Alternative Movie Services for Centenary Students
Recently, popular streaming services have changed their subscription models and increased prices. Movies and series college students want to watch are spread out across all these different platforms, and with a cracking down on sharing accounts, it is only getting more costly for the average individual. And the broke college student stereotype is real, so where should you be watching your shows? Here are some alternative streaming services so that you can get more for less.
Speaking of a deal, these first two services are completely free for Shreveport residents and Centenary students. With a Shreve Memorial Library card you can create Hoopla and Kanopy accounts.
Hoopla provides access to over 6,000 movies and tv shows, a solid mix of modern releases, older classics, and obscure picks. There’s something for everyone. Patrons can borrow up to ten items a month for three days at a time.
Kanopy boasts an impressive collection of 26,000 movies. “Instant access to thousands of critically acclaimed movies, documentaries and kids favorites,” according to the Shreve Memorial website. The best thing about both services is that they are also ad-free.
Don’t have a library card? Don’t worry! Students can sign up for one using their Centenary mailing address, based on their campus P.O. box. The Shreve Memorial Library also visits campus at least once a semester to do sign up drives in person.
The next two services pair nicely together as a more classic ‘tv’ experience that popular streaming services have defaulted back to-without the cost. Tubi and Pluto are both services that use advertisements while you watch, without paying the $7.99. Users don’t even have to create an account, both are accessible from a web browser.
Tubi is great for on demand movies and tv shows. It has a reputation for weird or unusual media, and that’s true, viewers won’t be getting the newest releases every time. However, it does have popular content going back a few years such as Twilight, Bodies Bodies Bodies, Bad Boys, Wonka and more.
Pluto goes back to the days of channel flipping by offering a variety of live tv and movies across many different channels. “The ads function as commercials. If you’re used to that sort of thing then it’s a very good app,” says Dr. Michelle Glaros, the Communication Department Chair and film professor at Centenary.
Finally, one of the best alternative services that students can use is Centenary’s very own Magale Library. Magale offers a great collection of physical discs and, importantly, equipment to watch them. “We have DVD players that you can borrow, you can actually take them, back to your dorm, or wherever. This is available to all students, we hope you’ll take advantage of it,” says Patrick Morgan, the Magale Library Director. The DVD players are compact, with screens similar to those of a small iPad, lightweight and easy to carry around. Check out a few movies, one of the players, and have a great weekend.
There are many great alternatives for Centenary students who want to watch movies on a budget. With streaming costs continuing to rise and student discounts designed to trick you, there has never been a better time to stop using popular services and switch to some of these alternatives.
