HBO Now is here, just in time for the season premieres of Game of Thrones, Silicon Valley, and Veep on Sunday night. It costs $15/month, comes with a free 30-day trial, and is only available on Apple devices and computers to start. Sling TV also now has HBO live and on-demand and on more devices, costing $15/month on top of the $20/month base package. I wrote up a blog post explaining all the details. Order HBO Now through the iPhone/iPad app or on Apple TV, sign up with Optimum broadband, or sign up for a free Sling TV trial.
Also this weekend stream The Masters free, lots of free streaming TV, a new original series from Netflix and Marvel, and get Star Wars as digital downloads for the first time.
Sports
The Masters is streaming free all day Friday-Sunday on the Masters app for iPhone, iPad, Android, or on computer web browsers. Featured groups and holes are available 11am through the end of play each day, and the CBS broadcast is 3-7pm on Saturday and 2-7pm on Sunday.
MLB games of the day free on PC or with At-Bat Premium on iPhone, iPad, Android:
- Friday: Blue Jays vs Orioles, 3:05pm
- Saturday: Mets vs Braves, 8:10pm
- Sunday: Astros vs Rangers, 3:05pm
Also streaming this weekend with pay TV is more MLB, NASCAR, EPL, and F1.
See the full streaming sports schedule from kettle.tv or check your local listings to see what is free with an antenna. All times Eastern.
Television
Now streaming free
- Mad Men mid-season premiere
- Call the Midwife S4 on PBS
- Mr. Selfridge S3 on PBS
- Wolf Hall S1 on PBS
- Roast of Justin Bieber: highlights free, watch with cable, or buy on iTunes
- A.D. The Bible Continues premieres this Sunday (Easter) on NBC
- Weird Loners, new from FOX
Now available for purchase on iTunes, Amazon, or VUDU
- Mad Men final episodes
- Roast of Justin Bieber
- Game of Thrones S4
- Real Housewives of NYC
- The Walking Dead S5
- Better Call Saul S1
Netflix
New this week on Netflix, see the full list here
- Daredevil S1 (Netflix original series)
- Wilfred S4
- Halt and Catch Fire S1
New last week
- Derek: Special
- Lots of movies
Movies
Star Wars is now available for the first time as a digital download for $20 each or a $90 bundle on iTunes, Amazon, or VUDU. The Gambler and Hot Tub Time Machine 2 are also available for purchase now.
iTunes has a $10 sale on recent hits, which includes several Oscar nominated films. John Wick starring Keanu Reeves is the iTunes 99¢ rental of the week, and Stripes is available for $5.
Now streaming free, see more on Crackle and Hulu
Streaming News
The Xbox One just got a little more useful for cord-cutters. It now supports OTA TV antennas, with an on-screen guide, live pause/play support for up to 30 minutes, split screen, and Kinect voice controls. The only catch is a separate TV tuner is required. Usually a tuner is included in the TV, but to take advantage of these features, the antenna must be plugged directly into the Xbox One, which doesn't have a tuner. Xbox recommends this model. Get more details here and shop antennas on Amazon.
Amazon Prime Video is now available on all Android tablets with an app from the Amazon app store.
This is the What to Watch This Weekend (without cable) series. Subscribe to the newsletter to receive it in your inbox every Friday. All times mentioned are Eastern.