Streaming Services Offer Longer Free Trials During the Coronavirus Pandemic

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Many people stuck at home because of the COVID-19 pandemic are streaming more movies and TV series. But once you’ve binged through all of Netflix, what next?

There are now dozens of streaming services to sample, and most offer some type of free trial. In response to work and school closures, several services are extending these kick-the-tires periods, so you can dip into their video libraries without making a commitment.

The following list is broken into two sections. The first includes services that offer a free trial of at least 30 days, whether that’s a new policy or one that was already in place.

The second section describes special deals open only to some consumers—for instance, if you buy a new Apple product, you can get access to a year of the company’s recently launched streaming service.

Here’s some advice on streaming before you jump in. First, streaming services require that you enter your credit card and will automatically start billing you once your trial period is up. It’s a good idea to set up a calendar reminder to cancel before that automatic billing kicks in.

You can also check out the growing number of streaming services that are just plain free, though you’ll have to put up with ads.

Finally, if social distancing is starting to feel a bit lonely, it could be time to try out a newly popular Netflix featured called Netflix Party, which is an extension available for Chrome browsers on desktop or laptop computers. It lets you watch movies in sync with friends and families stuck in their own homes, while texting back and forth in a chat window.

Services With a Long Free Trial

Acorn TV (30 Days Free With Promo Code FREE30)
Acorn TV, a Brit-centric service that offers mysteries, dramas, and comedies from the U.K., as well as from Australia, Canada, and Ireland, usually has a seven-day trial period. But right now you can enter this code to get a full month of British TV fare. Acorn TV costs $6 per month or $60 annually.

Amazon Prime Video (30 Days)
Amazon Prime Video is among the largest subscription services, with a generous mix of TV shows, movies, and original content. A Prime subscription, which includes free two-day shipping on many items, costs $119 per year.

CBS All Access (30 Days With Promo Code ALL or GIFT)
Through April 23, you can get a free month of CBS All Access, home to shows such as "Star Trek: Picard" and "The Good Fight." The service normally costs $6 a month with limited commercials, or $10 for the ad-free version. "Picard" star Patrick Stewart posted the GIFT code on his Instagram account, but the CBS All Access website says to use the code ALL.

Filmatique (30 Days)
This specialized service, which costs $5 per month, offers a mix of art house films and festival picks, plus director interviews. A new film is added each week.

HBO
As part of a new "Stay Home Box Office" promotion, HBO is making 500 hours of programming, incuding series such as "Barry," "The Sopranos" and "The Wire," as well as films and documentaries, available free for a limited time. You can stream HBO's programming without a subscription on both HBO HBO
Now, its standalone streaming service, and HBO Go, which is typically limited to those who already get HBO on a pay TV service. Films, which come from the company's Warner Bros. library, include family-friendly fare such as "Pokemon Detective Pikachu" and "The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part." The promotion comes just weeks ahead of the company's scheduled launch of a new HBO Max streaming service.

Hulu (30 Days)
Unlike its live TV streaming service, Hulu + Live TV, which has a seven-day trial, the regular Hulu service gives a more generous 30 days. Hulu, which has a mix of broadcast TV shows and original shows and movies, costs $6 per month with ads or $12 per month without.

Netflix (30 Days)
Like Amazon Prime Video, Netflix always gives you a month to sort through its voluminous assortment of TV shows and movies, plus an extensive lineup of original content. Prices range from $9 to $16 per month, depending on the picture quality and number of users you choose.

Quibi (90 Days)
This new service focuses on short-form entertainment. (Quibi stands for “quick bites.”) In its first year, the company says it will have around 7,000 videos, everything from scripted series and movies to reality TV. You can pay $5 per month for an ad-supported version or $8 per month without ads.

Showtime (30 Days)
Much like HBO, Showtime offers a mix of newer movies and original shows such as “Kidding” from one of the top premium cable services. It costs $11 per month.

Shudder (30 Days With Promo Code SHUTIN) 
Shudder, from AMC Networks, focuses on horror content with a mix of thriller, supernatural, and just plain scary movies, along with TV shows. Plans start at $4.75 per month; normally there’s a seven-day trial period, but use the code to get a full free month.

