Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Saturday, Jun 21, 2025

Apple, Disney and NBC all want to give you free streaming TV, but don't expect the party to last

Apple, Disney and NBC all want to give you free streaming TV, but don't expect the party to last

With several new streaming services launching this year and next year, the companies involved are offering enticing deals to sign up for free. This will help Apple, AT&T, Disney and NBCUniversal gain a large base of subscribers quickly.
But eventually those freebies will expire, and prices will go up.

It’s a good time to be a cord-cutter.

Between now and the first half of 2020, Apple, Disney, AT&T and Comcast’s NBCUniversal are all launching their new video streaming services. (Apple’s service, Apple TV+, launched Friday.)

Even better for streamers: All of these services are available for free, one way or another.

Until now, the streaming space has been dominated by Netflix and its 150+ million global subscribers. But newcomers are starting to experiment with a “freemium” model where customers can get in for free or cheap at first. The hope is they like what they see enough to start paying later on.


Here’s the quick breakdown:

-Apple will give customers a free year of Apple TV+ when they buy a new iPhone, iPad, Mac or Apple TV box. Subscribers to --Apple Music’s student plan also get the TV service for free. (Normal price: $4.99 per month)

-Verizon will give wireless customers and new Fios cable customers a year of Disney+ for free. (Normal price: $6.99 per month)

-AT&T will offer HBO Max, which includes loads of extra content from across WarnerMedia on top of the standard HBO stuff, for free to current “regular” HBO subscribers. (Normal price: $14.99 per month)

-Comcast is expected to give away an ad-supported version of its Peacock streaming service to everyone, CNBC reported Friday. (There will be an ad-free version of Peacock that costs money, but NBCUniversal hasn’t revealed a price yet.)

-That’s a lot of free stuff! A special congrats if you’re a Verizon Wireless subscriber who bought a new iPhone and also subscribes to HBO - you just hit the jackpot of free content.

The free offers should help each service grow at a faster clip than Netflix ever did. Apple, for example, will likely sell about 100 million gadgets eligible for the free year of Apple TV+ by the end of the quarter. Verizon already has over 150 million wireless subscribers. Even if a modest percentage of those customers take the free offers, Disney+ and Apple TV+ will have tens of millions of subscribers within months.

So, what’s the catch? (Because there’s always a catch.)


Just look to Netflix for guidance.

When Netflix first launched its streaming service in 2007, it was bundled together with its DVD-by-mail service. Eventually, it split of a streaming-only plan at $9.99 per month, a price that held firm for several years. But then users became hooked, and Netflix gradually began raising prices. Millions of people happily paid more, and Netflix’s subscribers kept growing. Today, Netflix’s most popular streaming plan costs $12.99 per month.

Netflix’s new streaming rivals are signalling that they’ve adopted the same strategy: Get subscribers in with a broad offering of engaging stuff to watch for cheap, then gradually raise the price over time. The deals may sound good today, but the streaming business is expensive and these companies have to make money somehow. AT&T, for example, said it expects HBO Max to be profitable in 2025.

In an increasingly crowded streaming space, it’s going to be impossible for everyone to be a winner. Something will have to give. We already saw the first casualty in the streaming wars on Oct. 29 when Sony announced it would shut down its live TV streaming service PlayStation Vue early next year. It likely won’t be the last one to die.

So binge while you still can. The free ride’s not going to last forever.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
Trump's Anti-War Stance Tested Amid Israel-Iran Conflict
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
Wreck of $17 Billion San José Galleon Identified Off Colombia After 300 Years
Iran Launches Extensive Missile Attack on Israel Following Israeli Strikes on Nuclear Sites
Israel Issues Ultimatum to Iran Over Potential Retaliation and Nuclear Facilities
Black Box Recovered from Air India Crash Site
Coinbase CEO Warns Bitcoin Could Supplant US Dollar Amid Mounting National Debt
Trump to Iran: Make a Deal — Sign or Die
Operation "Like a Lion": Israel Strikes Iran in Unprecedented Offensive
Israel Launches 'Operation Rising Lion' Targeting Iranian Nuclear and Military Sites
Israeli Forces Intercept Gaza-Bound Aid Vessel Carrying Greta Thunberg
IMF Warns of Severe Global Trade War Impacts on Emerging Markets
Syria to Reconnect to Global Economy After 14 Years of Isolation
Israel Confirms Arming Gaza Clan to Counter Hamas Influence
Global News Roundup: From Ukraine's strategic military strikes and Russia's demands and Tensions Escalate in Ukraine, to serious legal issues faced by Britons in Bali and Trump's media criticism, the latest developments highlight a turbulent landscape
U.S. Reduces Military Presence in Syria
Trump Demands Iran End All Uranium Enrichment in Nuclear Talks
Iran Warns Europe Against Politicizing UN Nuclear Report
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
×