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The early promise of streaming services was unlimited access to programming with no advertising, but now almost every major streaming service includes ads, while maintaining higher-priced ad-free tiers. Here are five worthwhile streaming services that have held out and remain entirely ad-free.
Apple TV+
At this point,Apple TV+($9.99 per month after a seven-day free trial) is the only major mainstream streaming service that’s still ad-free. Although it launched with a fairly small selection oforiginal programs, Apple TV+ has since built up a library of acclaimed series, including sci-fi hitsFor All Mankind,Foundation, andSeverance; Emmy-nominated comediesShrinkingandTed Lasso; and dramasThe Morning ShowandSlow Horses.
AppleTV+
Apple’s own video streaming service, Apple TV+, is home to acclaimed TV shows and films, likeTed LassoandCODA.
The Criterion Channel
The Criterion Channel brings the prestige and care of the Criterion Collection to a streaming service, featuring expertly selected lineups of classic cinema, along with extensive bonus features.
BritBox
The streaming era has brought a massive influx of foreign TV series to American audiences, and fans who are looking to delve deeply into their love for British TV can find plenty of it onBritBox($8.99 per month or $89.99 per year). This streaming service specializes in content from British broadcasters BBC and ITV.
BritBox’s selection includes popular British crime dramas likeLine of DutyandPrime Suspect, classic British comedies likeThe IT CrowdandThe Office, and episodes of long-running British soap operasEastEndersandCoronation Street. Many of these shows air without ads in their original British broadcasts, so it makes sense that there aren’t any ads on the streaming versions either.
BritBox is a streaming service featuring popular British TV series.
Shudder
Shudder has proven itself not only as the premier destination forstreaming horror movies online, with original productions, classics, and obscure rediscoveries, but also as a valuable resource for the horror community, with events like Joe Bob Briggs’The Last Drive-In. It provides a pure fan experience that doesn’t need ads for support.
shudder
Shudder is the place for horror fans, featuring a carefully curated selection of classic and recent horror films, plus original and exclusive programming and partnerships with horror personalities.
MUBI
When it first launched, arthouse streaming serviceMUBI($12.99 per month or $107.88 per year) featured such a tightly managed selection that each movie was only available for 30 days, with a new film debuting each day as the earliest one expired. These days MUBI has more than 30 movies available at a time, for more than 30 days, and itstilldebuts one new movie a day.
Ads have no place in that business model, especially alongside the often esoteric and challenging fare that MUBI picks up from international film festivals. Watching MUBI is a bit like attending one of those festivals, and it’s certainly no place for commercials.
With its unique approach of premiering one movie a day, MUBI is perfect for adventurous cinephiles looking for expert guidance on what to watch.
