Now is the time to binge-watch shows that have been sitting on the back burner. Along with many affordable home streaming services, HBO has done one better by offering over 500 hours of free shows: all part of the hashtag, “Star Home Box Office” campaign. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, people are implored to stay home, as HBO said, “to provide some entertainment relief for those doing their part to keep everyone safe and healthy in this time of social isolation.”

On Friday, April 3, HBO opened the free streaming without ads for millions of Americans nationwide.

HBO is a WarnerMedia-owned premium cabler that normally offers shows through a paid subscription starting at $15 per month. Now is the time to take advantage of the limited-time free subscription on HBO Now and HBO Go services. 

The upload of free movies included nine series, ten documentaries and 20 movies. The series include: “Ballers”; “Barry”; “Silicon Valley”; “Six Feet Under”; “The Sopranos”; “Succession”; “True Blood”; “Veep”; and “The Wire.”

Documentaries include: “The Apollo”; “The Case Against Adnan Syed”; “Elvis Presley: The Searcher”; “The Inventor Jane Fonda in Five Acts”; “Love You, Now Die”; “McMillion$”; “True Justice”; “United Skates”; and “We Are the Dream.”

Movies include: “Arthur”; “Arthur 2: On the Rocks”; “Blinded By the Light”; “The Bridges of Madison County”; “Crazy, Stupid, Love”; “Empire of the Sun”; “Forget Paris”; “Happy Feet Two”; “Isn’t It Romantic?”; “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part”; “Midnight Special”; “My Dog Skip”; “Nancy Drew And The Hidden Staircase”;  “Pan”; “Pokémon Detective Pikachu”; “Red Riding Hood”; “Smallfoot”; “Storks”; “Sucker Punch” and “Unknown.”

Notably, since the free streaming service, the most popular hits have been “Westworld,” “Big Little Lies,” “Euphoria” and “Chernobyl.”Although, those popular shows are still behind the paywall. 

This, to which Jazz Shaw responded on Twitter, “Liking the #StayHomeBoxOffice thing. Very nice of them. Of course, they don’t include ‘Game of Thrones’ or ‘Westworld,’ but still a lot of good stuff.”

According to WarnerMedia, since Saturday, March 14, streaming has increased by 40%. Viewers that binge on three or more episodes per session has increased by 65% compared to the previous four weeks. 

WarnerMedia said, “Viewers can join the conversation and participate in interactive stunts throughout this offering by following @HBO on Twitter and Instagram and sharing the hashtag #StayHomeBoxOffice.”

Many commented on the confusion of how to get in on the free streaming service. Natalia Vega messaged on Twitter, “I can’t access the #StayHomeBox Office free content? I went up to your website and was asked to either renew my subscription or sign-up a 14-day free trial.”

While the service offer is not completely straight forward, at the least, viewers alike have figured out how it works. Choose the HBO icon on your TV; it opens and asks for a log-in or option to subscribe. To bypass this, go to the “home” selection on the menu. There, viewers will find the vault of free streaming shows for their enjoyment. 

Additionally, WarnerMedia has responded to the virus crisis in many ways that encourage audiences to stay home. In addition to free streaming on HBO, WarnerMedia will be airing, “Sesame Street: Elmo’s Playdate,” April 14 on HBO. 

WarnerMedia stated, “Part of Sesame Workshop’s Caring for Each Other initiative, the special is aimed at helping kids and families around the world feel connected in this time of uncertainty,” it continued, “and features everyone’s favorite ‘Sesame Street’ friends and celebrity guests, including Lin-Manuel Miranda, Anne Hathaway and Tracee Ellis Ross.”

WarnerMedia is certainly keeping its audiences entertained—though we are still left to see if other streaming services will follow in its footsteps.