Three years ago, I asked the MobileSyrup Community “what’s your favourite video streaming service in Canada?” Fast forward to now, and the Canadian movie/TV streaming landscape has changed significantly.
Crave offers its own originals, Starz, Showcase and HBO content. This week, even The Batman is streaming on Crave at the same time and date as its HBO Max release in the U.S., and only six weeks after its theatrical release.
Like always, there’s Netflix, which drops new originals multiple times per week.
Prime Video is also becoming a top player in Canada with series like The Boys, Upload, Invincible, The Wheel of Time and my personal favourite, Vox Machina. Prime Video recently held its inaugural Canadian event to spotlight 10 new Canadian originals. And it’s worth mentioning that Prime Video has access to all of its channels.
Since the last time I asked the question, two new players have also entered the Canadian market — Apple TV+ and Disney+.
Apple TV+ is the first streaming platform to win Best Picture for its original film CODA. Alongside CODA, Apple TV+ offers hit series and movies like Severance, See, After Party, The Morning Show and another personal favourite of mine, Ted Lasso.
Canada also has Disney+ with Star content (Hulu in the U.S.), which includes movies like The King’s Man, West Side Story and Fresh. There’s also content like The Kardashians, The Proud Family Louder and Prouder, Cruella, and other hit titles like Atlanta, Pose, How I Met Your Father and Modern Family. Disney+ is also the home of Marvel and Star Wars content like Moon Knight, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, Shang-Chi, The Book of Boba Fett, The Mandalorian, The Bad Batch and the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series.
While Canadians have access to these five big platforms, there are also other smaller streaming services like Crunchyroll, Hayu, OUTtv, CBC Gem, CBS All Access, DAZN, Shudder, Sportsnet Now and Tubi.
I’m personally subscribed to the big five streaming platforms and use each one for various movies and TV series. If I were to choose a favourite, I’d go with Disney+ because I love Disney movies like Turning Red and Encanto and originals like Star Wars: Visions and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. But don’t get me wrong, I’m also quite fond of Netflix and Crave.
Let us know in the comments below what your favourite video streaming service is. And if you’ve ever wondered what you should watch on the weekend, check out Brad Shankar’s weekly ‘Streaming in Canada‘ column where he highlights notable movies and series available on various services.