Going outside is high-risk nowadays, getting within six feet of anyone is forbidden, and being productive at home can be a struggle. After exhausting your Apple or Spotify music playlists, after sitting on Zoom with your extended family for an hour, and after finally finishing that puzzle, there’s nothing left to do. Or is there? Work is an option, but some take a different route and binge watch their favorite T.V. shows. There is no better time to rewatch a movie or find a new one than now, and streaming services like Disney+ and Hulu are catching on.

Re-watching your favorite titles like “Phineas and Ferb” on Disney or “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” on Hulu can be nostalgic and in a time of global unease, television can be comforting, especially to sophomore Olivia Martin. 

“I usually watch more Disney shows than Netflix shows,” Martin said. “Watching High School Musical just reminds me of when things were easier, especially with everything going on it’s comforting.”

Binge-watching gives an escape from day to day life and is a way to soothe a tired soul. According to a 2017 survey from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American watches 2.7 hours of T.V. per day or nearly 20 hours each week. More time spent at home means more ample time for binge-watching, and Disney+ and Hulu are working harder to keep up with the “bingers.”

Lots of new titles are dropping on Disney+ and Disney’s owned service Hulu. This gives Disney an edge on platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime. Disney+ released their recent big-screen movies “Frozen 2” and “Onward” to stream early, and are releasing a Simpsons short April 10. 

“I watched the new Onward movie this weekend with my mom, we always watch the new movies together, even if we can’t go to theaters,” sophomore Kat Bell said. 

More shows and movies arriving on the service, meaning subscribers are more likely to choose Disney+ over its competitors. According to Screen Rant, app analysts reveal that Disney+ is not only popular, but engaging, with users spending more time watching their shows than on competing services.

Disney is not the only one dropping new titles, Hulu is too. “Detective Pikachu,” “Parasite” by Bong Joon-ho, and “Risky Business” were made available early April. 

Apart from new releases, the old shows are just as enticing. Disney+ has that element of nostalgia, and tough times like these make people like junior Xiomy Sam want to look back to certain movies, like her favorite movie “Aladdin”.

“I rewatched the original Aladdin movie, and watched the whole trilogy in one weekend, I have all this time so I figured I’d rewatch them,” Sam said.

Hulu and Disney+ are doing their part to stop the spread of coronavirus. Instead of going outside, sit back on the couch and binge watch some nostalgic Disney or Hulu shows, and their new titles while you are at it.