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How are you going with staying at home during the COVID-19 pandemic? It's not easy, is it? When you add children to the mix it becomes a heck of a lot harder, too. (I feel your pain fellow parents!) And then there is the job insecurity to deal with as well as fears you or a family member may catch coronavirus.
It's such a stressful time!
If there is one thing you can do to unwind and improve your mental health during these tough times, it's to escape into a good movie or TV show. Dare we even use the term, "binge"? Thankfully, there is no shortage of options available nowadays after a host of new services appeared through 2019 and into 2020. On top of that, a few key online services have made some of their content free to help meet the sudden demand for streaming TV.
So, what's available to you? Below you will find lists of the TV shows and movies that are offered free right now by some of the biggest providers, including Apple TV+ and Amazon Prime. We've also included a link to all the free trials we could find so they're all in one place.
Many services have increased the time you get to try them for free, too. As such, it's a good time to try out any streaming TV service you may have previously not experienced. There's enough free TV and movie content below to get you through your coronavirus isolation in the best shape possible.
Service | Pricing model | More info |
---|---|---|
10 All Access
|
30 days free, then $9.99/month |
|
7Plus
|
Free with ads | Start watching
|
9Now
|
Free with ads | Start watching
|
ABC iView
|
Free with ads | Start watching
|
Acorn TV
|
7 days free (30 days using code: ACORNTVAU30) then $6.99/month | Start watching
|
Adult Swim
|
Free for prescheduled streams | Watch it here |
Amazon Prime Video
|
30 days free then $6.99/month or $59/year | Start watching
|
AnimeLab
|
Free with ads or $7.95/month for no ads | Watch it here |
Apple TV+
|
7 days free then $7.99/month | |
BINGE
|
14 days free then $10/month (SD), $14/month (HD - 2 streams), $18/month (HD - 4 streams) | Start watching
|
Broadway HD
|
7 days free (30 days with code CKID) then US$8.99/month or US$99.99/year | Start watching |
ConTV
|
Free with ads or US$6.99/month for no ads | Watch it here |
Curiosity Stream
|
7 days free then US$2.99/month (US$9.99 for 4K) or US$11.99/year (US$41.99 for 4K) | Start watching
|
DocPlay
|
30 days free then $6.95/month or $69.95/year | Watch it here |
Eros Now
|
60 days free then $4.99/month or $19.99/6-month | Start watching |
Fandor
|
14 Days free then US$5.99/month or $49.99/year | Watch it here |
Foxtel Now
|
10 days free then $25/month to $104/month depending on channel packs. Currently 25% of first three months. | Start watching
|
Hayu
|
30 days free then $6.99/month | Start watching
|
iWonder
|
30 days free then $6.99/month or $69.90/month | Watch it here |
Kanopy
|
Free (with library card) | |
Kayo Sports
|
14 days free then $25/month | Start watching
|
Livestream
|
Free | Watch it here |
Mubi
|
7 days free then $9.99/month | Start watching
|
Netflix
|
$9.99/month (SD), $13.99/month (HD), $19.99/month (4K) | |
Plex
|
Free to Start then $6.49/month or $49.99/year or $149.99/life | |
Qello
|
7 days free then US$11.99/month or US$99.99/year | Watch it here |
Redbull TV
|
Free | Watch it here |
SBS On-Demand
|
Free with ads | Start watching
|
Stan
|
30 days free then $10/month (SD), $14/month (HD), $17/month (4K) | Start watching
|
TenPlay
|
Free with ads | Start watching
|
The Story of Stuff
|
Free | Watch it here |
Thought Maybe
|
Free | Watch it here |
Toon Goggles
|
Free with ads or US$4.99/month for no ads | Watch it here |
Tubi
|
Free with ads | Start watching
|
WWE Network
|
30 days free then US$9.99/month | Start watching
|
YouTube Premium
|
30 days free then $14.99/month |
Launching in the calm before the Disney+ storm with only a relative handful of shows, Apple TV+ went somewhat unnoticed. Which is a shame! Focusing on original content only, what it lost in quantity it overcomes with quality. In particular, The Morning Show (Morning Wars in Australia) is a gem!
