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COVID-19, PART II: Tech Solutions for Entertainment While You’re in Quarantine

COVID-19, PART II: Tech Solutions for Entertainment While You’re in Quarantine
Reading Time: 6 minutes
Hand holding a TV remote
Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash.

If you’re like a lot of folks trying to pass their time in quarantine, you’ve completed your to-do list five times over and binged all your favorite shows and movies. So what’s left to do? These tech solutions for entertainment should spark a few ideas, and the best part is they won’t break the bank!

Movies/Shows

  • Free Streaming Options:
    • Crackle– Free all the time with ads
    • IMDB–  Free all the time with ads
    • Hoopla– Your local library may have partnered with this service, in which case you can use your library card to access all kinds of free stuff, including movies. You’ll have 72 hours to watch!
    • Internet Archive– home to all things public domain, including thousands of feature-length movies. “Public domain” is code for “old” or “mostly black-and-white,” making this the place for folks interested strictly in classic films.
    • Kanopy– If your library isn’t connected with Hoopla you might ask about Kanopy. They offer some mainstream content, but their bread and butter is a large selection of indie films and documentaries. Their library also includes titles from the Criterion Collection as well as a Kanopy Kids section for family-friendly content.
    • Plex– Primary known for its media-slinging server software, but it is breaking into free movie streaming as well.
    • Pluto TV– Free all the time with ads 
    • Roku Channel– Free all the time with ads
    • Tubi TV– Free all the time with ads
    • Vudu– Free all the time with ads 
    • Prime Video Presents the SXSW 2020 Film Festival Collection. Free access April 27th through May 6th. 
  • Free Trial Offers
    • HBO streams some of their original series for free all of the time. Or you can start a 7-day trial to binge a show or movie you know you want to see (only available to new subscribers).
    • During the quarantine Sling TV is broadcasting free TV from 5 pm to midnight (only available to new subscribers).
    • Acorn TV, a British streaming platform, is offering an extended trial period during the quarantine. Use promo code FREE30 to launch a 30-day trial. 
    • Filmatique streams art house picks and festival winning films, adding a new one each week. They’re offering a 30-day trial, no promo code necessary. 
    • Quibi specializes in short-form tech solutions for entertainment catered to Millenials and Gen Z. They offer a 90-day trial period.
    • Hulu, Netflix, and Showtime also offer 30-day trials with no promo code necessary. 
    • Shudder offers horror movies, shows, and original content, and you can start a 30-day trial with promo code SHUTIN.
    • AMC owned indie-film favorite Sundance Now is offering a 30-day trial. Just use promo code SUNDANCENOW30.
    • Marketed as the first streaming service dedicated to black film and TV, ALLBLK is offering a 30-day trial via promo code UMCFREE30.
    • If you’ve recently purchased an Apple product, or plan to, you can gain one year of access to AppleTV+ at no additional cost. 
*The promo codes provided were active at the time this article was written and published. 

Games

Music

Fitness

Maybe fitness is more your bag. Don’t worry, there are free services to keep your skinny jeans at the forefront of your wardrobe. 

Reference Good Housekeeping’s 25 Fitness Studios and Gyms Offering Live-Stream Workouts During the Coronavirus Outbreak for more options.

Magazines, eBooks, and AudioBooks

Education

Art

Whether you have kids stuck at home starved for tech solutions for entertainment or you find your own brain melting from all the shows you’re binging these days- refine your mental palette with some free art. 

Other tech solutions for entertainment

Check out part I in our COVID-19 Series: Looking at the Glass Half Full Amidst a Crisis.

While we know this list is just a drop in the bucket, it’s been amazing to see so many companies and individuals offer their resources, time, and money to help others in need. Tweet us your favorite ways to pass the time under quarantine or any offerings we’ve missed!