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7 free ways to stream TV and movies
A dollar here, $10 there. Streaming services used to be the way to watch what you wanted for much cheaper than cable or satellite. Now? Not so much.
As with everything, what’s old is new again, and more and more folks are ditching paid options for freebies. Sure, you have to put up with ads, but most of today’s streaming services now have those, too!
The most popular free option by far is YouTube. Nielsen says it’s the No. 1 streaming service, with 10.4% of total TV consumption. Netflix comes in second, with 8.4%. Let’s take a closer look at some of the less popular but still great free options out there.
Free TV, please
Pluto TV: Pluto’s owned by Paramount, so you get over 250 free channels, including news, sports and lifestyle options. It’s got a solid selection of old TV shows, plus some movies. It’s also compatible with most streaming devices and platforms, like Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Roku and PlayStation TV.
Tubi: Tubi gives you over 50,000 movies and TV shows, thanks to content from big studios like MGM, Lionsgate and Paramount. You can watch it on your smartphone, laptop, and pretty much any other streaming or gaming console.
YouTube: You can find thousands of TV show episodes and even feature films on it for free (with ads). Not to mention, creators like MrBeast have full-length, high-production shows that give regular TV a run for its money. And you get my shows for free, too.
The Roku Channel: Get thousands of free movies and TV shows, along with over 350 live channels, on any Roku streaming device, compatible Samsung smart TVs or Amazon Fire TVs, or the Roku app. The content is constantly updated, and they have some surprisingly solid originals, too, like “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” and “The Great American Baking Show.”
Crackle: If British TV is your jam, Crackle might be your best bet. It has a lot of BBC shows, like the sitcom “Peep Show” and comedy-drama series “Shameless,” plus a big library of movies and classic TV series, including “The Dick Van Dyke Show.” The downside? Long ads before and during programming. Bollocks …
Freevee: Freevee is Amazon’s free arm, so you’ll need an Amazon Prime account for this one. But once you’re in, it has thousands of free movies and TV episodes with fewer ads than network TV. It also has some excellent original content, like “Jury Duty,” which was nominated for an Emmy last year and is wet-your-pants funny.
Kanopy: This one’s my ringer. Kanopy lets you watch thousands of films completely ad-free using your public library card. They have a great selection of classic, critically acclaimed and foreign films. Stream ‘em on your phone, tablet or almost any other TV streaming device, including Apple TV, Roku and Chromecast.
🥊 I’ve decided to stream all the Sylvester Stallone movies. Unfortunately, I’m off to a “Rocky” start. (Yeah, you can use that one without giving me credit!)
We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
Stop buying movies on Apple, Amazon and others: A new California law will force digital stores to admit you’re licensing content and you don’t actually own it. This is in response to companies like PlayStation and Ubisoft deleting games from players’ accounts after shutting down the servers.
Which platform is winning the streaming wars, with the largest share of viewers? Is it … A.) Prime Video, B.) Netflix, C.) Hulu or D.) YouTube?
Blast from the past
The classic puzzle game Minesweeper is now on Netflix. This colorful, reimagined version features an ocean-like setting where you find underwater mines in locations around the world. No in-game ads, no in-app purchases and no extra cost to play.
Mickey needs the money: Disney+ subscriptions are now limited to one household based on using the same internet connection regularly. It’s a way for them to make more money, of course. Add an extra member to your household for $6.99 per month with a basic Disney+ subscription or $9.99 a month for premium plans.
🍿 Grab the popcorn: If you watch YouTube on your smart TV, you’ll soon see ads when you pause a video. The video shrinks to the left and a sponsored ad column takes over the right side. To remove the ad, either resume playback or hit the “Dismiss” button. YouTube is also testing longer, unskippable ads. You can escape them with YouTube Premium, but that’ll cost you $13.99 a month.
I’d rather watch a movie at home: Apple is rethinking its movie strategy after a string of box-office flops. The new plan: Limited theatrical runs before streaming on Apple TV+. Take “Napoleon,” which cost $200 million to make but grossed $221 million. “The Instigators,” streaming this month, pulled in about 50,000 new subs.
🐔 Chick flicks: Chick-fil-A is dreaming up its own streaming platform. Step 1 is family-friendly content like game shows, followed by original series, animation and other licensed content. If it works, think of all the advertising bucks and data they’ll get their hands on.
I miss the bouncing DVD logo: Remember when I told you how YouTube hijacks your TV screensaver with its own videos? Now Amazon’s doing it, too, but it’s way more annoying. When you let your Fire TV fall asleep, it’ll show you a 30-second ad before your screensaver pops up.
Have a YouTube channel? Check out the awesome eraser tool. It uses AI to detect and remove copyrighted music without affecting dialogue or sound effects. It’s not perfect (the tool might struggle if the song is “hard” to remove), but it beats losing money because your video got flagged.
Brand-spankin' new: Kim's national radio show as a podcast
You can catch it in your favorite podcast app for free — or pay a few bucks to listen commercial free. Score!
DIY Projector
Sometimes, it’s just too hot to go outside and play. Why not try this DIY smartphone projector? You can enjoy time with the kids while staying cool.
No more password sharing on Disney+
If you mooch off someone’s streaming service, time is up. Disney+ is the next streaming service banning password sharing.
We are the No. 3 podcast!
OK, OK … No. 3 in Rwanda. But hey, that’s something, right?!
Reset your Roku password before it's too late
Roku was hacked over the weekend. To keep yourself protected, I suggest changing your password ASAP!
📺 Like cable … but different: Comcast’s new Xfinity StreamSaver bundle gets you Netflix, Apple TV+ and Peacock Premium for $15 a month. Before you get too excited, it’s the basic versions of Netflix and Peacock — in other words, lots of ads. But if you’re already on the basic plans, it’s a $10 monthly savings.
Too much power: Advertisers can now use Walmart’s shopping data for targeted ads on Disney+ and Hulu. Disney Advertising and Walmart Connect’s partnership gives marketers access to 145 million customers. They say they’ll match users’ data “without violating their privacy,” but they always say that.
Ad-ception: Next time you open Amazon Prime Video, brace yourself for ads when you hit pause — even when you’re already watching a commercial. These “shoppable carousels” show up as a sliding lineup of products. You can turn them off … for an extra $3 per month. Jeff Bezos needs the money.