Finally, there’s an entry-level streaming package that is perfectly fine for anyone with access to Wi-Fi and an internet-capable device (the Hulu chameleon costs less than a $150 non-Hulu player; the Chromecast is only $39; or a Nexus 6P can turn it into a full-featured Android TV box at a fraction of the price).
Crave launched as TV Under $10, then switched to $9.99 last year. That still didn’t clear the deck for everyone, especially as consumers were increasingly having a harder time carving out time for watching TV (the company acknowledges that it’s a struggle for many people, and says its new “TV at Home” option won’t work on tablets or phones).
This is not the 100-plus channels service that comes in the $39.99 package, where you can get dozens of things like sports, drama, and sitcoms, and call it a day. And that’s one reason people are starting to fire up their streamers when they sit down to watch live television.
Instead, for $9.99 a month (after a free trial), you get only channels you’d be watching already, as well as HBO Now and Showtime, for a total of 33 channels. But instead of having to look for the program “Making a Murderer” while living at home, you can access the entire Netflix show, and all its pretty good features.
By ditching the original plan, Crave lets subscribers watch Netflix on the go without paying an additional fee. That’s much closer to the “triple-play” bundles you might find at the local cable company. So instead of getting a satellite or an antenna to watch TV in the living room, you’ll just plug in an Apple TV and stream it to your phone.
