It’s officially October Prime Day, Amazon’s fall iteration of its massive deals event. We’ve already seen some solid deals, including the return of the classic ‘Buy 2 Get 1 Free’ deal on books and movies. While the sale is definitely geared toward picking up everyday essentials and some impulse purchases, it is my promise to you that I will always keep my eye out for streaming discounts. This year, those efforts might have been worthwhile.
Prime Video has discounted a number of channel add-ons, including HBO Max and AMC+, but some of the best streaming deals right now have nothing to do with Prime Day at all. They’re just about getting ahead of Disney+ and Hulu’s price hikes. Here’s what you need to know.
What Prime Day Does Include: Add-On Discounts
Prime Video is a unique streaming service in and of itself. Home to exclusives like the Fallout TV show as well as a library of classic shows and movies, the service is included in Prime memberships, which are 50% off for anyone between ages 18 and 24.
While most streaming services offer a limited amount of bundles, Prime Video offers a spread of “Add-Ons,” essentially channels that function like bundles by adding the library of big-name services. Instead of logging into individual services, you access these libraries through Prime Video.
Right now, Prime Video is offering massive discounts on seemingly random selections of bundled add-ons across its platform. There’s some notable absences, namely Disney+ and Netflix, but you can still find some solid libraries with more budget-friendly pricing plans.
These Streaming Deals Are Worth Getting Before Black Friday
If you’re dead set on standalone streaming subscriptions, you’re also in luck. Disney+ and Hulu are both raising prices on October 21, making it a better time than ever to stock up on discounts. Hulu’s 2024 Black Friday deal dropped the monthly cost to less than $1, but even if that deal does return, you’ll be out of luck when the Hulu library merges into Disney+ next year.
Right now, you can get three months of Hulu + Live TV, a robust live TV streaming plan which includes Disney+ and ESPN Unlimited, at a rate of $64.99/month. This massive bundle is usually priced at $82.99/month, with the deal saving you over $50. If you’re not interested in the full live TV component, the new ESPN Unlimited service is still offering a discount on bundles with Disney+ and Hulu for new subscribers.
Otherwise, I found a special link that lets you unlock a 30-day free trial of Apple TV+ without buying a new Apple product (though tons of those happen to be on sale for Prime Day). And just to make sure you have all the information, Starz’ current offer of a full year for $30 is actually better than the streamer’s Black Friday deal from last year, which limited you to two months.
Blythe (she/her) is an SEO Coordinator at IGN who, when she isn’t following streaming news, spends way too much time in character customization screens and tracking down collectibles.
