Best Streaming TV Deals for September 2021

One of the bigger selling points of streaming TV is that it’s usually less expensive than cable or satellite . . . OK, it’s the biggest selling point. We’re not cheap; we’re “dollar-conscious.”

But there’s always a new way to save a few bucks, even in the streamverse. We’ve done the research and found five sweet deals for streaming TV services that you can take advantage of right now.

Sure, they’re mostly temporary deals, but aren’t all the best things in life fleeting? Love, contentment, Taco Tuesday—don’t dwell. Just enjoy them while they’re here.

Jump to:
Monthly promotions
Best streaming TV plans
What to look for
Final take

September 2021 streaming TV promotions and deals

• Sign up for Verizon Fios Home Internet and get 12 mos. of AMC+ free.
• Free Apple TV+ for 3 mos. w/ any Apple product purchase
• Free and discounted gear from Sling TV
• Vidgo $10.00 for 1st mo. (regularly $55.00/mo.)

Apple’s offer of free Apple TV+ streaming for 12 months ended in July and has been reduced to three months. Sling TV’s free and discounted devices offer, as well as Vidgo’s $10 for the first month deal, will continue indefinitely.

Best streaming TV packages and plans

Live TV streaming

• YouTube TV ($64.99/mo.)—Best overall
• Hulu + Live TV ($64.99–$70.99/mo.)—Best value
• Philo ($25.00/mo.)—Cheapest

On-Demand TV streaming

• Netflix ($8.99–$17.99/mo.)—Best overall
• Prime Video ($12.99/mo.)—Best value
• HBO Max ($9.99–$14.99/mo.)—Best for HBO fans

Compare the best streaming TV plans and pricing

Live TV streaming

Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

On-demand streaming TV

Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, and Philo are our top recommendations for live TV streaming; for on-demand streaming, Netflix, Prime Video, and HBO Max are our big three. As you’ll notice in the pricing, the Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ bundle can save you $72 a year over subscribing separately.

Best overall deal: Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ bundle

Everybody loves Disney+, the $7.99-a-month streaming service that gives you access to a gazillion Disney movies and shows (and Baby Yoda and Loki), but what if that’s still not enough content for your eyeballs? Get this: you can bundle Disney+ with Hulu and ESPN+.

For $13.99 a month, you can combine Disney+ with Hulu (basic version with ads, regularly $5.99 a month) and ESPN+ (regularly $5.99 a month). That’s a monthly savings of $6, or $72 annually. You could upgrade your internet speed with the extra green. With all that streaming, you might need it.

There are even variations on this bundle that can save you money on ad-free Hulu or Hulu + Live TV—check out our Hulu Bundles guide for all the deets.

Best deal for live TV streaming: Sling TV with free and discounted devices

Sling TV is one of the loudest voices in live TV streaming. But it doesn’t just advertise hard—it’s also willing to give you free stuff to cut that cable (or satellite beam).

If you just want an HD antenna for picking up local channels that Sling TV doesn’t carry, there’s the Basic Locals Bundle: prepay for two months of Sling TV and get an antenna for free.

Sign up and prepay for two months of Sling TV service and you can get an AirTV Mini device (regularly $79.99) for free. The AirTV Mini is a streaming device similar to a Google Chromecast dongle (it actually has Chromecast features built-in), and it comes with a remote.

Or you can prepay for three months of Sling TV and get an AirTV Anywhere device and an HD antenna for $99.00 (combo regularly $244.98). The AirTV Anywhere device integrates over-the-air channels like ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC into Sling’s screen guide, and it also features a 1 TB DVR for recording those channels.

Best deal for Apple fans: Free Apple TV+ with Apple product purchase

Apple lovers rarely need an excuse to visit an Apple Store, but not all of them are convinced that they should drop $4.99 a month on its fast-growing Apple TV+ streaming service. Conundrum solved: purchase a new iPhone, MacBook, iPad, or Apple TV, and Apple will throw in 12 months of Apple TV+ at zero cost. Ultimately, that’s an annual savings of $59.88.

With it, you can check out Apple TV+ original series like Ted Lasso, Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet, and The Morning Show. When does Apple give away anything for free? Get in on this one quickly, iFans—after July 2021, the offer falls from 12 months free to just three.

Best Amazon Prime Video deal for students: Free and discounted Amazon Prime membership

Amazon’s Prime Student program offers a free six-month trial of Prime membership for higher education students, and a discounted rate of $6.49 a month (or $59.00 a year—you save even more money by paying for 12 months in advance) after the trial. This also gives you access to Prime Video at no extra charge.

After four years, or the end of your college studies, whichever comes first, your Prime membership will revert to its standard rate: $12.99 a month, or $119.00 a year.

Best Hulu deal for students: Discounted basic plan

College students 18 and over can subscribe to Hulu’s basic, ad-supported plan for just $1.99 a month, a 65% savings over the usual $5.99 a month.

To be eligible, you’ll need to be verified as a student through Sheer ID. The deal isn’t available to all colleges, and it’s only active for the time you’re a verifiable student.

What to look for in streaming TV packages and deals

Before you sign up for that deal, check into these details first:

How long the deal lasts

Once your deal’s time is up, you’ll be charged the regular rate for the service. The Disney+ bundle has no expiration date (yet), but AT&T’s free HBO Max deal is only for 12 months—after which, you’ll be charged $14.99 a month.

Hidden fees

Sometimes a provider will sneak in some extra fees that can eat into your overall savings. It’s a strain on the eyes, but always read the fine print before you sign up.

Current customer eligibility

Most of the deals we’ve covered here are aimed at new customers as an incentive to sign up, but current customers can sometimes get in on them too. If you’re a customer in good standing with your provider, contact customer service and simply ask if you can take advantage of the same offer as a new customer. In most cases, they’ll work with you to keep you as customer.

Final take

The Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ bundle is the deal to beat, in our opinion—mostly because, unlike most other offers, it doesn’t (yet) have an expiration date. We also like the free Apple TV+ with an Apple product purchase, even though Apple keeps threatening to shorten or end the deal.

More so than the others, Sling TV is always wheeling and dealing for customers—check out our Sling TV Deals guide.

Our methodology

Our monthly promotions are tracked down by an engaged team of data specialists so that you get the most accurate information possible. We also put our editorial know-how to the test by comparing the deals and top packages from nationwide providers so you don’t have to. To learn more about our methods, check out our How We Rank page.