Top 3 Streaming APPs January 2021

Pluto TV

In total, Pluto TV lets you watch around 190 different live TV streams, but many are not channels in the traditional sense. Some channels, such as Wipeout and Dr. Who Classic, only show content related to those shows. Others, such as Cats 24/7 and Slow TV (this channel features livestream marathons of Norwegian train rides, wood-chopping, knitting, and similar low-intensity content) incorporate several sources, but may be too unconventional to offer long-term value. A representative from the company noted that “the overwhelming majority of our channels are fixed. From time to time, we launch Pop-Up channels which are limited in their engagement and typically themed around calendar events like holidays or limited engagements with specific content.”

Entertainment content is where Pluto TV shines the brightest, specifically with its Comedy, Entertainment, and Movies subcategories. For instance, you get BET Pluto TV, Buzzr, Comedy Central, Fuse, MTV Pluto TV, Paramount Movie Channel, and The Onion. Pluto TV has several of its own movie channels for popular genres, too. There are also other, more eclectic categories such as Binge Watch, Comedy, Life + Style, and Tech + Geek. Among these channels are Food TV, IGN, NASA TV, MST3K, Pluto TV Cars, Pluto TV Travel, The Addams Family, This Old House, and World Poker Tour

Crackle

Crackle is a free streaming service that offers on-demand movies and TV series. It also has a library of original content created for the service. Crackle was purchased by Sony back in 2006, and has carried the entertainment company’s name prominently since — it’s sometimes referred to as “Sony Crackle.” However, in March 2019 the controlling stake of the streaming service was sold to Chicken Soup for the Soul. The two companies now work together in the production of Crackle.

Popular On-Demand Movies

There is no shortage of big name actors on the movie menu for Crackle. Look no further than A Few Good Men, which is a classic film that stars Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson. There are several recognizable comedies, like Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg’s The Other Guys, available for streaming as well. Here’s a look at some of the popular movies available:

Zero Dark Thirty
A Few Good Men
The Other Guys
Seven Years in Tibet
28 Days
3:10 to Yuma
Friday the 13th series
The Karate Kid series
Rules of Engagement
Zodiac
The Longest Yard

Popular On-Demand TV Series

The television series selection on Crackle is not quite as extensive as the movies selection, but there are still some really well-known shows here. Some are a bit dated, but selections like All in the Family, Sanford and Bewitched are timeless classics. Ellen Degeneres’ The Ellen Show and Tony Danza’s Who’s the Boss? are also available on Crackle. Here’s a look at some of the popular TV series titles:

All in the Family
The Ellen Show
Charlie’s Angels
The Jeff Foxworthy Show
Sanford (Redd Foxx’s spinoff of Sanford and Son)
Bewitched
T.J. Hooker
Who’s the Boss?
Marvel Animated Series: Iron Man, Spiderman, X-Men
The Dana Carvey Show
Just Shoot Me!

Xumo TV

Xumo organizes its content into about 180 different channels, but, as noted, the vast majority of these channels are not comparable to those you get with a cable subscription. Each channel features a currently streaming component (this is not a live broadcast in most cases) and at least some other on-demand content, be it clip shows, short features, movies, or shows. Categories of streaming content include Comedy; Entertainment; Food, Drink, & Travel; Music; News; Sports; and TV & Movies. For comparison, Pluto TV, another free live TV streaming service, has about the same number of channels (190), but more of them feature content from recognizable sources.

Starting with the News category, Xumo offers live streams of ABC News Live, Bloomberg, CBSN, Cheddar Live, NBC News Now, and The Today Show, just to name a few. These news channels are the closest thing Xumo offers to traditional cable channels.