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City Cast Test City

City Cast

Netflix awaits regulatory clearance on its 

Paramount is attempting a hostile takeover

 of the entire Warner Bros. Discovery conglomerate.

The so-called “Streaming Wars” are getting ugly — and monopolistic. But there are local alternatives to watch shows at home.

For 10 years, the nonprofit Open Television has supported Chicago filmmakers as a media incubator. More recently, it developed its own streaming app, which now offers over 500 titles.

OTV’s core mission is to prop up stories by intersectional artists, meaning artists with two or more marginalized identities.

“ What would happen if we built a space where intersectional artists could create without gatekeepers or algorithms deciding their worth?”

When OTV launched in 2015, this was its guiding question, co-founder 

Today, the app includes TV pilots, series, short films, and video art from across genders, sexualities, races, classes, disabilities, and nationalities.

 a collection of 40 short films from seven different countries, including Brazil, South Africa, and Mexico.

There are plenty of Chicago-specific series to dive into, too:

 the Emmy-nominated show by Sam Bailey and 

 a fan-favorite from Ricardo Gamboa about gay Latino PhD witches

 in which two best friends start a business editing men’s dating profiles, by creators Kyra Jones and Juli Del Prete

 a dramedy following the lives of five South Asian Chicagoans, from writer/director Karan Sunil

“I can fully say that OTV couldn't exist in a New York, or it couldn't exist in a California by the nature of the collaborative spirit that is embedded inside of Chicago's media landscape,” McKinnon said.

Start streaming OTV 📺

If you don’t feel like downloading another app, however, consider a trip to McKinley Park where one brick-and-mortar movie rental store is still kicking: 

The Video Strip is Joe Turin’s one-man passion project and has remained in the same storefront since 1995. City Cast Chicago social media manager Rick Homuth 

 and said stepping inside feels like traveling through time.

Step inside The Video Strip 📺

☝️ And don’t forget: You can always 

rent DVDs from the Chicago Public Library

, which operates using your library card.

The so-called “Streaming Wars” are getting ugly. But there are local alternatives to watch shows at home. 

The Best Titles on This Chicago Streaming Service

The Best Titles on This Homegrown Streaming Service

The Best

Natalia Aldana

Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of winter … Woodstock Willie did not. Since we’re optimists — and 

 was filmed in Woodstock — we’re going with Willie. So get out there and have some winter fun before it’s too late! 

Ice skating at Millennium Park has ended for the season, but there are plenty of other places to skate outdoors:

Also in the Loop, the Maggie Daley Skating Ribbon is open through early March, but make sure you 

 Skate rentals there are pricier than at other parks, about $17.

 hosts skating lessons through Feb. 15 and, on Feb. 6, a “Wicked”-themed skate night. Rink access costs $6 and skate rentals cost $16.

While you can’t exactly hit the slopes in Chicago, you 

 runs its hot tub boats rain (or snow) or shine as long as temps stay above 20 degrees. A weeknight ride costs about $50 per person.

If you’re more for chills than thrills, though, there’s 

 at the Gwen Hotel. Curling on the hotel’s rooftop terrace runs through March and costs $25 per person. Fondue costs extra, but you gotta do ‘due! (Valentine’s Day is, unsurprisingly, booked up.)

 continues. Christmas may be long over, but you can still play ice bocce ($150 per group) or rent ice bumper cars ($10), as well as skate, outside of Wrigley Field through Feb. 15.

Plus, your guide to February in Chicago

Forget the cold! Here’s how to get out there and have fun this winter.

Where to Engage in Winter Revelry in Chicago

Where to Engage in Winter Revelry

Okay, so January was brutally cold. Onwards and upwards! Not even freezing temps can keep us inside this February because there’s just 

 related to a long winter. Plus: “Groundhog Day” writer and director Harold Ramis was a Chicago native. Today is 

 at Navy Pier, and you can learn more about him at 

There’s also a big Groundhog Day celebration 

 — that’s where "Groundhog Day” was actually filmed! But if you don’t want to venture so far, there’s 

We celebrate Black culture and history all year long. But this February, there are some extra special exhibits to check out. 

 highlighting Black artists and thinkers in 20th-century Paris, is currently on at the DuSable Museum. At Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, the 

“Black Creativity Juried Art Exhibition”

"Crafting Character: The Costumes of Paul Tazewell"

 are hosting events all month long. Plus, Chicago’s museums have plenty of 

The event we’re most excited for is local historian 

Don’t forget to check the events section throughout February to stay in the know 👇

We all do Valentine’s Day a little differently. (As a terminally single gal, I’ll probably watch “Bridget Jones” then hit the bars.) So we’ve got you with varied date options:

impress with your behind-the-back pool shot

Lunar New Year kicks off Feb. 17. It’s the Year of the Horse. But hold your horses: 

Chinatown’s parade isn’t till March 1

. In the meantime, there’s plenty of celebrations to attend:

You can get into the southern Mardi Gras spirit anytime at bars like 

 in River North. But here in Chicago, Fat Tuesday means one thing: paczki. Mark your calendars for Feb 17. Luckily, we know 

where to find the best deep-fried doughnuts

The Best

The Best Titles on This Homegrown Streaming Service

Where to Engage in Winter Revelry

Your Guide to Chicago in February 2026