It’s the Wild West when it comes to streaming, and I confess that I’m a greenhorn at best in this endless tech wilderness.

True, I’ve always been slow on the uptake when it comes to grasping anything about technology. I’m not quite a technophobe, but I try to keep technology at arm’s length. 

It was a banner day when I got my first used laptop — a dozen or so years ago. Only three years ago I finally gave up my 3G flip phone, and that was because 3G was set to become obsolete, and I didn’t want to be obsolete quite yet, so I upgraded my phone.

Then there’s Comcast, which I have subscribed to forever, yet it hasn’t had much that interests me in years. Still, it was there, with all of its channels until early this year when I downgraded to basic cable.

Streaming sounds interesting, but where to begin?

Forbes magazine reports that there are more than 200 streaming services worldwide in 2024, many of them focused on special interests, be it culture or sports. There’s Hulu, Apple TV, Max, Crackle and Fubo, to name just a few. 

While the Tech Report notes that cable TV subscriptions were at 72 million at the end of 2023, Forbes says close to three dozen streaming services have at least 50 million subscribers, with Netflix leading the way at 247 million subscribers.

A recent study by Deloitte Media and Entertainment reveals that streamers today pay upward of $61 per month for four services, up 27 percent from $48 in 2023.   So be patient with me. I’m snail-slow on the uptake when it comes to even touching technology, and this is a jungle.