Best TV Streaming Service Deals – CNET [CNET]

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Angela Lang/CNET

T-Mobile, through its Netflix on Us perk, has long offered free Netflix on some of its unlimited plans, including Magenta, Magenta Plus and its new Magenta Max option. Older plans, called One and One Plus, also have Netflix included, though exactly which version of Netflix will vary. 

Higher-end options such as Magenta Plus, Max and One Plus likely have Netflix Standard (the most popular version of Netflix that runs $15.49 a month and streams in HD) included, so long as you have multiple lines. If you have one line of Max or the base Magenta plan, you’ll get Netflix Basic included (that’s the non-HD $10 a month version of Netflix). Full details, including what you’d need to pay if you want to upgrade to a higher plan like the 4K-capable Netflix Premium, can be found on T-Mobile’s website. 

Note: It’s one Netflix subscription per T-Mobile account, not per individual line.

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Angela Lang/CNET

AT&T, which owns HBO Max, bundles in the ad-free version of the WarnerMedia streaming service with a number of its wireless, TV and home internet plans. Today, that means you can get a free HBO Max subscription with its Unlimited Elite wireless plan or its Internet 1000 plan. AT&T is also offering three-month subscriptions with its DirecTV Stream Choice packages. Customers with DirecTV Premier, Lo Maximo or AT&T U-verse 450 are also eligible for free HBO Max.

Beyond its existing offers, the telecom giant also includes HBO Max with some legacy wireless offers. Older plans with HBO Max bundled in include Unlimited Choice, Unlimited Enhanced Choice, Unlimited Plus, Unlimited Plus Enhanced and Unlimited & More. Full details for activating HBO Max can be found on AT&T’s website. 

Note: It’s one HBO Max subscription per AT&T account, not per individual line. 

If you don’t have AT&T, you can save $30 by prepaying for a year of HBO Max. This will make the ad-free option $150 for the year or the ad-supported option $100.

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Angela Lang/CNET

Whereas T-Mobile has Netflix and AT&T has HBO Max, the nation’s largest carrier has Disney. 

On its recent wireless plans, Verizon includes the Disney Bundle — subscriptions to Disney Plus, Hulu and ESPN Plus that run a combined $14 a month — with its 5G Play More, 5G Do More and 5G Get More unlimited plans, as well as for customers with non-5G Get More or Play More plans since August 2020. Other plans, such as its most affordable Start and Do More plans, have six months of Disney Plus included, but not the bundle. 

Verizon allows mixing and matching unlimited plans, so as long as one line on your account has a Play More or Get More plan, you will be able to get the perk. Note that it is only one Disney subscription per Verizon account, not per individual line. 

The deal works for both new and existing Disney Plus subscribers, so if you already have a subscription you can either cancel or, if you have the six-month trial, have the Verizon subscription run first and then have your regular subscription continue after. 

Those with a non-5G Play More Unlimited or Get More Unlimited plan from before August 2020 have been able to get Disney Plus for one year, though if you haven’t activated it yet you’d only get six months of Disney Plus. If you switch to the updated version of either plan you’ll be able to get the Disney Bundle.

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Sarah Tew/CNET

Cricket Wireless, which is owned by AT&T, has added a new deal that will bundle a subscription to the ad-supported version of HBO Max with the carrier’s $60-a-month unlimited plan. 

Although this version has ads and lacks 4K, offline downloads and the ability to stream new Warner Bros. releases when they hit theaters, you do get access to all HBO content as well as Max originals such as Gossip Girl, Titans and The Flight Attendant. 

Note: It’s one HBO Max subscription per Cricket account, not per individual line.

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Sarah Tew/CNET

In addition to offering free Netflix, T-Mobile has added a new perk for some of its plans: a free 12-month subscription to Apple TV Plus. Normally $5 a month, the deal will be available to new and existing T-Mobile customers who have one of a variety of plans.

This includes the company’s more well-known Magenta and Magenta Max offerings as well as some specialized plans like Magenta 55 Plus, Magenta Military, Magenta First Responders and small business customers with T-Mobile for Business accounts. Those with a Sprint Unlimited Plus or Sprint Premium plan can also get a free year of Apple’s streaming service. 

The deal is available until July 31.

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Sarah Tew/CNET

T-Mobile is giving new and existing customers — including ones with older T-Mobile or Sprint plans or T-Mobile Home Internet — a free year of Paramount Plus Essentials on the carrier. Normally $5 per month (or $50 if paid annually), this version of the streaming service includes access to live games from the NFL and Champions League as well as “tens of thousands of episodes and movies.”

It’s worth noting that the Essentials plan has ads when watching on-demand content. It also lacks the ability to watch your local CBS station live, or the option to download shows and movies to watch offline.

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Are you a baseball fan? MLB.TV costs $140 per year, but customers with T-Mobile, Sprint or Metro by T-Mobile can receive a free one-year subscription to stream Major League Baseball games and events. Opening Day is April 7, so the deal arrives days before the 2022 season kicks off. 

From April 5 through April 12, customers can redeem the limited-time offer through the T-Mobile Tuesdays app. Bear in mind that you won’t be able to stream live games in your local market with MLB TV, including those on local regional sports networks or games airing on national platforms like ESPN or TBS. 

