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tcm.com
In 1986, Ted Turner purchased the Metro Goldwyn Mayer film studio from a man named Kerk Kerkorian for $1.5 billion. However, this extravagant purchase was short lived as Turner soon had to sell the studio back to Kerkorian due to concerns regarding the corporate debt of Turner Entertainment.
This could have been an embarrassingly short story for Mr. Ted Turner if it weren't for one crucial detail in the initial contract of sale. It was specified that, no matter what happens, Turner Entertainment was to retain all rights to MGM's catalog of movies. This is the film library that, along with the already sprawling list of movies Turner previously owned the rights to, ultimately, served as the basis for Turner Classic Movies when it finally did launch, on April 14th, 1994.
As TCM fans know, the story behind the channel is almost like that of a movie that you would see on TCM. A scrappy film entrepreneur risks it all on a dream, nearly fails, but eventually overcomes his struggle to achieves more than he ever could have dreamed of. Just saying "I'd watch that movie" (Teddy boy, let's do lunch soon, I think we have some business to discuss) sounds good to me.
Thankfully, Ted Turner's dream of TCM came true in the end. This is the sole reason that, for nearly 30 years now, we have had a reliable source for watching classic movies on TV. And, nowadays, there is an even more reliable way to enjoy TCM's top-notch content, thanks to one of the best movie streaming sites on the web, Watch TCM.
Design
with their modern and creative website design.
I admire the Watch TCM website design for breaking with convention. I cannot tell you how many streaming sites that I see every day, each one looking identical to the next. It's rare that you find a site to stream movies on that stands out from the rest, makes itself memorable in some way. This is precisely what Watch TCM manages to do, though, with their modern and creative website design.
Titles like ?The Artist? and ?Existentialist? are grouped together, as well as ?Classic Films? which consists of older films that may not be popular with younger viewers.
Honestly, at first glance, this site appears to be more of a journalistic outlet than a movie streaming site. It might be the black-and-white design that tricks my eye, or the fact that the featured movies on Watch TCM are presented in a layout very similar to news sites-with different genres grouped together and some variation among them. Titles like "The Artist" and "Existentialism" are grouped together, as well as "Classic Films" which includes older films that may not be popular with younger viewers.
This is refreshing, to say the least - a movie streaming site that strives for innovation, while many sites are becoming increasingly uniform. But it means nothing unless it is also as effective as the albeit monotonous layouts of the best movie streaming sites like Netflix, Hulu, and the rest. I would go as far as to say that Watch TCM?'s site design is almost as effective.
I don't love that it requires clicking around more than some of the other big movie streaming sites. For instance, by not simply providing as much content as possible on the main page of the site like Netflix does, you are simply given a limited number of titles to browse based on just a single criterion: Recently Added. In order to browse more than the 20 movies featured here, you will have to click into a new page. This is not quite as streamlined or user-friendly as the more typical layouts of most of the best movie streaming sites on the web.
One benefit of Watch TCM is its simplicity. Once you enter the page, you can filter your results by selecting a genre from the top menu and how you want your results ordered from the right menu. There is no clutter on this page and it is easy to navigate. My only complaint is that users are only allowed to select one genre at a time.
This would have been a more effective browsing mechanism if it allowed you to select multiple simultaneously. Sometimes you don't just want one specific thing, you know what I mean? maybe for instance I could go for either a noir film or a western. The site's browsing feature should make it possible for me to filter out both of these genres at the same time.
Content and Features
Speaking about simplicity, it seems that TCM is following this philosophy in many ways. The features on this website are also quite minimal (to put it kindly). Many of the best movie streaming sites will let users add titles to watch lists, comment on movies, and rate them. This feature isn't present here, but it isn't a dealbreaker for me. However, it seems as if these kinds of social features would be very beneficial on a site like Watch TCM.
I say that because of the niche nature of the content that Watch TCM offers, it is right in the name: "Classic Movies." It stands to reason that people would like to have a means by which to discuss these classics, as they are ripe for nostalgia and discourse.
Watch TCM provides a simple service: streaming classic movies. Perhaps this does not bother you as much as it does me. If so, feel free to disregard what I am saying here- one thing remains undebatable, though: Watch TCM has one of the largest libraries of classic movies to stream on the web today. If that is all that matters to you, a huge selection of timeless movies, then Watch TCM can definitely be called one of the best movie streaming sites on the market, without a doubt. From romance to war, from crime to sci-fi, there is a little something for every lover of classic cinema to be found here.
As a cable subscriber, you can watch TCM live online through your cable provider's website if you're in the appropriate time zone. Simply click on 'Watch Live' and choose your time zone, and you'll be viewing the latest movie airing on TCM. TCM is one of the few streaming sites that also comes with the added perk of live television - combining the best of both worlds!
Mobile and Desktop Experience
A recent update to the Watch TCM app for Android and iOS has made it easier for fans of the channel to watch TCM no matter where they are. Now, whether you're catching a movie live while commuting home or screening classic films on-demand while at the DMV, the Watch TCM app has you covered.
I think that this movie streaming app performs about at the same level as the site itself. It's not the best movie streaming app that I have ever seen, but it also isn't the worst. I have a similar complaint with the app as I do with the site - it's just a little clunkier and harder to navigate than it needs to be. But it gets the job done, nonetheless.
Many users believe that the mediocrity of this app is evident. On the Apple App Store, for instance, Watch TCM has an average user rating of 3.9. This is not stellar, but it is not terrible either.
Pricings and Plans
Unfortunately, there is no way to subscribe to Watch TCM on its own. In order to use both the movie streaming site and the app, you must be a traditional cable customer. That is, you must have access to TCM via old-school cable in order to access TCM online. Even though this is incredibly annoying, it is far from uncommon - most cable networks go about their streaming sites this way. Unless, that is, they take the leap and create their own standalone streaming service, a la NBC?s Peacock (but this is very rare).
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