Major streaming services are now offering free content to help anyone under stay-at-home orders due to the coronavirus pandemic. So, if you’re already bored with everything on Netflix, you can mix things up with a new selection of free movies and TV shows from Amazon Prime, HBO, CBS and more. Here are the best movies and TV shows you can get for free now, and how to watch them.
Get Over 500 Hours of Free Content on HBO’s Streaming Service
HBO recently announced that it’s making over 500 hours of original programming totally free. The streaming service says it is releasing more free content than ever to “provide some entertainment relief for those doing their part to keep everyone safe and healthy in this time of social isolation.”
You can now stream every episode from 9 iconic shows, including “The Sopranos,” “The Wire,” “Silicon Valley,” and more. There are also 20 free movies and 10 free documentaries, including “The Apollo” and the docuseries, “McMillion$.”
You can access all these shows and more by downloading the HBO Now or HBO Go app on your Fire TV. When you open the app, you might be asked to sign up for HBO or enter your cable subscription information. However, you can skip this by navigating to the Browse button in the top-left corner of your screen. Then go to the HBO home screen, where you will see a row dedicated to content you can stream for free.
You will not be required to sign up for an account or enter your credit card information to view any of this content. HBO says that all these programs will be available for free until the end of April.
If you want to know how to download apps on your Fire TV device, check out our step-by-step guide here.
Dozens of Family-Friendly Shows for Free on Amazon Prime
If you’ve got kids in the house, Amazon Prime is giving you a way to keep them occupied and entertained for free. Amazon recently dropped the paywall for dozens of kid-friendly TV shows and movies on Amazon Prime Video.
You can find content for kids of all ages, including “Thomas the Tank Engine” for younger kids and “Pokémon” for older kids. They even have free PBS shows that parents will remember, like “Mister Roger’s Neighborhood” and “Reading Rainbow.”
You won’t need an Amazon Prime membership to access any of this content. All you have to do is create a free Amazon account by going to amazon.com and clicking the Sign in button.
You can also watch any of this free content on your web browser, or stream it for free on any Fire TV or Roku device with the Prime Video app. You can also stream this content on an iPhone, iPad, or Android device by downloading the Prime Video app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.
If you have a Roku device, you can also find lots of free programs on the Kids & Family channel on your device or with any browser here (The Roku Channel). You can find everything from classic movies, like “The Iron Giant,” to recent episodes of “Sesame Street.”
You won’t need to enter your credit card information to access any of this connect, but you will need to sign in with your Roku account or create one.
Stream Live News for Free on Fire TV and Roku
To help keep you up to date on the news, Amazon has announced that several apps have unlocked paid content for all Fire TV users. Now you can watch live news coverage from ABC, FOX, NBC, and more. These apps give you access to 24/7 live news coverage without a cable box. However, you will still need to sit through the commercials.
If you’re a Roku user, you can also find a new menu item on your device’s homepage that gives you access to live news coverage for free. The Latest News section was recently released by Roku, and it gives you access to 24/7 news coverage from ABC, FOX, NBC, and more for free. There is also a new row dedicated to news and information from coronavirus.gov.
If you want to know more about the difference between Roku and Fire TV, check out our article on Roku vs. Fire Stick here.
Extended Free Trials on Roku
Roku recently announced that 20 premium streaming services, including Showtime, Epix, and more, will now offer extended 30-day free trials.
You can sign up for these extended free trials by going to the “Home Together –Premium TV for Free” row on your Roku device’s homepage. Or, you can go to the Roku Channel website and sign in to access these deals.
If you don’t want to pay for these channels, make sure to cancel your subscription before the end date.
You can also get an extended 30-day free trial to watch any content on CBS All-Access. This includes the new Star Trek show “Picard,” episodes of “Twilight Zone,” and more.
All you have to do is go to the CBS website and click Try it Free. Then enter your credit card information and use the promo code “GIFT” to get the extended free trial. Once you sign up for the extended free trial online, you can then download the app on your Roku or Fire TV device and start watching your shows on the big screen.
This free trial is only good until April 23. Once the free trial expires, you will be charged $5.99 a month unless you cancel your subscription before then.
Free Movies with Ads on Fire TV
If you don’t mind seeing a few ads, you can also watch popular new movies like “Blade Runner 2049,” or revisit classics, such as “Rudy” and “Airplane” for free with IMDb TV. This service has thousands of movies and shows for free, and you will only see half as many ads as you would on cable TV.
You can access this content by scrolling down to the IMDb TV row on the homepage of your Fire TV device. Or you can find this content on a web browser by going to the IMDb TV website and creating a free account.
Amazon has also released a list with more apps that offer free content. This list includes apps like PlutoTV, Tubi, Crackle, and more.
If you’re looking for more streaming services with free content to download on your Fire TV device, check out our list of the 10 best apps for Fire TV here.