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James Martin/CNET

Metro by T-Mobile includes a subscription to Amazon Prime with its $60 per month Unlimited plan. In addition to two-day free shipping, this also means you’ll have access to Prime Video’s streaming library — everything from The Boys and Upload to Thursday night NFL games this fall.

In addition to Prime, the plan also includes 100GB of Google One storage and 15GB of mobile hotspot.

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Sarah Tew/CNET

Paramount Plus provides a 25% student discount on its $5 per month Essential Plan that is good for four years, regardless of whether you graduate early. The offer cannot be applied to its Premium Plan or for subscribers who were grandfathered in on the now-discontinued Limited Commercials plan.

The catch? You must be enrolled in an accredited, Title IV higher education institution. To sign up, Paramount Plus will verify your student credentials through a third party. The discount is good for eligible students with new or existing accounts. Those with existing Premium Plan subscriptions have the option to cancel and switch to the Essential plan to receive the special deal.

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Sarah Tew/CNET

Paramount Plus normally runs $10 a month for its commercial-free (and live-CBS-included) offering, while its Essential plan costs $5 a month. Prepaying for a year of either can effectively net you two months free, with the ad-free version running $100 for the year (a $20 savings) and the ad-supported tier running $50 (a $10 savings).

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Sarah Tew/CNET

If you have a Hulu plan that doesn’t include the Disney Bundle, you may be eligible to get Disney Plus for $3 per month. Hulu-billed subscribers can select Disney Plus as an add-on for the reduced rate by visiting their account page. 

This discount applies to the basic, ad-supported $7 Hulu plan and for the $13 ad-free version. Verify your account details to determine whether you already have access to Disney Plus and to check if you’re being billed via a third party. Go to the Manage Add-ons section of your account page and select Disney Plus. Currently, there’s no expiration date for this offer. 

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If you were on the fence about trying HBO Max and are in the market for a new streaming device, Google has a new deal for you. The search giant has a new bundle that combines its Chromecast with Google TV and three months of ad-free HBO Max for $65. With the device usually running $50 on its own, and ad-free HBO Max running $15 a month, this deal saves you $30 — the equivalent of two free months of HBO Max. 

The Google Store deal will be available until Dec. 31, 2022, though you’ll need to be new to HBO Max to take advantage of it.

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Spotify

Beyond getting Hulu in the Verizon bundle, there are a few ways to save on Disney’s other streaming service. 

Students will want to check out Spotify’s Premium Student offer which combines Spotify Premium, Hulu’s ad-supported plan and Showtime for $5 per month. All told, the bundle would save nearly $22 a month. You need to be a student above the age of 18 who is “enrolled at a US Title IV accredited college or university” to qualify, and Spotify works with a third party called SheerID to verify that you’re eligible. 

You will need to verify eligibility every 12 months, with the offer available for a total of four years. Full details can be found at Spotify’s site.

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Angela Lang/CNET

College students who don’t want the Spotify and Showtime bundle can get the ad-supported Hulu for $2 a month. Hulu similarly uses SheerID to verify eligibility, with more details available on Hulu’s site.

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Discovery Plus

Discovery’s streaming service runs $5 a month for its ad-supported option and $7 for the ad-free plan. As with Disney Plus, the best way to get this for free is through Verizon. 

The telecom giant is offering a year of Discovery Plus’ ad-free tier for free with certain unlimited wireless plans for new and existing customers.

Wireless users will need to have either a Play More or Get More plan to get the deal, while other unlimited plans, including its Verizon Unlimited plan, Go Unlimited, Beyond Unlimited, Above Unlimited, Do More Unlimited and Start Unlimited, can get a free six months. Full details can be found on Verizon’s website.

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Sarah Tew/CNET

Comcast, which owns Peacock and its parent NBCUniversal, includes a subscription to the $5-a-month Peacock Premium for all Xfinity Flex users as well as its Xfinity X1 and video customers who subscribe to at least the Xfinity Internet or Digital Starter TV internet and TV packages. More details can be found on Peacock’s site. 

Cable company Cox is also giving away the $5-a-month Peacock Premium subscription to those who have Cox Internet with a Contour TV Essential or higher plan. Those with Cox Internet and a subscription to Contour Stream Player or Contour TV Starter can “enjoy a limited-time preview” of Peacock Premium “at no additional cost.” Full details can be found on Cox’s site.

If you don’t have Cox or Comcast, you can get an annual Peacock subscription for either $50 a year for ad-supported Premium or $100 a year for ad-free Premium Plus.

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Just like Comcast and Cox, Charter is giving some of its home TV users up to a year of free Peacock Premium. The cable company, which owns Spectrum, now includes the free year of service with “most” of its cable TV plans. (It says, “Offer availability and content availability may vary by region.”) Cord-cutters who only have Spectrum Internet will be able to get a free 90 days of Peacock Premium. 

If you’re already paying for Peacock Premium you’ll need to cancel the billing on your account and sign back up by linking your Spectrum account. It’s also worth noting that after these 12 months are up, or 90 days for home internet users, you’ll be automatically billed the streaming service’s regular $5 per month rate unless you cancel.