By now, Pennsylvanians are as aware of the ubiquity of streaming services
as other Americans. In many households, the likes of Netflix and Amazon
Prime have arguably superseded traditional TV as the go-to place for the
latest shows and movies, as well as providing a backlog of classic
favorites.
Netflix and Amazon, alongside a bevy of
smaller contenders, have made many people comfortable with multiple monthly subscription
fees. But a lot of Pennsylvanians may not know that there are also some
streaming services for free, thanks to the services partnering with
academic institutions and libraries. Here’s a roundup of the best ones
around.
Kanopy
Kanopy is an on-demand streaming video service that is available,
completely free of charge, to anyone with a Pennsylvania public library
membership, or an active University of Pennsylvania student card. The
service offers nearly 30,000 arthouse, independent and classic films,
ranging from Alfred Hitchcock’s seminal thriller Rear Window, to Spike
Lee’s BlackkKlansman, and also more recent documentary hits such as RBG
and Jiro Dreams of Sushi.
Discussing the service in 2017, then-Kanopy CEO
Olivia Humphrey said: “Many users come to watch films that aren’t available on other
platforms,” with the service instead offering an emphasis on “thoughtful
entertainment,” and important topics such as immigrants, diversity and
LGBT rights.
Kanopy is arguably the most well-known of these alternative streaming
services, and it justifies that reputation with a sophisticated range of
films to watch.
Hoopla
Hoopla is a more well-rounded service that offers thousands of options
not only across film and TV, but also audiobooks, eBooks, comics, and
music. It’s available to anyone with a Free Library of Philadelphia
library card.
The availability of such a service with a wide array of offerings such as
Hoopla suggests that there is an equally diverse appetite for streaming
live entertainment in Pennsylvania, not just for films and TV, but for
other media as well, such as online gambling. Many companies are competing
with the services mentioned in this
article to grow PA Casino Apps, as online gambling also offers an accessible and enjoyable means of
online entertainment in the comfort of one’s home.
Bear in mind that Hoopla works like a library membership – you can only
borrow six items per month, and these items have different loan lengths
depending on the medium. For example, films are available for 72 hours,
albums for seven days, and audiobooks and eBooks for 21 days.
Swank Motion Pictures
Swank Motion Pictures is a family-run international, non-theatrical film
distributor licensed to distribute both major Hollywood films and smaller
independent titles. Its non-theatrical nature means it services a variety
of venues, including cruise ships, museums, bars, churches, hospitals and
correctional facilities.
Most importantly for this list, Swank has been known to partner with
public libraries and US colleges and universities to distribute its films.
It’s not exactly clear which public libraries in Pennsylvania use the
service, but it does have an active partnership with the University of
Pennsylvania, meaning you can access its offerings if you are a member of
the university’s student body.