Nothing On Netflix? Give These Niche Streaming Services A Shot

And that’s not even getting into live TV or sports.

There's newcomers like Apple TV+ and Disney+ joining the heavy-hitting streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and CBS All Access — not to mention with the launch of HBO Max, Peacock, and Quibi next year (phew!)

The point: It’s becoming more of a challenge to find good stuff that you really want to watch. And if you’re any kind of genre superfan — be it for anime, horror, indie, foreign language, or British television — you’re only getting a small taste (if any) from a big streaming service. That’s why below we rounded up the best places to watch your fave specialty content so no dollar goes to waste.

Brought to you by AMC, Shudder has the largest uncut, ad-free selection of classic and original horror, thriller, and suspense. Its widely popular anthology series Creepshow (from the executive producer of The Walking Dead) was just renewed for a second season. Titles are sorted in collections like slashers (Halloween), foundations of horror (Night of the Living Dead) and modern female-directed horror (A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night).

Pay Up: $5.99 monthly or $56.99 annually

Kanopy is free to anyone with a library card or university log-in. Seems too good to be true, right? The catch is that users can only stream a limited number of titles per month as chosen by each library location. Check out foreign films like Rashomon and Seven Samurai from The Criterion Collection or newer flicks like Moonlight and Lady Bird from A24, as well as popular and niche documentaries, children’s shows, global studies and language instruction, videos on health and safety, how-to classes in business, beauty, K–12 education, and more, all ad-free.

Pay Up: I repeat: It’s free! Support a service that works with your local library.

Forty-five million anime and manga lovers worldwide, from New York to Neo Tokyo, are already streaming 30,000+ episodes of shows like Black Clover and Boruto: Naruto Next Generations.  But that’s not all they’re doing! Crunchyroll is unique in that it offers a social community for fans with extras like discounts on Crunchyroll merch and free shipping, series simulcasts from Japan, access to chatrooms, and perks to screenings, conferences, and conventions.

Pay Up: Free with ads or $7.99 monthly for ad-free streaming

Hailed as the go-to place for British television abroad, AcornTV’s content doesn’t stop at the borders of Blighty. There are hundreds of ad-free hours of shows from Ireland and Australia too. If Doc Martin is the gateway drug, Acorn will be the habit you just can’t shake. Perfect for subscribers that want to binge series with lots of episodes of old and new shows, like Poirot and Midsomer Murders. Tip: Netflix also carries a selection of popular British mysteries like Agatha and the Truth of Murder and Jack Taylor. If you already subscribe, compare it with Acorn before you buy anything.

Pay Up: $5.99 monthly or $59.99 annually

BritBrox, Acorn’s biggest competitor, has been around for less time but is a collaboration between the two largest networks in Britain: BBC and ITV. While Acorn excels in classics and mysteries, BritBox’s library is packed with comedies and dramas. It also has a wider genre selection — next-day soap streaming for shows like EastEnders, comedies like Keeping Up Appearances, and classics like A Touch of Frost. And if you really want to get in the weeds comparing the two services, BritBox objectively has a more sophisticated, user-friendly interface.

Pay Up: $6.99 monthly or $69.99 annually

DC Universe subscribers get access to a catalogue of over 20K+ DC Comics, along with original (Young Justice) and classic (Batman: The Animated Series) animated and live-action series (Titans) and movies (Tim Burton’s Batman films!), which is obviously big for fans. Marvel series and films are or will soon be under Disney+ lock-and-key and you need a separate app/service to read any of their comics. Something to keep in mind: Some of the original content (but not all) like Doom Patrol will stream on HBO Max, launching May 2020. The conglomerate strikes again!

Pay Up: $7.99 monthly or $74.99 annually

Pantaya offers more than 300 Spanish language movies, series like El Juego de Las Llaves, documentaries, and concerts. If you’re a Spanish speaker (or maybe someone hoping to learn) and want entire seasons and films in one place within the United States, this is where you’ll find it. It also just started to create original content with a slew of new partnerships.

Pay Up: $5.99 monthly or $49.99 annually

Boomerang has 5,000 classic cartoons dating back to the original Popeye and Tom and Jerry. So for anyone who grew up watching Scooby-Doo and Fred Flintstone, it’s comforting to know these classics have an accessible home online. Some content is shorter, which is typical for the genre, but ultimately cuts down on your total volume of content. Also, there are many shows from the 1940s through the 1970s, but there are considerably fewer choices available from the ‘90s (sorry, no Dexter’s Laboratory or Pinky and the Brain).

Pay Up: $4.99 monthly or $39.99 annually