In support of those suffering through COVID-19 isolation, this streaming TV newcomer has made a number of its shows available for free. This is in addition to the 7-day trial that gets you access to the rest of the content. Here is what you can stream live through the Apple TV app without cost. It's unclear at this point if this is a limited time offer or not, so best get in quick.
A reboot of beloved kids TV show Fraggle Rock, by muppet master Jim Henson, was announced and released on the same day, 22 April, 2020. The shorts run for for three to five minutes and will air every Tuesday moving forward for free. You access it through the Apple TV app.
In a bid to help families survive homeschooling and isolation during COVID-19, Amazon Prime has released a number of its kids' TV shows for free. It varies per country, but the list of shows made available to Australian audiences is listed below:
While the decision by Netflix to cancel its free trial period is unfortunate, the streaming TV giant has provided some educational content for free. You can watch select documentaries, films and shorts from Netflix free via it's YouTube channel. Notably, this includes eight episodes of Our Planet. You can take a look at the list of available content below.
If you have the Foxtel Sports add-on pack with your Foxtel Now or Foxtel IQ subscription, Foxtel is giving you the Foxtel Movies pack for free until June 30. This is to counter the fact that there is no sport happening in the world at the moment; at least none fit for broadcast. To reiterate, this is just for those subscribers already signed-up for the Sports Pack. However, the Foxtel Now trial also comes with movies, which is another option for you to explore.
The YouTube Premium service is home to a lot of original content. In response to coronavirus, YouTube has moved some of these shows from behind its paywall so they can be viewed for free. As these YouTube Originals have been made free temporarily to support people during COVID-19 isolation, they may move back behind a paywall at any time. So apologies, if there are any discrepancies with the below list.
The below TV shows, which include some classics, aren't part of YouTube Premium. Instead, they have been uploaded to the YouTube channels of the copyright owners and are free to watch for an undisclosed amount of time.
Major movie creation studio Lionsgate is going to broadcast four of its movies on YouTube for free. All you need to do is head to its channel at the times below to watch the films. Times are in AEST.
You can currently watch a tonne of free Pokémon content via Pokémon TV, both movies and episodes of popular shows. This content is being added to every week, so you may find more than what is on the list below depending on when you click across. Here is a list of free Pokémon movies and TV shows you can watch during COVID-19.
New shortform streaming TV service Quibi is all about exclusive content, but it's made some of its episodes available on its YouTube channel to help coronavirus sufferers. You'll find full episodes from these shows on the jump.
Qello is a site that focuses on providing on-demand streams of concerts and music documentaries from some of the world's most popular musicians and bands. The site has released 26 of these for free during the coronavirus outbreak. You can see the full list below and find the concerts here.
Depending on when you are reading this, there are six plays from Shakespeare's Globe that can be enjoyed for free via this YouTube stream. Look at the dates below to see what you can still access.
There is a vast range of streaming TV deals emerging in the wake of coronavirus and the stay at home isolation many people are going through right now. Deals are always popping up and as we catch them, we'll add them to the table below. If you know of any we've missed, be sure to let us know.
Provider | Deal | Access |
---|---|---|
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra | Live streaming concerts via YouTube | Find it here |
Les Mills On Demand | Over 140 free workout videos | Find it here |
Eros Now | 60 day trial with access to Bollywood and India TV | Find it here |
Fetch TV | The following channels are being made free: CNN, MSNBC, BBC World News, Al Jazeera, euronews, France 24, NDTV 24x7, Channel News Asia, CGTN, CNBC and Bloomberg | Find it here |
Foxtel Now | Essential Pack will also come with Drama Extra, Docos and Kids add-on packs for free until May 31 | Find it here |
Plex | The Live TV free feature is free for three months | Find it here |
Image source: Getty
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