Updated: 06/07/2021 For a modern person, convenience and comfort are especially valued when constantly busy or simply at the end of the working day. For this reason, online cinemas are so popular today. Here you can watch your favorite movie, captivate your child with an interesting video, or enjoy a sensational blockbuster that has just recently been released, without leaving home.
Photo: asiarussia.ru
There is a lot of competition among online cinemas. Each platform tries to captivate its viewer with the diversity of its film library, the quality of sound, video, and even its own exclusive projects.
By subscribing, renting a movie, or purchasing your favorite video, anyone can watch high-quality and interesting content that will not be interrupted by commercials and breaking news.
To use these types of sites, you just need to have access to the Internet, a phone, a tablet, a TV or a regular computer.
We present the rating of online cinemas 2021. The best 12 services that were selected by our experts based on user reviews and ratings.
Rating:
Advantages and disadvantages of paid online cinemas
The advantages include:
- the opportunity to watch new films that are released in high quality;
- support for the creators of the film;
- there is no risk of infecting the system with viruses, of which there are a huge number on pirate sites;
- selection of video quality and format;
- only professional voice acting, no one-voice translations;
- There are no annoying ads, so nothing distracts you from watching.
Minuses:
- monthly subscription payment and/or purchase of individual films;
- Some companies release films for online rental only after the end of their theatrical run.
More.tv
Not as popular a service as the previous two. More.tv is a project of the National Media Group and STS Media, developed in cooperation with the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company.
The platform is mostly aimed at domestic films and TV series: here you can find all kinds of TV series from STS, as well as broadcasts of TV channels. In addition, More.tv also includes foreign films and TV series, cartoons for children, and recordings of UFC mixed martial arts tournaments.
Some of the content, as in the case of previous platforms, can be watched for free. You can also get a free 7-day subscription with a card attached. It can be turned off at any time, which is quite practical. I myself have come across such “promotions” more than once and used them on other sites.
Pros:
- many domestic films and TV series;
- By subscription you can watch live broadcasts of popular TV channels, such as National Geographic, Discovery, Animal Planet and the like;
- Subscriptions can be purchased in online cinema and Megafon packages.
Minuses:
- small assortment;
- freezes are possible.
Platforms : Smart TV, Apple TV, Android, iOS, Web
Cost: 299₽ per month, there is free access to some content, as well as a 7-day free access to subscription promotion
Official page: More.tv
Apple TV+
So we have reached the first giant that is popular all over the world – Apple TV+. Its main difference from other streaming services is the films and TV series that cannot be seen anywhere else. Apple produces many of them independently.
This is a unique approach that, as far as I know, no one else is using. Netflix produces its own production, but also buys a huge amount of content from other studios. KinoPoisk, Okko and HBO Max, which is not available with us, work in a similar way. Disney+ is somewhat similar to Apple TV+, but it is still different due to the fact that it already had many popular films at launch.
Pros:
- unique content in the best quality;
- convenient synchronization between devices;
- the platform currently offers a free 3-month subscription when purchasing an Apple device;
- inexpensive paid subscription.
Minuses:
- no free access.
Platforms: Available on all Apple devices, on the web, select LG and Samsung TVs, and Roku set-top boxes
Cost: there is a free 7-day period, after which payment will be 199₽ per month
Official page: Apple TV+
Megogo
Another popular service that is often used on Smart TV in the CIS and Eastern European countries is Megogo. As with IVI, it provides access to some content for free, but with advertising inserts.
The catalog contains more than 75,000 videos, of which over 5,000 feature films and TV series, more than 1,500 cartoons, about 45,000 television shows, concerts and music videos, as well as more than 20,000 news programs. In addition to this, Megogo provides access to more than 200 television channels, shows exclusive online concerts, and more.
Among the features, it is worth noting the possibility of renting films, an intelligent recommendation system, as well as developed parental controls that make it possible to make certain content unavailable for viewing.
I can say from myself that the free version of Megogo will be richer than IVI, but on TV there were often bugs when the application simply froze. This has never happened with other online cinemas.
Pros:
- You can connect up to 5 devices to one account;
- The free version has more than 20 channels + movies and TV series with advertising;
- Watching films and TV series is available in quality up to 4K and Dolby Digital Plus sound; some video materials are also available in 3D.
Minuses:
- sometimes there are unjustified debits from the card;
- there is “junk” content;
- Freezes may occur when watching videos.
Platforms : Smart TVs, Android TV, Apple TV, PlayStation, Android, iOS, Web
Cost: from 197 ₽ per month, there is free access to some of the content, as well as promotions like 1₽ for 30 days
Official page: Megogo
How to choose the right Internet resource
There are no strict recommendations in this regard. A few criteria are enough to take the first step, then you can change the site and choose the best individual option.
Quality
In this section, you should decide on the device on which the viewing will take place. If preference is given to Smart TV, then you need to ask before making a payment what resolution the demonstration is in. Cinema gourmets put the criterion of quality first.
Price
All existing online cinemas can be divided into:
- paid;
- with free access.
Some resources offer free use of most of the existing catalog, but put, for example, new items in a paid category. The following format categories exist:
- Advertising Video on Demand – AvoD with plenty of advertising, but free use;
- Subscription Video on Demand – SvoD with a user subscription for a certain period and viewing of any content;
- Transactional Video on Demand - renting a movie by the user for a specific period or a specified number of views;
- Electronic Sell Through - purchasing content with unlimited viewing, both in quantity and time.
Forbes magazine notes that Western countries consider paid access to be the norm, which has become a tradition, while Russian viewers watch online for free at home, not paying attention to the abundance of advertising.
Number of connected devices
For families or couples with strict thematic preferences, it is more convenient to use content with simultaneous viewing on several gadgets. This criterion is of particular importance in families with children of several age groups.
