Best Streaming TV Deals for August 2022

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 several sweet deals for streaming TV services that you can take advantage of right now.

Sure, they’re mostly temporary streaming service 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 streaming TV promotions
• Best streaming TV plans
• What to look for

August 2022 streaming TV promotions and deals

• Hulu: Add HBO Max, CINEMAX, SHOWTIME, or STARZ for free for 1 wk.; regular price after.
• DIRECTV STREAM: Try SHOWTIME, STARZ, EPIX, and CINEMAX free for 3 mos. with the ENTERTAINMENT plan and above, and HBO Max with CHOICE plan and above. You’ll also get unlimited cloud DVR storage when you sign up online.
• Paramount+: Bundle SHOWTIME with Paramount+ Essential plan with ads for $11.99/mo. or Paramount+ Premium plan with no ads for $14.99/mo. Student discount: 25% off Limited Commercials monthly plan.
• YouTube TV: Save $30.00 on YouTube TV with a discounted price of $54.99/mo. for your first 3 mos., then $64.99/mo. Save $60.00 on YouTube TV Spanish plan: $24.99/mo. for first 6 mos., then $34.99/mo.
• Amazon Prime: Get Amazon Prime (including Prime Video) for $6.99/mo. if you’re a qualified government assistance recipient. Students get a 6-mo. free trial, with a discounted rate of $7.49/mo. or $69.00/yr. after.
• Sling TV: Get 50% of your first month of Sling Orange or Blue.

August 2022 free streaming trials

• Amazon Prime Video: 30 days
• AMC+: 7 days
• fuboTV: 7 days
• Hulu: 30 days
• Hulu + Live TV: 7 days
• Paramount+: 7 days
• Philo: 7 days
• SHOWTIME: 30 days
• STARZ: 7 days
• YouTube TV: 5 days

Best streaming TV packages and plans

Best live TV streaming

• YouTube TV ($64.99/mo.)—Best overall
• Hulu + Live TV ($69.99–$75.99/mo.)—Best value
• Philo ($25.00/mo.)—Cheapest

Best on-demand TV streaming

• Netflix ($9.99–$19.99/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 $6.99 a month) and ESPN+ (regularly $6.99 a month). That’s a monthly savings of nearly $100 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 discount streaming deets.

A Hulu bundle twist: Disney+ and ESPN+ both now come included with Hulu + Live TV plans, with ads or without.

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.

If you want a legit Chromecast with Google TV device, new customers can get one free with 1 month of prepaid service.

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 content-loaded Apple TV+ streaming service. Conundrum solved: purchase a new iPhone, MacBook, iPad, or Apple TV, and Apple will throw in three 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?

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 some plans are limited time only—after which, you’ll be charged the normal price each 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.

Best streaming TV deals FAQ

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.