Six channels to watch free films legally
The arrival of streaming TV has changed content fruition, allowing everyone to decide their schedule. Being able to watch a film or TV series whenever you want on your TV set, smartphone, tablet or laptop has broken down all spatial and temporal barriers. The birth of video streaming platforms has given another acceleration to the way we watch what we like. Netflix came first and became a major and world-renowned company. Then with Prime Video and Disney+ up to the more recent launch of Paramount+, the proposition has been enriched, so much so that estimates predict a 2023 global SVoD turnover of $95.35 billion, while subscribers are set to grow to 1.64 billion by 2027.
Movies of all genres, here’s where to find them
To access one of these catalogues, one has to pay, although the figures have been reduced with the recent launch of the plan that includes advertising. However, there is also the opportunity to watch films free of charge and without engaging in illegal conduct. Many channels on YouTube offer regularly licensed movies. And we are not talking about the Movies & Shows section of the platform led until recently by Susan Wojcicki because a large number of films of different genres can be found on YouTube. OK, they may not be at the level of the original content produced by Netflix, Prime Video and HBO, but on the six channels listed below, you will find feature films divided by theme, all of which can be viewed for free. And also, many period films have yet to be found on current video streaming platforms.
Movie Central
Dramas, westerns, thrillers, there is everything on Movie Central, one of the most comprehensive channels on YouTube, because new content is uploaded daily. Owned by VA Media Ltd, the channel went online on 4 October 2016 and had 3.74 million subscribers, a catalogue of 1,400 videos, and almost 714 million views. From the description, it is specified that all of the content on this channel is under legal licence, as it results from contracts with various distributors.
PizzaFlix
Noirs, comedies, romantic stories and a focus on films of yesteryear is what PizzaFlix proposes, an initiative created by two film industry professionals “for the preservation and discovery of the Golden Age of Hollywood and Television”. With an average of ten new titles per month, each requiring up to 12 hours of digital remastering before being encoded for uploading, the channel has 571,000 subscriptions and a catalogue of almost 3,000 videos. In addition to watching them on YouTube, films can also be downloaded to schedule a viewing.
Sci-Fi Central
With a catalogue of 529 videos, Sci-Fi Central has 782,000 followers. A must-see for fans of science fiction, aliens and paranormal phenomena, the channel offers films, documentaries and even television programmes dedicated to the subject. Like Movie Player, this channel is also owned by VA Media Ltd, and all content can be viewed legally and free of charge.
Ultra Movie Parlour
The starting point is to immerse yourself in the dramas produced by the Indian entertainment industry. In the archive of over 1,400 clips, one can fish out soap operas, comedies, action and animation films, and TV dramas. That Indians love cinema is no discovery, as the success of the channel owned by Ultra Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd proves 21.9 million subscribers and more than 5 billion views.
Mr Bean
This a special case because it is a personalised channel, but Mr Bean has been and continues to be a global lifestyle phenomenon. Rowan Atkinson’s comedy clips have made hundreds of millions of people laugh, and on this channel, you can find the entire production co-written with Richard Curtis. Testifying the sustained success of the character are the numbers. 31.7 million subscribers to the channel, which offers a catalogue of 3,000 videos with more than 10 billion total views in less than 12 years.
Timeless Classic Movies
As the name suggests, this channel is dedicated to vintage films, the great classics that have made cinema history. Although limited to 174 clips from Tarzan to Nosferatu, the catalogue offers films of different genres, ranging from comedy to science fiction to love stories and a few thrillers. More than 300,000 fans should take advantage of the review of titles made in the 1940s and 1950s.
