- The coronavirus has left millions of Americans stranded at home.
- As a result, Showtime and Epix programming are now free for Spectrum TV subscribers.
- Showtime and Epix will remain free and accessible from today until April 12.
- Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.
The coronavirus has completely turned life in the United States upside down. School years have been suspended, large cities like Los Angeles and Chicago are still in full-on lockdown mode, and typically bustling places like Times Square in New York City remain hauntingly empty.
With millions of people now confined to their homes for what could very well be weeks on end, it’s only natural for boredom to eventually sink in. The good news, though, is that we live in a highly connected world and we now have access to more media content than ever before. And some media entities, in an effort to make the quarantine experience that much easier, have started making premium media content available for free.
As a prime example, Charter Communications today said that Spectrum TV subscribers can now enjoy Showtime and Epix programming for no additional cost. That’s about $17 worth of free TV shows and movies you can start enjoying today. Especially with the final season of Homeland in full-swing, now is as good a time as ever to catch up on what is easily Showtime’s most popular show. And while Epix isn’t necessarily a household name like HBO, it has an extensive selection of movies.
The free offer will remain in effect for the next three weeks.
Charter’s press release reads:
Stamford, CT – March 23, 2020 – Charter Communications, Inc. today announced it will provide SHOWTIME and EPIX premium channels at no additional charge to Spectrum TV customers who do not currently receive those channels through Sunday, April 19.
“We hope that by expanding these programming options it will provide even more hours of entertainment for our customers in these challenging times,” said Tom Montemagno, Executive Vice President of Programming Acquisition for Charter. “The highly-popular original entertainment programming and movies on these networks will be of great interest to a large cross-section of our customers.”
Charter will expand SHOWTIME and EPIX by Monday, March 23 for Spectrum TV customers who do not currently receive those channels. SHOWTIME features popular originals such as Billions and Homeland, as well as hit movies and documentaries. Popular programming on EPIX includes War of the Worlds, Godfather of Harlem and Slow Burn, as well as a new series, Belgravia, which premieres on Sunday, April 12.
It seems a bit surreal, but staying at home to watch TV will actually help stop the coronavirus from spreading further. To this point, infectious disease expert Dr. Emily Landon recently explained as much during a brief appearance at a press conference with Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker last week.
“These restrictions, in the end, may seem a little anti-climactic,” Landon said in a clip that has since gone viral. “Because it’s really hard to feel like you’re saving the world when you’re watching Netflix from your couch.”
But that’s exactly the reality we currently find ourselves in.
