Netlix is beating out HBO on sheer subscriber count.

Netflix has 29.17 million streaming subscribers in the U.S. as of March 31^st, while HBO had 28.7 million U.S. subscribers at the end of 2012.

The reasons why people are switching over to Netflix are fairly obvious and very concinving.

First, Netflix is $8 per month while HBO and its online streaming component, HBO Go cost around $15 per month, and that's on top of a monthly cable subscription.

Second, Netflix is simply more convenient than HBO. You can watch everything Netflix has to offer at any time. Every episode of Netflix's programming is available from day one without waiting on a weekly release schedule like HBO has. You can also watch Netflix on almost any platform, including smart TVs, set-top boxes, PCs, gaming consoles and tablets.

Third, even though HBO has some fresh programs such as Game of Thrones and movies such as The Campaign, Prometheus, and Ice Age: Continental Drift, there are great television shows on Netflix including Mad Men seasons 1-5, The Walking Dead seasons 1 and 2, Breaking Bad seasons 1-4, and the Netflix original series House of Cards. Netflix also offers big name movies such as Thor, Captain America, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and Hunger Games.

Netflix is strategically solidifying important licensing deals with Warner Brothers Television and Fox Television.

Though Netflix is not a cable channel itself, the fact that it now has more subscribers than the number two premium television channels, HBO and Encore, indicates a clear upward growth.

Netflix also announced today an upcoming optional plan that would allow for up to four simultaneous streams on an account instead of two for $11.99 a month, $4 more than the current $7.99 single user plan. This should be attractive to families or those who want to share an account amongst many friends.

HBO Go already offers something similar, allowing up to three simultaneous streams per household account.

So for a person that doesn't want to bother with a cable provider such as TimeWarner Cable or Verizon Vios, Netflix is really the cheapest, easiest way to watch quality programming conveniently. Eventually the other competitors could be outdated.