Kaitlyn Cimino/Android Authority
TL;DR
- Roku is offering deep discounts of up to 90% on more than 30 streaming subscriptions, including deals on Starz, Hallmark+, and Apple TV.
- Most offers are only valid for about two months and are primarily aimed at new or returning subscribers, not existing users.
- Discounted US pricing expires May 24, after which subscriptions automatically return to their normal monthly rates.
Black Friday may belong in November, but Roku clearly decided that waiting until the end of the year is overrated. He the company has launched what is essentially its own mini streaming vacation, slashing the prices of more than 30 premium subscriptions by up to 90%. And yes, some of these offers are really tempting.
Among the highlights, Roku is offering a 7-day free trial for Howdy, an Apple TV deal that drops the price to $5.99 per month instead of $12.99 for two months, Starz is down to $1.99 per month from its usual $11.99, while Hallmark+ is also getting a big discount to $1.99 instead of $7.99 for two months.
There are similar deals floating around for services like Lifetime Movie Club, Faith & Family, Shout! TV and Frndly TV, among others. Sure, it sounds like any streaming fan’s dream. But there is actually a problem in several of them.
Most of these discounts last only about two months, meaning the low prices are more of a short-term gain than a permanent win. Once the promotional window closes, subscriptions quietly return to their regular monthly rates. That $1.99 deal suddenly becomes $11.99 before you know it, and streaming services are probably counting on the fact that many people simply won’t cancel in time.
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There’s another detail that long-time Roku users may not like: many of these offers are aimed directly at new or returning subscribers. So if you’ve already paid full price for Roku, the Roku “holiday spirit” doesn’t exactly extend to you.
That’s really what this promotion is about. Roku doesn’t just offer discounts because it feels generous. This is a classic ecosystem game: lure people in with absurdly cheap prices, hook them with a few extra subscriptions, and hope they stick around once regular billing begins.
To be fair, that strategy isn’t unique to Roku. Almost all streaming companies do this now. But Roku presenting it as its own celebratory sales event is certainly a clever twist on the usual subscription bait. However, if you are in the US and still interested, there is a deadline attached. Roku says these deals expire on May 24, so anyone planning to jump between streaming apps at bargain prices doesn’t have much time left to decide.
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