Sundance Now (30 Days With Promo Code SUNDANCENOW30) 
This indie-film favorite, owned by AMC, offers a mix of original and exclusive dramas, comedies, and true crime series, plus award-winning movies in every genre. Use the promo code to bump its free trial from 7 to 30 days. Commercial-free plans start at $5 per month.

Urban Movie Channel (30 days With Promo Code UMCFREE30)
Billed as the first streaming service dedicated to black film and TV, UMC offers a mix of classic sitcoms and movies, plus original series, documentaries, and more. It costs $5 per month or $50 annually. Use the code to bump the free trial from seven to 30 days.

Special Deals That Might Apply to You

Apple TV+
This newer service, which offers a slate of original programming, costs $5 per month, but you can get a free year of service when you buy a qualifying Apple product, such as an iPhone, an iPad, or a Mac computer. There's also a seven-day free trial. During the pandemic, Apple is also allowing some of its programming to be viewed for free.

AT&T's TV Services
Starting this week, subscribers to AT&T's TV services—including DirecTV, U-Verse, AT&T TV, and AT&T TV Now—will receive some free premium channels on a rotating, limited-time basis. For example, right now Starz is being offered for free, but only to DirecTV and U-Verse subscribers. But from March 2 through April 16, subscribers to all of AT&T's TV services will get Epix channels. Then, starting on April 16 through April 20, Cinemax and HBO will also be available to all subscribers.

AT&T WatchTV
This low-priced service, with about 35 cable channels but no local broadcasts, costs $15 per month, but it’s free for AT&T phone subscribers with unlimited plans—either Unlimited & More or Unlimited & More Premium. It provides a seven-day free trial for other consumers.

Disney+
This new blockbuster service—home to movies and shows from Disney, Lucasfilm, Marvel, and Pixar, among others—costs $7 per month or $70 per year. People with an unlimited Verizon cell-phone plan can get it free for a year; others get a seven-day free trial.

Roku
Roku's new "Home Together" initiative pulls together more than 20 premium content partners, including Acorn TV, Epix, Hallmark, Showtime, Smithsonian Channel, and The Great Courses, to provide extended 30-day free trials. If you have a Roku device—either a streaming media player or a Roku TV from brands such as Hisense and TCL—you also get access to the Roku Channel, an ad-supported channel that offers free movies, TV shows, documentaries, live news and more. Roku has added a Home Together row to the Roku Channel that highlights free programming into various categories, such as Essential Movies & TV, Kids Family & Fun, Couch Concerts, Comfort TV, and more. You can get detailed information on Roku's Home Together web page.

Sling TV
This live-TV service has launched the “Stay in and Sling” promotion, offering free access to some news and entertainment channels without signing up for a paid Sling TV plan ($30 to $45 per month). You can get news from ABC News Live, Fox News, and Cheddar, plus kids shows such as “Teen Titans Go!” and “Ninjago.” And as part of a new "Happy Hour Across America" promotion, new customers can get free access to the full Sling TV Blue service from 5 p.m. to midnight. The Blue service has more than 50 streaming channels, including A&E, AMC, Bravo, CNN, E!, FOX News, FX, HGTV, HLN, MSNBC, and TLC, plus on-demand titles and 10 hours of free cloud DVR.

Verizon FiOS TV
Subscribers to Verizon's FiOS TV service are getting some freebies over the next few weeks, including access to premium channels. As of April 1st, FiOS TV customers are getting Epix and Showtime added to their program packages free of charge. HBO and Cinemax will be offered for free from April 17-20, while Starz gets a free run from April 17 to 23. Other FiOS TV freebies include. There classic NBA and NHL games for sports fans missing out on live action, and free educational resources for parents, student and kids from sites and services such Chegg (textbooks and test prep), Quizlet Plus (learning tools and flash cards), and Epix!'s digital library.

YouTube Premium
During the pandemic, the video-sharing giant is serving up more than a dozen YouTube original series free for anyone to stream. These titles, which include “Impulse,” a supernatural thriller murder-mystery from Doug Liman; a competition show called “Escape The Night”; the comedy series “Foursome”; and an animated kids’ show about Robin Hood called “Sherwood,” were previously available only to subscribers of the $12-a-month YouTube Premium subscription service. But now, for a limited time, you can watch them for free without ads. You can see the complete list of available series.

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