Popular Disney TV Shows to Be Free Online

By Geoff Duncan Updated April 10, 2006

Tired of paying Apple’s iTunes Music store $1.99 per episode to keep up with ABC shows like Lost and Desperate Housewives? The Walt Disney Company is betting you’re not alone: Disney today announced it will be launching a two-month trial program during May and June which some of its most popular shows will be available on the Internet for free via ABC.com.

The catch? (You knew there had to be a catch!) The episodes available via Apple’s iTunes Music Store are blissfully commercial-free. Disney’s free versions? Not so much.

The free shows will be supported by advertising revenue, with AT&T, Ford, Procter & Gamble, and Universal Pictures already signed on to pummel viewers with come-ons and pitches. Viewers will be treated to 16:9 widescreen formatting at either 500 by 282 pixels (400kbs) or 700 by 394 pixels (700 kbps) via a Mac- and PC-compatible player built using Flash 8. Viewers will be able to pause and move between “chapters” of an episode (probably loosely corresponding to “acts” of the episode normally separated by commercial breaks), but won’t be able to skip over embedded advertisements. Episodes will be available the day after they’re originally broadcast.

The offering will feature current episodes of ABC shows Lost,Desperate Housewives, and Commander-in-Chief (which, after Emmy attention, seems to have been resurrected from “Commander-Got-Cancelled”), as well as the entire final season of spy drama Alias.

ABC and other network affiliates are known to be disgruntled with their parent networks and studios taking their content to the masses via the Internet, cutting affiliate broadcasters out of the ever-decreasing revenue loop for broadcast television. “Our ultimate goal is to find an effective online model, one in which our affiliates can take part,” stated Alex Wallau, president, Operations and Administration, ABC Television Network. “To that end, we’ll be sharing information from this two-month test in our discussions going forward, and working on ways for them to participate in this new method of delivering ABC programming.”

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Audio / Video

Philo free trial: Stream live TV for free for a week

Philo.

Philo is a live TV streaming service that gives you access to over 70 channels for the low price of $25. It's a simple cable-replacement service with a lot of your favorite channels on it, including AMC, Comedy Central, HGTV, Nickelodeon and many more. Like all the best live TV streaming services, you can get Philo on your TV by using the Smart TV app or a streaming stick like the Amazon Fire 4K. You can also use it on your laptop or phone. Philo includes unlimited free cloud-based DVR, so you can record and rewatch shows even if they haven't yet appeared on a streaming service like Netflix. You get all of this without being tethered to a cable box, and there is no contract, so you can cancel whenever you want. The service is cheap, but if you want to test it out before you buy, you can always check out the Philo free trial.

Is there a Philo free trial?
Yes, there is a Philo free trial. You can get a full week of the service completely free. You will have to enter your payment information though, so don't forget to cancel your subscription once your trial is up if you don't intend on continuing with the service. The signup process is simple. You just have to enter your basic info (including a credit card) and confirm your account via an email. You'll be streaming live TV within five minutes. You can even use the unlimited Cloud DVR for that week, but you'll lose access to the things you recorded after your week is up.
Can you get Philo for free?
There isn't a way to get Philo for free. The service costs $25 per month, unless you use a coupon code or find a deal (more on that below). There currently aren't any sign-on bonuses or package deals that give you the service completely free, although some give you a discount. Your best bet for getting the service for free is to leverage the Philo free trial.
Are there any Philo deals?
After your Philo free trial is over, you'll be looking for a way to save some cash on the subscription. Even though $25 per month is one of the cheapest live TV streaming services out there, there are ways to make it cheaper. If you're a T-Mobile user, you can get the service for only $15. All you need is a T-Mobile or Sprint phone number. Signing up through your T-Mobile account will get you a 40% discount on the service for one full year. It will go back to $25 after that.

Audio / Video

MLS Season Pass on Apple TV shows everyone else how to stream sports

Atlanta-San Jose game page for MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

I’ve watched a lot of soccer in my lifetime. I played all over the Southeastern United States when I was younger. My kids now play on travel teams. I’m the president of our local youth rec league with 900 kids a season. So there’s a pretty good chance that if a TV is turned on in our house, there’s a game playing.

And this much was clear in the first few minutes of the opening weekend of the 2023 MLS season — and the inaugural run for MLS Season Pass: Apple absolutely nailed its implementation of a streaming sports package.

Audio / Video

Watch every MLS game for free this weekend on Apple TV

MLS Season Pass on a TV.

The 2023 MLS season finally is upon us, with 13 games on Saturday, February 25, and one more on Sunday, February 26. And you can watch every minute of any game this weekend — for free — as part of the inaugural matches on MLS Season Pass.

Some other matches also will be available free on Apple TV the weekends of March 4 and March 11.