It's time, once again, to see what's what in the streaming wars. For the third year in a row, our hosts — this time Nilay, David, and The Verge's Jake Kastrenakes — have to build a roster of streaming options that will win awards, show 4K content, satisfy their live TV needs, and much more. First, the hosts decide who won last year's competition, and then they pick their favorites for 2025.

Make sure you listen to the episode before you read this, but here are the results of the draft:

Jake's picks:

Cheap: Tubi

Awards: Netflix

4K: Hulu

Live: Instagram Live

Niche: PBS Passport

Content: LoFi Girl

Wild Card: Kanopy

Nilay's picks:

Cheap: TikTok

Awards: Max

4K: Disney Plus

Live: Sunday Ticket

Niche: Kaleidescape

Content: CNBC

Wild Card: F1 TV

David's picks

Cheap: Peacock

Awards: Amazon Prime

4K: YouTube Premium

Live: YouTube TV

Niche: BritBox

Content: Stranger Things season 5

Wild Card: Paramount Plus

We want to know who you think won the draft! Email us at vergecast@theverge.com, or call The Vergecast Hotline at 866-VERGE11, and tell us all your thoughts. And if you want to catch up, you can check out our draft from 2024 and from 2023. A lot has changed, and nothing has.

The Vergecast was nominated for a Webby, which means we can win a Webby People’s Voice Award and that’s voted online by you! So we’d love your support. You can vote at the link:https://bit.ly/3DXFgpN

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The 2025 Vergecast Streaming Draft

Powered by Wave AI