The Best Streaming Services for Dramas

Founded by content creators hoping to go beyond the restrictions of YouTube, Nebula is an ad-free streaming service that hosts original video essays and podcasts, most of which are educational in nature. It costs $6/month (less than half of YouTube Premium), 50% of which goes to the creators themselves. Like Patreon, it’s a pro-creator platform worth considering if you want to directly support your favorite creators. Some Nebula creators you might recognize from YouTube are Big Joel, JustWRite, LegalEagle, Philosophy Tube, HBomberguy, and Maggie Mae Fish. Major pros include unlimited simultaneous streams, offline downloads, and easy merch shopping on the platform itself. A major downside, however, is that a lot of the videos on Nebula are available to watch for free (with ads) on YouTube.

This powerhouse bundle combines Prime Video’s extensive catalog with Max’s award-winning titles, classics from the WB vault, Starz’s original series, and blockbuster films. It’s one of the best bundles a movie and TV fan can get, and the best part is it’s discounted at just $20.99/month. Or maybe the best part is that this combines all three services’ ad-free tiers, giving you uninterrupted quality content at an affordable price. So in short, you get a 25% discount, zero ads, streamlined viewing (watch everything on Prime’s platform), and some of the most critically and commercially acclaimed titles to hit the screen. We’d say that’s a deal right there. The only downside is the bundle will only be available for a limited time; Prime Video might put it down at any given time.

Dropout is the streaming successor to the YouTube hit channel that was CollegeHumor. The streaming service, priced at $5.99/month, features unscripted shows that are “independent, ad-free, and uncensored.” This includes fan favorites like Game Changer, Very Important People, Um Actually, Breaking News, and Dimension 20. You can also find very old CollegeHumor sketches in Dropout, though you can also watch this on YouTube. New episodes of ongoing shows are released on a biweekly basis. Since it’s pretty new, subscribers get 20% off their first year.

Wine connoisseurs and gourmands will find much to like in SommTV, a streaming service dedicated to all things fine wine, food, and travel. It has documentaries, full-length features, and even original shows (including the award-winning Sparklers) dedicated to fine drinks and dining. Think of it like the streaming counterpart to your favorite wine and travel magazine. SommTV costs $6.99/month, with a 3-day free trial and offline downloads feature.

Sure, DirecTV Stream has a sports add-on, but if you don’t want to bother with entertainment and lifestyle channels, the live TV streaming service has come up with a dedicated plan called DirecTV Stream MySports. The plan is packed with more than 25 sports channels including TBS, TNT, USA, and TruTV for major games; MLB Network, NBA TV, NFL Network, and NHL Network for exclusive major league content; and ABC, FOX, and NBC (where available) for local content. It also has the usual channels, like all the ESPN and Fox Sports iterations to make sure all bases are covered. Since the plan is pretty new, DirecTV Stream offers the plan at a $20 discount on your first three months—and that’s after a 5-day free trial. After that, you’ll have to pay the regular monthly price of $69.99/month. Do note that, for now, DirecTV Stream MySports is only available in select markets.

Cineshort is an on-demand service that streams short films carefully curated from festivals like Cannes and Tribeca. These films are sorted into collections like “Oscars Marathon” and “French Cinema” to help you get started. Most notably, the service claims to share 70% of its revenue to the filmmakers whose work they host, which just might make its $10.99/month subscription price worthwhile. You can watch Cineshort on any device supported by iOS or Android, or just as easily on your browser.

With DirecTV Stream’s MyEntertainment plan, subscribers can access popular entertainment channels and services for just $35/month. Live channels like FX, Bravo, CNN, History, and HGTV cover the basics like news and lifestyle, while ad-supported services like Hulu, Disney+, and Max (forthcoming), which are included at no additional cost, cover nearly all your film and TV needs. Like all DirecTV Stream plans, you can try this plan free for 5 days, then cancel anytime.

If you’re looking for a lean plan focusing on news and local coverage, then DirecTV Stream’s MyNews pack just might be for you. It brings together your local ABC, NBC, and FOX (though availability varies per market) with channels like CNN, CNBC, and i24 to round up your news fix. You can choose to add premium channels a la carte, or you can pair it with DirecTV Stream’s “MyCinema” add-on for $10/month. Like all DirecTV Stream plans, you can try MyNews free for 5 days if you want to test it out first.

DirecTV Stream prides itself on having plenty of choices for Spanish-language viewers. There’s the Optimo Mas plan, and the Deportes and Español add-ons, but MiEspañol is the provider’s most cost-effective one just yet. For just $35/month (more than half of Optimo’s cost), you get channels that cover basic news, sports, and entertainment like Unimas, Telemundo, TUDN, CNN En Español, and ESPN Deportes. While you only get about 60 channels with this plan (Optimo has thrice that, plus local channels), you still get to enjoy the usual perks like simultaneous streams, unlimited DVR, a 5-day free trial, and add-on options. You can also choose to cancel the plan anytime.

Sports website FloSports is dipping its toes in the streaming world with FloCollege, which makes 2,000 live college sports events available to subscribers for $19.99/month (or $8.99/month if you go for the annual plan). These live games include everything from football, soccer, basketball, and baseball, and they cover 12 nationwide conferences, including BIG EAST and the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA). FloCollege allows for up to 12 concurrent streams as long as they’re connected to the same IP address, and the app is available on most streaming devices. Additional content includes analyses, interviews, and other behind-the-scenes content.