Some YouTube TV Subscribers will get Showtime for free
If you've been subscribing to YouTube TV for a long time, then chances are a Showtime subscription is heading your way for the summer at no extra cost.
As Engadget reports, YouTube is rewarding subscribers who have been using the premium streaming service for a while with a free Showtime subscription. What we don't know yet is how long your YouTube TV subscription needs to have been active to qualify. YouTube simply describes the offer as open to "longtime friends."
The Showtime offer will grant access to all content on the service, but without the usually $10.99 charge every month (or $109.90 a year). It's also nice to hear that the free subscription does not end with an auto-renewal with charges attached. You can keep watching until Sept. 5 and then decide if you want to continue or not. Obviously Showtime is hoping you will pay up and continue being a subscriber after that.
When PCMag reviewed Showtime back in February, we found it to have a decent lineup of original shows and appreciated the offline downloads, live TV, and movies. But it is expensive, which makes this YouTube TV offer worth taking advantage of so you can see if the usual $10.99 subscription charge is worth it.
The price of YouTube TV increased back in May from $39.99 to $49.99 ($54.99 through Apple). Those extra $10 got you nine new channels including Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Animal Planet, Travel Channel, and MotorTrend. However, the price hike is still hard to stomach so offering Showtime for free could help those long-time subscribers who may be considering canceling choose to stay a few more months at least.
