Streaming services are rapidly replacing TV networks and cable providers. Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, HBO Go and Showtime Anytime are just the start. Individual networks are racing to start their own streaming services or make deals with existing ones and cable companies are sort of spinning in circles, trying to make programming available online and pretending that people will stick with $100/month cable packages over $10/month add free streaming services.
The latest entrant into the streaming service battlefield is a free one. ShoutFactory TV fills a void, not by getting the most popular programming but by featuring the shows that people have forgotten about, the shows that don’t rate highly enough to get picked up by Netflix or Amazon and the shows that developed a loyal cult following.
Among the shows on the (very new) ShoutFactory TV are cult classics like Mystery Science Theatre 3000, Elvira’s Movie Macabre, the Weird Al Show and classic shows like Hill Street Blues, Laverne & Shirley, Route 66, the Twilight Zone, It’s Gary Shandling’s Show, Newheart and the Bob Newheart Show, as well as live events and a smattering of original programming. In a world of competition over the newest and the best, it’s a welcome addition.