Streaming service subscriptions

BY: IMANI HOLLOMAN, STAFF WRITER

Fourth Estate / Billy Ferguson

Sure, the university provides students who live in residence halls with free basic cable service, but are students truly satisfied with Mason’s television programs? 

Let’s take a look. There are some good programs that students can watch. 

Mason’s television programs feature Mason Cable Network (MCN) and WGMU Radio. MCN broadcasts students’ original content like The Spill on channel 8.1. WGMU Radio streams music, sports, news and shows on channel 8.2. 

There is Bravo, where students can watch all of the “Real Housewives” shows. Then, there is Food Network, where students can watch all of the cooking shows. Plus, E! Entertainment is where students can watch “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” or “Botched.”

Students can also watch a streaming service for a price per month. There are many options for us to sort through.

Disney+ just launched last Tuesday, Nov. 12. This service features TV shows and movies that we grew up on. For example, “That’s So Raven” and “Lilo and Stitch” are classics from our childhoods. Disney+ offers a seven-day free trial. After the trial, you can choose from two options: only Disney+ for $6.99 per month, or get Disney+ packaged with Hulu and ESPN+ for $12.99 per month. 

Hulu offers two different services: Hulu and Hulu+. They both offer TV shows and movies, like every season of “Law and Order: SVU” and “Bob’s Burgers.” Like Disney+, Hulu also offers a free trial, but in this case the trial is a month long.

After the trial, you can choose Hulu with limited ads for $5.99 per month, or Hulu with no ads for $11.99 per month with HBO, Showtime, Cinemax and Starz added on. If I were you, I would sit through the commercials. It is $6 less. 

Netflix offers a month-long free trial too. After the trial, you can choose between three different membership plans. The basic plan only allows subscribers to watch on one screen at a time only allows subscribers to watch on one screen at a time in SD. The standard plan is a two-screen plan in HD. The premium plan is a four-screen plan played in HD/UHD. The basic plan starts at $8.99 per month. 

So which one should you choose? 

Each of the streaming services provides TV shows and movies. The cheapest of the three streaming services is Disney+. But the only service that offers a student discount is Hulu at $4.99 per month. The discounted plan includes Spotify, Hulu’s ad-supported plan and Showtime. 

If you still can’t afford any of these options, you can settle with HBO GO. The university offers on-campus students this streaming service for free as long as they sign in with George Mason University as their TV provider.