The battle for my living room screen has never been fiercer. After writing last year about how Amazon Prime Video had sheen me shun Netflix, I've now found myself going the other way.
I've found myself more often than not, crawling back to Netflix with my tail between my legs. Right now I genuinely think it is the more compelling subscription if you only want one service. Bear in mind that Amazon Prime also gets you excellent delivery perks, but solely as a streaming service, here's why I'm back on team Netflix (for now).
1. Netflix has its groove back
I felt like for much of 2023 Netflix was almost treading water. There were a few brilliant additions like They Cloned Tyrone and The Killer (and some top Black Mirror episodes) but otherwise, it was largely stalling for time until Squid Game: The Challenge arrived.
But the arrival of that (great fun) reality series seems to have lit a fire under the streaming service. Since then we've had a bumper crop of great movies and shows joining the library. There was the Harlan Coben adaptation Fool Me Once, crime drama Griselda and the super-romantic One Day all of which have had us hooked. As for movies, there have been a heap of top originals and classics hitting Netflix. Try Orion and the Dark, King Richard, Green Book or current best picture nominee Past Lives which has just arrived.
Having said all of this, Prime Video is set to add two of my favourite movies, La La Land and Lady Bird next week, so it's a close call at the moment.
2. Prime has changed
Unless you've been living under a rock you've probably seen that Prime Video has introduced ads to its cheapest subscription level. For £5.99/$8.99 you can get just Prime Video (with no delivery benefits). This used to be the price for the standard subscription but now the most affordable tier also has ads and has been downgraded to no longer include Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. Well, at least the ads won't look and sound as good either.
Netflix on the other hand hasn't exactly lowered prices but has at least become a better value proposition than it was last year. The most basic ad-supported Netflix plan is £4.99/$6.99 a month. If you're after an ad-free plan Netflix is still more expensive, but considering Prime Video has just taken away from its lowest tier, it's a bitter pill to swallow.
Of course, if you're after the ultimate budget-friendly streaming solution, I'd recommend trying Amazon Freevee instead. It has ads, but as the name suggests it is also completely free. It boasts some great content too.
3. Netflix's future looks bright
The production pipeline looks promising at Netflix HQ. We've got our eyes firmly fixed on Adam Sandler's new sci-fi and Guy Ritchie's The Gentlemen series in particular, plus multiple huge-budget series coming from the likes of the Game of Thrones creators.
That's without us even mentioning the twin behemoths of Squid Game season 2 (and the reality show variant returning) and the Night Agent, which recently began filming again.
As for what could be the biggest new show of 2024, I'm looking at the Andrew Scott-led serialisation of The Talented Mr Ripley now just called Ripley arriving in April, while Richard Linklater's Hit Man arrives in June and looks like great fun.
Of course Prime Video has plenty coming in 2024 too, but as someone who doesn't watch The Boys (arguably Prime's biggest show), I'm currently more excited by Netflix.
