Paramount+, the network hasn't exactly excelled at making the subscription feel like an essential monthly subscription just yet.

Before Apple TV+’s recent string of successes, I would have advised readers to subscribe when a show they liked returned (such as Severance season 2)—then cancel Apple TV+ until another show arrived that piqued your interest again. In 2025, feel free to officially let that subscription roll over. After Severance, Apple TV+ released The Studio with Seth Rogen, Your Friends and Neighbors with Jon Hamm, and now Stick with Owen Wilson. All that money from selling overpriced laptops and smartphones is finally going to good use with A-list talent. If Apple TV+ can keep this streak up, the streamer will remain in good competition with the number-one entry on this list…

If the criteria for this power ranking rested solely on whether I received at least one TV show a month that felt worthy of my subscription fee, then no one was better primed to sit on top of the list than HBO. The network has made this exact goal—quality TV that’s worth your time—its business model since its launch over 50 years ago, and it still holds true today. In the first half of 2025 alone, viewers have already watched The Pitt, The White Lotus, The Last of Us, The Rehearsal, and now Hacks. Plus, HBO’s entire library features some of the greatest shows (and movies) ever made. (I’m on my fourth rewatch of Goodfellas.) If quantity drives Netflix subscriptions, HBO Max thrives on quality.

Ask me anything at [email protected], and I’ll respond in next week's edition of The Cliff-Hanger.