How to Watch Showtime Without Cable: (Free Trial Guide)

How to get a Showtime free trial with a streaming service

Showtime used to be a premium channel that you could only get on cable TV or satellite service. 

But in 2015, Showtime launched a standalone service for $10.99 per month. 

New customers can get a 30-day free trial. You also have the option of adding Showtime to a number of other streaming services such as Amazon Prime or Hulu. 

A Spotify Premium for Students plan includes Showtime to eligible subscribers.

Lately, Showtime has seen an uptick in interest. The network is home to a number of popular originals, including Ray Donovan, Black Monday, The L Word: Generation Q, The Chi, and City On A Hill.

If you were a huge fan of VICE on HBO, you can now watch new episodes on Showtime.

It’s pretty easy to start or cancel a subscription online if you want to pick up a brief subscription to check out Shameless, Billions, or the new limited series about John Brown called The Good Lord Bird.  

I’ll summarize all your choices for a Showtime free trial below. 

How much does Showtime cost?

Showtime currently costs $10.99 per month no matter how you subscribe. The best option for most people will be to get a free trial directly from Showtime as a standalone subscription.  

You can easily cancel whenever you want under your account settings.  

The upshot to adding Showtime to another streaming subscription is that you are getting all of your live TV or streaming content under a single app. 

So if you watch a lot of live TV with your Hulu account, then adding Showtime might make the most sense. 

Here’s a breakdown of all streaming platforms that currently offer Showtime as an add-on option.

Showtime device support

How you subscribe to Showtime may matter depending on what streaming device or game console you use. Surprisingly, PlayStation 4 does not have a Showtime Anytime app, but XBOX One does. 

So, PS4 users need to add Showtime another way. Adding Showtime to Amazon Prime account, or Hulu, fuboTV or Sling TV will work on a PS4. 

Activating Showtime with Amazon Channels

Amazon Prime subscribers can add a number of premium networks such as Showtime, HBO and STARZ. Subscribers to Amazon Channels get a full complement of live streams and the entire on-demand library. 

The price for Showtime is the same — $10.99 per month. The free trial period is the same as a standalone Showtime subscription. And you can use the Amazon Prime app on more than just a Fire Stick. 

So my Amazon Channels are available to me on my Roku, NVIDIA Shield and even my Nebula Capsule II projector. 

Here are the details of signing up for Showtime through Amazon. You can also get a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime.

fuboTV: How to watch Showtime for free

fuboTV carries Showtime as an add-on premium channel bundle. Fubo has 152 channels in its basic package. There are a mix of local, sports and entertainment channels. 

FS1, FS2, NFL Network, PAC-12 Network, NBA TV and Big Ten Network are among the sports networks.

There are local NBC, CBS and FOX stations in most markets. A&E, History, HGTV, all the Hallmark Channels are included as well. 

You can look over the channel lineup and include Showtime as part of a free 7-day trial. Just be sure to cancel before the free trial ends so you avoid getting billed.

Hulu with Live TV: Subscribers can tap a Showtime free trial

There are two ways to add Showtime with Hulu. You can add Showtime even if you already subscribe to Hulu’s on-demand service. 

You can watch Showtime through Hulu with Live TV. Hulu’s live TV options has 65+ live TV channels, which costs $54.99 per month on its own. You can sign up for a free trial of Hulu’s Live TV service or a free trial of Hulu’s on-demand service.  

Sling TV: Showtime free trial with subscription

The cheapest subscription to Sling TV is $40 per month. 

With the Sling Orange plan, you will get about 32+ channels including AMC, A&E, ESPN, BBC America, Lifetime and TNT. 

You can only stream and record one channel at a time. If you’re looking for an inexpensive skinny bundle with Showtime, this is likely your best route. But if your goal is to score a Showtime free trial, you’ll need to be a subscriber to Sling TV first.

YouTube TV: Showtime add-on

YouTube TV offers Showtime for an additional $10.99 per month.

The service doesn’t appear to offer any free trial with the add-on channels. YouTube has a 75+ channel bundle for $49.99 per month. CBS, ABC, FS1, FS2, AMC, ESPN and Sundance TV are part of the channel package.

What’s the best way to get a free trial of Showtime?

Let’s recap. 

Getting a 30-day free trial directly from Showtime is going to be the best option for most people. But if you like to consolidate billing then adding Showtime with Amazon Channels, or Hulu might make more sense. You will also want to use the add-on option if you want to stream Showtime on your PlayStation 4. 

Got a favorite series on Showtime? Tell fellow readers in the comments below. 

For more news on streaming, how-to guides and reviews, head over to the main page of The Cord Cutting Report or follow the CCR on Google News.