On-demand streaming TV and film services have gained in popularity over the past five years, with services such as Netflix offering an alternative to terrestrial TV services.
Unlike traditional TV delivered over the air via your TV aerial or via cable services such as Virgin Media, streaming TV services use your home broadband to deliver shows and films.
Do I need a TV licence to stream TV?
What is streaming TV?
Streaming TV services, such as Netflix ,are on-demand services. Choose the show or film you want to watch, and it is streamed instantly over the internet to your TV.
Streaming TV means you can start watching shows immediately, rather than having to wait for it to download first.
Streaming TV services start from around £6 per month, and you can access services, such as Netflix, from most modern smart TVs, or by connecting a device, such as Apple TV, or a games console, such as a PlayStation 4, to your TV.
What is catch-up TV?
What is Netflix?
Netflix began life as a DVD-by-post business in the US in 1997, and started to deliver movies streamed over the internet in 2007. It is available in 190 countries, and has over 75 million subscribers.
It operates a subscription model – for £6 per month, you can watch as many TV programmes and films from its library as you want without any restrictions.
Over 125 million hours of TV is watched each day on Netflix, and streamed shows can be paused and rewound, much like a DVD.
You can search Netflix’s library to find a particular show, and Netflix analyses your viewing, suggesting other shows you might like.
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What is on Netflix?
Netflix has a mix of TV shows and films, including some Disney, Marvel and Pixar movies, plus classics, such as Reservoir Dogs and Fargo.
Popular TV series, such as The Walking Dead and Breaking Bad, are available and, unlike scheduled TV, you can watch back-to-back episodes of a TV series, like viewing a DVD boxset.
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Why should I get Netflix?
- Flexibility – you can watch Netflix on different devices, including smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, games consoles, set-top boxes, PCs and laptops.
- No ads – TV is ad-free on Netflix, meaning your viewing is not interrupted.
- Choice – Netflix has thousands of TV shows and films to choose from.
- Binge watching – Netflix streams a complete TV series, meaning you can watch several episodes back-to-back in a single viewing.
- Exclusive programming – Netflix produces its own critically acclaimed original TV shows, including Orange Is The New Black and House Of Cards.
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What are the downsides of Netflix?
- Broadband – you’ll need decent broadband of 3Mbps or higher, and streaming TV uses any data allowance you may have on your broadband deal. As a guide, standard definition streamed TV uses 1GB of data, and high definition uses 3GB of data per hour.
- Latest releases – Netflix doesn’t carry many recent releases – there are lots of older, less-well-known movies and TV shows, rather than the latest blockbuster releases.
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