Roku deal offers free 30 days of premium channels — but there's a catch

(Image credit: Roku)

In an effort to entice more consumers to its platform amid the coronavirus pandemic, Roku has launched its "Home Together" initiative, which includes a month of free content from premium streaming channels such as Showtime and EPIX.

However, in order to receive the free 30 days of premium content, users must first sign up for each respective service using a credit card or other payment method, and remember to cancel before the trial period ends.

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Currently, there are 20 services with a 30-day free trial period through Roku, which include Showtime, Epix, Hallmark, Smithsonian, A&E Crime Central, as well as lesser-known channels, such as GaiamTV, Screambox, Grokker, and ZooMoo. (A complete list can be found at Roku.com)

In response to the coronavirus, a number of other streaming channels have either expanded their trial periods, or offered content free or before it would otherwise have been available. For instance, CBS All Access has a 30-day trial period, up from a week, Sling TV has a 14-day free trial"Quarantine Offer," and Plex Live TV is now free for three months.

Regardless of what you think of Roku's Home Together initiative, we consider Roku's products to be among the best streaming devices, for the vast array of content they offer, as well as their intuitive interface and voice control.

Michael A. Prospero is the U.S. Editor-in-Chief for Tom’s Guide. He oversees all evergreen content and oversees the Homes, Smart Home, and Fitness/Wearables categories for the site. In his spare time, he also tests out the latest drones, electric scooters, and smart home gadgets, such as video doorbells. Before his tenure at Tom's Guide, he was the Reviews Editor for Laptop Magazine, a reporter at Fast Company, the Times of Trenton, and, many eons back, an intern at George magazine. He received his undergraduate degree from Boston College, where he worked on the campus newspaper The Heights, and then attended the Columbia University school of Journalism. When he’s not testing out the latest running watch, electric scooter, or skiing or training for a marathon, he’s probably using the latest sous vide machine, smoker, or pizza oven, to the delight — or chagrin — of his family.