Errors in selection
For a budget viewer, unlike the average American or European, the subscription price can hit the pocket. You should be careful in your first steps, not to waste the family budget under the influence of a thirst for spectacle. The service in Russia today is distinguished by a set of specific content for each video hosting. It is difficult to cover the vastness; there will always be a shortage of positions that are present in another paid portal.
Limited viewing times for new episodes are an economic technique for many resources. Forecasts promise an increase in prices for in-demand content. It often turns out that after subscribing and choosing a movie, there is a need for additional payment; there may be several reasons. It is also impossible to guarantee that the expected quality will correspond to the declared one, since guarantees are not unilaterally considered.
Premier
The TNT Premier application appeared on the film distribution and multi-channel TV market in August 2021. A year later, the service slightly modified its name by removing the TNT prefix. Now it is simply called Premier. This Russian OTT platform is owned by Gazprom Media and is popular mainly among Russian audiences. Already in the first month of operation, Russians installed the application on 830,000 devices to watch TNT Premier.
The platform contains a media library of entertainment TV channels TNT, Pyatnitsa, NTV, Match, TV3, TNT4, Super and others. In addition to live broadcasts and recordings of TV shows, the Premier website features a large collection of film distribution hits: from classics to blockbusters.
You can connect up to 5 devices to one service account. All purchases, browsing history, and favorite content are automatically copied to your new device.
Pros:
- a lot of domestic cinema;
- there is no advertising of any kind;
- relatively low cost of subscriptions;
- copyrighted content is freely available.
Minuses:
- There may be video playback errors.
Platforms : Smart TV, Android TV, Apple TV, Android, iOS, Web
Cost: from 199₽ per month, free access to some content
Official page: Premier
What are online cinemas?
These are sites with a large assortment of films available for users to watch. Do not confuse cinemas with pirated web resources where stolen video materials are posted. There is a difference, because they are completely legal.
There are 3 viewing methods:
- Free . Some films are available temporarily or permanently without paying to watch them. The list of such videos is small and does not include popular new products.
- By subscription . Once a month, the user pays a certain amount and can watch films selected by the site administration. Typically, paying for a subscription does not mean that all movies are available. Some films are included in the price, while others are not. Basically, a subscription allows you to get rid of annoying advertising.
- Paid . On the page with the film its cost is indicated. Everyone decides for themselves which movies to buy and watch. The advantage of this method is a huge assortment of movies and the ability to watch them several times during the time specified by the terms of the site.
It is more profitable to buy movies by subscription; the total cost of all available films is several times higher than the price of monthly access to the web resource. But there is no guarantee that the list will include the right films. They may have to be purchased separately.
Prime Video
The global company Amazon is not only about shopping, but also about movies. Prime Video is an online movie service from Amazon that is popular all over the world. The project focuses on exclusive access to new films, series, shows and television programs.
One of the features of the site is a large selection of commercial TV channels broadcast online. As is the case with many other foreign online cinemas, Prime Video has a number of problems with content localization. Russian users can mainly rely only on Russian subtitles, since not all films and TV series have translated audio tracks.
Pros:
- there is a service for canceling random expenses inside the cinema;
- many unique projects from Amazon.
Minuses:
- no free version;
- quite expensive subscription.
Platforms : Smart TV, Amazon TV set-top boxes, Playstation, Xbox, Android, iOS
Price: from 5.99€
Official page: Prime Video
Okko
Okko is an excellent solution for those who want to find a huge library of films for next to nothing. The service allows you to enter promotional codes that can be easily and legally found on other services. For example, you can connect to a premium package for just 1 ruble for 3 months - yes, this happens.
Okko differs from other video platforms by having exclusive rights to Amediateka content with premieres of the world's best TV series from HBO, Showtime and Starz. In total there are more than 40 thousand films, cartoons and TV series from foreign and Russian studios, including Walt Disney Pictures, Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox. Some of the content is presented in Ultra HD (4K) and HDR formats with Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital Plus sound.
The account allows you to connect up to 5 different devices, as well as download movies and TV series and watch them without an Internet connection.
Pros:
- synchronization between devices;
- It is possible to enter promotional codes;
- the ability to download movies and TV series;
- there are all the premiere films that are released in cinemas.
Minuses:
- a fully functional interface can only be found in the TV application;
- 5.1 sound, Full HD and 3D quality are available only on large Smart TV screens.
Platforms : Smart TV, PlayStation, Android, iOS, Web
Cost: from 199₽ per month, free access to some content, there are also promotions like 30 days for 1₽
Official page: Okko
Netflix
Netflix is one of the most popular video streaming services in the world.
Even if you didn’t know anything about it before, you’ve probably watched or at least heard about such TV series as “Black Mirror”, “House of Cards”, “13 Reasons Why”, “Narcos” or “Stranger Things”. All of them, like many other films and TV series, are not only distributed through Netflix, but are also produced by the same company. One of the distinctive features of Netflix is that new series are released not just one episode once a week, but an entire season at once, all over the world and in different languages.
Netflix is available in every country and works on a variety of devices: from smartphones to Blu-ray players. Synchronized viewing is supported on all devices: you can watch 30 minutes of a movie on your TV, then launch Netflix on your smartphone and continue watching from the same moment, and finish watching it completely in the browser on your laptop.
Pros:
- own series and films;
- excellent synchronization between devices;
- extremely simple and easy to use;
- you can download content and watch it offline;
Minuses:
- does not add the latest episodes of TV shows and new movies immediately;
- price.
Platforms : Smart TV, PlayStation, Xbox, Android TV, Apple TV, Android, iOS, Windows 10, Web, Blu-ray players and others
Cost: from 599₽ per month, there is 30-day free access with a card attached
Official page: Netflix
