8 Niche TV Streaming Networks That You Didn't Know Existed

8. Shudder

Focus – Horror

The horror genre is far from mainstream, as for every film or franchise that garners significant attention, such as Saw or Halloween, there are hundreds of other releases unleashed on the world every year. These are made possible by low budgets and the cult following that the genre enjoys, with many people prioritising scares, gore or ‘so bad its good’ status over the action sequences, drama, and storytelling sought out by others.

The SyFy channel has thrived for years targeting such people, whereas Shudder has emerged as an equivalent for those who want to watch things on their own time rather than when scheduled, offering a mix of both original and acquired content in the form of both films and television series.

The range of titles available is incredibly diverse, incorporating vintage British Hammer Horror, worldwide greats such as Japan’s Battle Royale and Sweden’s Let The Right One In and timeless American classics such as the Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Having aired more than 40 original productions in their first 2 years, Shudder have been far more proactive than the likes of Netflix (who took 5 years to release their first original) and Amazon (who took 2 after rebranding to Amazon Instant Video) at tapping into the market previously dominated by traditional television. Such a prolific output must represent a huge financial commitment from owners AMC (the American network responsible for Mad Men and Breaking Bad), but it seems to be paying off for now.